Authors & Illustrators

A panel of YA authors shared with nearly 250 children’s librarians what inspired them to write about “tough stuff” at SLJ’s annual pre-BEA Day of Dialog event. Moderated by Karyn Silverman—SLJ blogger and librarian and educational technology department chair of the Little Red School House & Elisabeth Irwin High School—the panel’s discussion flowed from dark to light, touching on topics such as school shootings and Nazi Germany.

“Audio is a great doorway to a love of literature,” says Katherine Kellgren, award-winning young adult audiobook narrator, lifelong audiobook listener, and supporter of a SYNC, the free YA audiobooks program. SLJ caught up with Kellgren for a candid chat about her start in the field, the joys—and challenges—of narrating YA literature, the importance of audio in boosting kids’ literacy, and her upcoming projects. Kellgren even stopped by our offices to record a few video segments.

Once again, we queried some of our favorite children's and young adult authors about their summer reading lists. Take a peek to see what Kevin Henkes, Candace Fleming, and Tom Angleberger will be diving into this vacation season.

From a scratchy nib pen to splatter from a toothbrush, author illustrator Matt Phelan describes the special quality he derives from using traditional media in this clip recorded at School Library Journal's Day of Dialog.

Junior Library Guild editors select illustrated picture book biographies on remarkable Americans that are perfect for inspiring children in Grades 2 to 6. These include a new take on Albert Einstein and a brief look at how libraries became more accessible to young readers.

The winners of the Audie Awards, the audiobook industry’s equivalent of the Oscars, were announced at the 18th Annual Audies Gala held at The New York Historical Society in New York City on May 30, 2013 and hosted by Daniel Handler (author of “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series written under the name Lemony Snicket). The awards, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), recognize distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.

The publishing industry's BookExpo of America took place from May 30 to June 1. An annual gathering of authors, publishers, booksellers, and of course librarians, it held signings, panels, and events at the Javits Center in New York City.

In a charming keynote, bestselling author Holly Black shared a poem that she wrote in seventh grade, to the hysterics of the audience at School Library Journal's annual event held during BookExpo America.

Author/illustrators Lizi Boyd, Oliver Jeffers, Matt Phelan, Chris Raschka, and David Wiesner spoke about picture books and the art of visual storytelling at SLJ's annual Day of Dialog event this week. The panel was moderated by kid lit specialist and storyteller Rita Auerbach.