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Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Punycorn and the Princess of Thieves from Clarion Books and Quinnelope and the Unicorn Untopia from Oni Press.
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Our 2026 Heavy Medal Book List is finalized! Here are the 15 titles that will be discussed in the coming weeks during our Mock Newbery process.
The best storytellers I know put their emotions on the page or screen and don't seem to make a distinction between children and adults.
I sifted through nearly a thousand children’s books coming out in December, January, and February to bring you the ten that most jumped out to me. Let’s get started . . . Picture Books The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper February 24 | Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) | Grades K-2 Cooper’s last effort, the excellent […]
Includes everything from tiny head denizens (a.k.a. lice) to
On the first day of my podcast my true love gave to me… Jan Brett! Yes, we’re in the thick of the holiday season now, and what better way to kick off our holiday picture booking than with, not simply a Christmas classic song/book, but a classic picture book creator as well! Brett last appeared […]
As educators and information leaders, I think librarians have the responsibility to provide information and skill development so that our students and community members can make informed choices about using AI.
I mean, who doesn't love a good myth or legend?
So many incredible books hit our shores in a given year, that it only makes sense to write an entire post about them today.
It’s been a busy week of Heavy Medal as we prepare for the next stage of discussions. We are going to finalize our booklist this weekend and would love to hear any final comments you have. Here are some very specific questions I would love to have answered: We look forward to unveiling our Final […]
Let a dinosaur teach you how a computer is built in Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works
I don’t know why, but I find it incredibly charming when kids ask to have books put on hold. I love that they’re so into wanting to read them that they want to remember that they want to read them, and then I get to see the utter delight on their faces when it’s finally […]
2025 turned out to be a particularly good year for books for the newest of readers. Check out this array of talent!
In Kenny Ruiz's fun new manga, a young would-be hero first stumbles upon and then seeks to master the iconic weapon of the title...while on the run from The First Order.
The genre helped me rewrite the narrative of my own story. I was not a victim of the world around me, but girl who could save herself.
Newbery winner Rebecca Stead is our guest on the latest episode of The Yarn podcast. We go behind the scenes of Stead’s latest middle grade novel, The Experiment. We also talk about how this year’s Newbery winner, The First State of Being (by Erin Entrada Kelly), was in part inspired by Stead’s 2010 Newbery winner […]
These books have something to say to kids, and not only are they unafraid to say it, they do it in the best possible way.
Lives are validated not through what reviewers often see as ‘gritty’ but a very nuanced layering of Black classicism. Even though she provides a fictitious urban setting, these teen’s reality isn’t directly about racism, income, or gender. It’s about the balancing act they do to survive every day.
Registration is now open for our live Heavy Medal Webcast: "What's It Really Like? Join the 2026 Mock Newbery Live!" The free event is scheduled for Friday, January 23rd, at 1:00 pm EST.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
In the kitchen, you’re a team. You have each other’s backs. No matter what happens, keep going. Knives out. Flames blazing. You are a band of wild pirates.
SLJ BLOG NETWORK
100 Scope Notes
Travis Jonker
A Fuse #8 Production
Elizabeth Bird
Good Comics for Kids
Brigid Alverson, Robin Brenner, Lori Henderson, Esther Keller, Michael May, J. Caleb Mozzocco, Mike Pawuk, Scott Robins, & Eva Volin
Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
Steven Engelfried, Sharon McKellar, & Roxanne Hsu Feldman
Neverending Search
Joyce Valenza
Pearl's & Ruby's
Edith Campbell
Teen Librarian Toolbox
Karen Jensen, Heather Booth, Robin Willis, & Amanda MacGregor
The Classroom Bookshelf
Mary Ann Cappiello, Erika Thulin Dawes, Grace Enriquez, & Katie Cunningham
The Yarn
Travis Jonker & Colby Sharp
NEWS & FEATURES
Rebecca Stead’s EXPERIMENT
Travis Jonker
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