Books & Media

The Missouri House approves state budget that strips public libraries of funding, students protest in Oregon, a 100-year-old woman speaks out against censorship in Florida, a Utah parent challenges the Bible, and more in this week's censorship news.

In these works, the characters are cute, the chapters short, and suspense is kept to a minimum. While the genre exists for all ages, many titles are ideal for younger readers.

Middle grade readers will relish these 18 excellent books in verse, which convey worlds of feeling in a limited number of words and cover a variety of times, places, and situations, encouraging empathy and understanding.

These adaptations for TV, from Frog and Toad to American Born Chinese and more, will lead young readers back to the page for the source material, the rest of a series, or in search of read-alikes.

Star Child by Ibi Zoboi and Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas are among the winners of the annual awards that honor outstanding children's and YA books by African American authors.