News & Features

Scholastic has announced that it is donating one million books to Reach Out and Read, the nonprofit organization that helps implement early-childhood literacy awareness during a child’s regular medical office visits. The donation comes just a day after Reach Out and Read was recognized by the Library of Congress as the recipient of the new David M. Rubenstein Prize for advancing literacy.

So I see the Man Booker Prize is opening itself up to Americans. I wonder why; my cynical side believes it has less to do with enhancing “its prestige and reputation through expansion” and more to do with trying to grab a piece of American publishing money (such as it is) through what has euphemistically [...]

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Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has chosen the winners of the 2013 Library of Congress Literacy Awards, a new program originated and sponsored by philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. The recipients are the Reach Out and Read early literacy program in Boston; MA, 826 National, San Francisco, a K–12 tutoring and literacy program; and the international program PlanetRead, based in Mumbai, India.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators has announced its creation of the Spark Award, an annual literary award that will recognize excellence in a children’s book published through a non-traditional publishing route. The award is open to current writer and/or illustrator SCBWI members who have published a board book, picture book, chapter book, middle grade, or young adult novel either independently or via an established self-publishing enterprise.

Read for the Record Day is October 3, and children all over the country will be celebrating by reading Loren Long's Otis, including the students at teacher librarian Shannon McClintock Miller's school. Five lucky classrooms that pledge by September 25 will also get the opportunity to chat with the author in a Google+ Hangout.

Monday was the big day for the National Book Awards in the YA and Children’s worlds, with the announcement of the longlist for the award for Young People’s Literature.  But we here at Adult Books 4 Teens had to wait through the week for the other three longlists to be announced: Poetry, Nonfiction, and Fiction. [...]

November is Picture Book Month. Five winners and five finalists of the NYC Neighborhood Library Awards were announced September 17. Apply for the Stony Brook Southampton (NY) MFA in Children's Literature Fellows program. Kids in grades 2–5 can enter the LEGO Essay Contest.

Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. She’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. She stumbles upon a warehouse party where, among other things, Elise discovers she has what it takes to be an awesome DJ. Macmillan is giving five lucky winners the chance to get a copy of Leila Sales's latest title, This Song Will Save Your Life.

I’m just catching up with SLJ’s Heavy Metal and our own Calling Caldecott (and I see Betsy Bird has posted her own award predictions, too). All good prep for a terrible prognosticator (who once told the Wall Street Journal that kids were gonna hate Lemony Snicket). I’m particularly enjoying the civilized debate following Martha’s post [...]

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