News & Features

At the Trump Soho hotel in Manhattan on October 1, Harlequin Teen and bestselling author Julie Kagawa unveiled her new dragon-focused series, "Talon." The first book in the series will be published on October 28, 2014. School librarians and Bammy Award nominees Deven Black, Jennifer Lagarde, Shannon Miller, Joyce Valenza, and Matthew C. Winner walked the red carpet on September 21.

Our friends at Macmillan want to give you a chance to share in the hilarity of From Nowhere to Norvelt, but you have to work for it. Remember Miss Volker's obituary writing and penchant for history? Be prepared to share what would be your town's "This Day in History?" and enter to win a visit from the ever-charming Jack Gantos. You'll be glad you did.

Navigating the transition from high school to college can be really tough, and debut YA author/illustrator Ramsey Beyer has turned her experience into Little Fish. It is an honest look at making those first step into an exciting world, with new friends and discoveries around every corner. Five lucky SLJTeen readers will win a copy of Little Fish from Zest Books.

She’s not a teacher or a librarian but, during the more than 25 years that Sesame Street’s Sonia Manzano has spent talking about kindness with Big Bird, letting the Count number her toes, and singing about trash to Oscar the Grouch, she has observed quite a bit about how kids learn. The actress, education advocate, and children’s book author was presented with the Américas Award in Washington, D.C., on September 23, given annually by the Consortium for Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP).

Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan Alfred A. Knopf. August 2013 Reviewed from ARC Sometimes a book packs such an emotional whammy that every other aspect becomes irrelevant to 99.9% of the readers. Two Boys Kissing is seriously packing. Before I go any further, a disclaimer: I just read this for the first time last week. [...]

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) today announced grants for 42 library projects totaling $14,670,66. Recipients in 27 states and the District of Columbia received funding, including the American Library Association, which will research the efficacy of early literacy programs; Westport (CT) Library, which hopes to create a new model for maker spaces; and the Chicago Board of Education, which plans to improve school librarians' use of mobile technologies.

YALSA and Dollar General Literacy Foundation are offering two $1,000 grants for Summer Reading programs: one for employing a teen intern and another for purchasing resources. The Library of Congress has launched a new Twitter feed for K–12 educators which can be found @TeachingLC. ALSC members are encouraged to send suggestions for the 2013 Theodor Geisel Award to the committee chair, Penny Peck. Capstone Interactive ebooks are now compatible with the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced the 10 recipients of its 2013 Teen Read Week Grants. Funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the grants of $1,000 each will be used by the libraries to fund their Teen Read Week programs.

NY middle school librarian Deven Black has been named the 2013 Bammy Award recipient in the inaugural school librarian category, presented by the Academy of Education Arts and Sciences International. Sylvia Knight Norton, incoming executive director of AASL, presented the award on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Jennifer Lagarde, Shannon Miller, Joyce Valenza, and Matthew Winner joined Black as nominees for the award.