News & Features

Our job, as writers, publishers, editors, librarians, and teachers, is to share with young people stories that heal, uplift, celebrate, and empower. The power of story is the power of finding one’s own voice.

Horror, despite how it’s often categorized, is not a genre. It is instead a mood, applicable to any genre that elicits fear, disgust, surprise, or shock. For young readers with still-developing brains, horror can be especially appealing as they navigate their own emotional responses. Librarians must be familiar with the trends, and the kind of chills a reader may be seeking, all through the year.

These five films hit the big screen this summer. Kids who like them will also enjoy these books.

Lety is a story about Lety Muñoz, an English Language Learner (ELL) and immigrant, who volunteers at an animal shelter and becomes a shelter hero.

These audiobooks will keep everyone entertained on those spring break and summer road trips.

Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut novel We Set the Dark on Fire is a fantasy based in contemporary issues: political turmoil, sexual identity, class inequality, immigration, even a border wall. She tells SLJ about world-building, revolution, and how rage inspired her first novel.

The Center for Children's Literature at Bank Street College of Education selected four semifinalists for the 2019 Irma S. Black and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature. The winner will be selected by first and second graders across the country; teachers and librarians can register their students to participate in the voting process before April 19.

In Anh Do's chapter book series, WEIRDO, the author created a character whose first name is Weir, and whose last name is Do. He’s a school kid who feels like he doesn’t always belong, but who learns to embrace his uniqueness.

John Sullivan, Oge Mora honored by Ezra Jack Keats Awards and more in NewsBites.