News & Features

Review committees decided to keep challenged books on the shelves in districts in Maryland, Tennessee, and North Dakota; two new grassroots organizations to fight book banning were started by Texas parents and grandparents across the country, respectively. 

While librarians, of late, have drawn some attention by mainstream press, the profession has always been central in SLJ's coverage. Of stories driven by school and public librarians, their perspectives and work, four drew the most views in 2023.  

We love our creators of children's and YA books and so do readers. Here are the five most popular stories centering writers whose stories inspired us over the past year. 

SLJ's most viewed coverage of book banning and censorship, which remained front and center in 2023.

These two titles, both young reader adaptations of adult nonfiction books, put readers in the shoes (or, more accurately, the feathers and families) of their animal counterparts.

Pat Scales fields questions about a student who harasses others over reading choices, a verbally abusive mother, and a principal who lets parents observe class.

Among social media platforms filling the void as Twitter/X loses momentum, Bluesky leads in the children’s literature community.

Scholastic Book Fairs has announced its plans for the Spring 2024 fairs, which includes the previously segregated titles from the Share Every Story, Celebrate Every Voice add-on bookcase being available throughout the fair.

At the SLJ Summit in Atlanta, Texas district library coordinator Becky Calzada and DC Public Schools director of library programs Kevin Washburn shared ideas and tips for talking to stakeholders and led a workshop for attendees to brainstorm the best ways to get the library message out.