News & Features

Early in the school year is a good time to help kids get into the swing of things and get to know one another and these apps can help.

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.

Are you ready for Banned Books Week? The American Library Association (ALA) and readers from around the world are gearing up to demonstrate their support for free speech next week by participating in a Virtual Read-Out of their favorite banned and challenged books. The event will serve as the backdrop for the announcement of ALA’s Banned Books Week Heroes, honoring those people and groups who stand up for intellectual freedom and the right to read.

The BARD Mobile app provides access to braille and talking books directly from the Braille and Audio Reading Download (BARD) of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. BARD contains nearly 50,000 books, magazines, and music scores in audio and braille formats, with new selections added daily.

Welcoming Schools—a project of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation that provides tools and lessons to educators to stop bias and bullying in schools—is releasing a new short film and related materials for educators and parents. The film spotlights teachers in the classroom generating open conversations with students about the impact of bullying and the power of students to stop it.

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. [...]

It’s been a banner year for books about railroad trains, a topic that remains perennially popular with young readers. Featuring newer titles worthy of a hardy “woo woo” and a smattering of old favorites, these selections will captivate transportation buffs. There’s something for every would-be engineer, whether they prefer their tales based in history, brimming with the wonders of modern-day machinery, or inspired by rail-riding flights of fancy.

Todd Strasser has been on the children's and YA literature scene for more than 30 years. His latest book, Fallout (Candlewick, 2013), has received rave reviews from many outlets, and publisher Candlewick has even developed a discussion guide for the book that has direct correlations to the Common Core. We caught up with Strasser to chat about the book, his distinguished career, and his latest project.