News & Features

Junior Library Guild editors select new titles for independent readers that feature characters with some of the same problems that children deal with everyday: bullying, not-so-fun summer camp experiences, and the arrival of a new sibling. Reading about how these protagonists figure out their solutions just might help youngsters approach their own issues. And, these chapter books will remind them that they're not alone.

Share this with you favorite essay and paper-grading teachers:  So much of our students’ work– collaborative or independent, so many of our professional documents, are created using Google Docs. And so many times it’s a strain to express in the margin, or in text notes, the personal/enthusiastic/caring/connected feedback we’d really like to share. When we [...]

Can you think of a better way to kick off?  Not I, said the fly.  Yes, the world’s most confused woman (not me) is celebrating her 50th birthday.  I am pleased to report that Harper Collins is allowing me to reveal this video today.  The strange thing about Amelia B is that she seems to [...]

NYC Councilmembers and other library supporters gathered on the steps of City Hall to protest proposed cuts to library funding. Warren St. John and Jo S. Kittinger were both presented with Christopher Awards on May 23.

For the past several years, our seniors have looked forward to filling the library display case with some sort of artistic expression relating to their plans for next year. This year, we added another element to this tradition. We asked them for a memory card. It hasn’t caught on quite as well as the college [...]

A Mutiny in Time, the first audiobook in James Dashner’s “Infinity Ring” series, is a great kickoff for what is sure to be a rollicking adventure series for elementary grade students. Be sure to check out the review.

Can you guess the classic children’s book by its scathing one-star review on GoodReads or Amazon? There is NO PLOT. And I don’t mean that there’s a very simple plot, as would suit a children’s book, but there is ABSOLUTELY NO PLOT! There are no characters. There is no story. It’s just a collection of [...]

What does a good school library look like? What role does a good school library play in educating New Jersey students? These are the questions Ross Todd, Ph.D., and Carol Gordon, Ph.D., co-directors of the Center for International Scholarship in School Libraries (CISSL), sought to define in a recent two-phase study they conducted in public elementary, middle, and high schools throughout the state. In an interview with SLJ,Todd and Gordon share some of their most surprising and illuminating findings, along with the steps they are taking to promote the research this year and their best practices recommendations for how other schools can build successful libraries.

Children’s book author and former teacher Kate Messner has always had a passion for sharing books with kids, so when she recommended Hena Khan’s Golden Domes and Silver Lanternsto her Twitter followers for its portrayal of Islam, she did not expect the backlash she received. A few days after the original message, someone who does not follow her on Twitter replied with the below, continuing an intense multiday exchange with her about what he believes to be “the real Islam.”