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Gene Luen Yang’s two-volume set Boxers & Saints is one of the most talked-about books of the year—the internet is dotted with reviews of the book and interviews with Yang—and when we started talking among ourselves, we quickly realized that we all had plenty to say—and we didn’t always agree. So we decided to put [...]

Awards season is finally upon us and, as the SLJ Book Review team puts the finishing touches on its Best Books of 2013 list, we’ve been comparing notes and keeping tabs on other reviewers’ top picks. Fan favorite and SLJ starred book, Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park has even made Amazon’s top 10 books of the year.

AASL needs volunteers for its conference next week in Hartford, Connecticut. The New York Public Library has launched new after-school programs. AAAS/Subaru have announced finalists for the SB&F Prize for children’s science books. Kid lit submissions are being accepted for the PEN Literary Awards. Through November 15, ALA seeks nominations for its cutting-edge library practices technology award.

For those who can’t wait two more weeks to see Catching Fire, relief is at hand. The taut How I Live Now offers a slimmed down dystopian world at its most bucolic—a survival tale meets hot-and-heavy first love with a punkish swagger. The screenwriters have tweaked the snarky-but-soft-hearted narration of Meg Rosoff’s absorbing novel (Random, 2004), but given the heroine a still-defiant voice.

SLJ has compiled an expansive page of diversity resources—including materials on people of color, non-American cultures, LGBTQ issues, and disability—to help librarians better serve children and teens. From author interviews to collection development tools and from blogs to news coverage, these articles and reviews aim to give insight into issues that are becoming more relevant for kids each day.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater. Book II of the Raven Cycle. Sequel to Book I – The Raven Boys. Scholastic. 2013. Reviewed from ARC. The Plot: In Book I, Blue Sargent became friends with the “Raven Boys” — Richard Campbell Gansey III, Ronan Lynch, Adam Parrish, and Noah Czarny. All had become involved in [...]

Recently, I’ve reconsidered that element of human experience called interest, thanks to Annie Murphy Paul and Mimi Ito. Murphy Paul is a journalist covering cognitive science and Ito, a cultural anthropologist, is a proponent of the Connected Learning concept, but their ideas both relate to the power of interest, and the impact on kids when it is fostered.

SLJ's November Multimedia reviews feature From Up on Poppy Hill DVD, the audiobook format of acclaimed Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, and children's classic, Matilda, among others.

Kid lit offerings from niche publishers had a chance to shine recently, thanks to the Association of American Publishers and its Children’s Libraries Committee's recent Book Buzz event in New York City. Librarians hailing from across the eastern seaboard gathered to preview spring 2014 titles from 14 different publishers plus various smaller imprints.