Public Libraries

How did Suzanne Collins dream up Panem and the Hunger Games? Influences range from Roman Gladiators to the Vietnam War, as this booklist shows. 

There is confusion over who placed the restrictions on Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, authors of His Name Is George Floyd; Pink to distribute banned books at Florida concerts; and more.

We Need Diverse Books offers a new website with resources for librarians and educators about books by Native creators and how to use them in the classroom; Newbery-winning author Susan Patron has died; YALSA releases Teen Top 10 list; federal education employees will create AI guidance and policy for K-12; and more in this edition of News Bites.

Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown, has opened Loudmouth Books, a bookstore in Indianapolis dedicated to the titles often targeted by bans; former Central  York, PA, students get a book deal to tell their stories; a video on the mental health impact of book bans; Kentucky district returns more than 100 books to the shelves; and more.

Whether for witty wordplay, star-crossed love stories, or bloody history, the Bard's plays still inspire—in particular, they inspire YA adaptations.

Mostly free and readily available, webtoons are particularly appealing to teens and young adults. Publishers have seized the opportunity to bring many to print.

Cicely Lewis recommends books for the BeyHive.

The science behind board books, a brief history of the format, and a look at the publishing market. 

Museums centered on the Black experience are seeing more visitors and expect numbers to climb as books about race continue to be banned and teaching about history and race is restricted. In other censorship news, Alabama state superintendent mandates a library review policy in all school districts, open records requests reveal books removed in Iowa schools, and more.