Books that cover the themes of grief and loss are so important because sometimes it can feel so lonely to lose someone and you might not even want to talk about it, but it might help to read about it.
47 new and forthcoming books to help build your TBR!
3 of my favorite posts from the past month.
Quiet, unassuming, delightful, funny, and with just enough science fiction in there, I’m just gonna say it: I love this book. You know who else is going to love this book? Kids.
The first volume of Digital Lizards of Doom has been adopted for classroom use by the San Diego schools, and the second volume is coming out soon!
Author Aamna Qureshi discusses the importance of Muslim representation in literature
Author Aamna Qureshi discusses the importance of Muslim representation in literature
I am here on my knees begging the publishing industry not only to publish books for younger teenagers, but to create a new publishing category that encompasses that unrecognized in-between age.
Thanks to Ellen Myrick, I've gotten a peek at a slew of children's books slated to come to our American shores in the not-so-distant future. So buckle up and enjoy the ride!
In this historical fiction graphic novel, based on a true story, friendship and allyship during World War II give readers a sense of hope and human connection.
More LGBTQ+ youth are feeling comfortable coming out at earlier ages, and that’s a wonderful thing. But for the many queer kids who still can’t—and for the LGBTQ+ adults who couldn’t—I don’t think we recognize the loss caused by that suppression nearly enough.
Heading to San Diego for the ALA Annual Conference
Meet the charmer of the season. A picture book influenced by both animation and silent films, and that puts those wet, miserable walks in context.
In an industry (and more widely, society) which narrows our modes of self-expression to the economically viable, I consider myself very privileged to have enjoyed the time and space to tell my story via a medium so tied to my authentic self.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Cloud Puppy from Antheneum Books for Young Readers and Books of Clash Volume 3 Legendary Legends Of Lengendarious Archievery from First Second Books.
14 speedy little reviews of new and forthcoming books!
5 popular books you might not know about.
If you're a small publisher, what can you possible do to raise funds? Introducing the incredible Elsewhere Editions auction. Take a gander and see what entices.
Supriya Kelkar takes us behind the scenes of AND YET YOU SHINE.
Travis: It’s the third installment in our Speed Round series – rapid fire Q&A with children’s book creators. What is Peter Brown’s least favorite household chore? What is Dashka Slater’s unexpected hobby? Answers to those and many more speed round questions in this episode. Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
This book serves as a crucial reminder of the courage it takes to stand against injustice.
Learn about a presentation at NCTE called “Our Blood is Beautiful!: Shattering Cycles of Shame, Stigma, and Silence to Create Space for Stories of Menstruation.”
Books set around the globe allow readers to travel and learn about different people, places, and cultures all from their home. Also, and most importantly, books set around the world provide important representation to children who come from those places.
A seemingly simple package of roadside kitsch hides a story of grief, complicated family relationships/friendships, and more cactuses than you ever thought could fit on a page.
A young Danish girl learns she is Jewish and escapes from the Nazis in this graphic novel that touches on a little-known aspect of World War II—the determination of the Danish people to protect their Jewish neighbors.
I’m thankful that there’s room on our bookshelves for the vast array of teen-centered stories we have to tell, whether romantic or not.
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
We Mostly Come Out at Night is a celebration of queer and trans lives that stands in stark defiance of those who seek to force us back into the closet.
Take a look at some of the most rare children's books in the world . . .
A pediatric cardiologist in the Bronx writes three young adult novels then pens a thoroughly touching tale of a girl and her grandfather. Learn more about this story and its origins.
A graphic memoir and fantasy tales are on the table for 2026.
I know I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren’t for the people who helped me get through that early, rough period of trying to figure out how to be a writer.
A writer once told me that when I’m not feeling inspired, I should go out and collect life experiences so I would have things to “add to the pile of stuff” I could write about. I thought it was odd advice at the time, but now I get it.
A Newbery panel you won't want to miss at ALA Annual in San Diego.
Today we've ten terrific titles penned for adults but with some sort of connection to the world of children's literature.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen discusses the concept of teens only programming
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Upstaged from Little Brown Ink and Fluffle Bunnies Volume 1 Buns Gone Bad from Tundra Books.
Centering dignity and equity, authors strive to normalize the topic of menstruation and show how different people experience it.
Which picture books have been checked out the most at my school library this year? Let's have a look . . .
What's big, green, and loves minor league baseball? Today we dive into a Bill Joyce book we've never done before an determine where Bob stands in the pantheon of picture books.
Celebrating Asian American Native Hawai’ian Pacific Islander Heritage Month with Comic Books for Kids with Angela Frederick
Kelkar talks about her latest book, AND YET YOU SHINE.
A Romanian girl immigrates to Montreal and learns to deal with her period in this middle-grade coming-of-age story.
I hope that reading the book will give readers living with chronic illness a little bit of the gift it gave me as I wrote it.
Part of why we're focusing on middle grade this year on TLT is because discoverability can feel so challenging, with chain stores stocking less MG than ever before. New authors face an even bigger challenge because kids (and their grown-ups) often gravitate toward established authors they know they will like.
Vol. 3 of the illustrated fantasy novel series Children of the Phoenix is coming in December, and it will be the darkest one yet.
Without The Diamond in the Window introducing me to chambered nautiluses all those years ago, I might still be sitting at my laptop staring at a blank page.
Narrative nonfiction has the same goals as any novel – to use these same techniques of conflict, setting, characterization, etc. to build a world that a reader cares about.
NBC Nightly News visits The Rabbit hOle.
A star studded anthology brings us stories of kids with tiny superpowers. Today, we talk with the book's creators to find out what makes this title tick.
Teen librarian Rachel Strolle shares new YA LGBTQIA+ titles to help you read and build book rainbows for Pride (and all year round)
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through her Mario themed Escape Room
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through her Mario themed Escape Room
The Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Elementary-age kids are flocking to the library in droves to check out the latest Dog Man or The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel. All kinds of kids with all kinds of hobbies are interested in reading graphic novels. The format is gaining popularity at an extraordinary rate. Why is this? There are […]
An informal look at the most popular animals in children's books.
In first grade, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow was the only non-white kid in her first grade class. Her response? Write a truly stunning and lovely picture book about it as an adult. We discuss all.
Here's a look at some recently signed graphic novel deals—and what we can expect coming up!
Grade-schooler Měi Yīng's life seemed happy enough until she got to fifth grade and encountered a relentless bully who made fun of every aspect of her life. Can the examples of her mother and grandmother help her find the inner strength to deal with it?
History is boring to most kids—totally unfair to history, BTW. But it’s true: students often rank my subject, social studies, as their least favorite.
10 books I'm looking forward to this summer.
Talking today about what it takes to make a great food-related picture book readaloud. We discuss pasta, Bee-bim Bop, and more! Warning: This Q&A may make you hungry.
Talking today about what it takes to make a great food-related picture book readaloud. We discuss pasta, Bee-bim Bop, and more! Warning: This Q&A may make you hungry.
Danielle Sachdeva, Associate Professor of Literacy and Elementary Education, University of North Georgia and Patricia Newman, Sibert Honor author and Environmentalist, discuss middle grade books about the ocean for World Ocean Day
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Kindgom Races from IDW Publishing and Summer Vamp from Random House Graphic.
For readers feeling their own haze all around them, Mackenzie's story will show that complicated realities will always be better than empty fictions.
The updated Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list features 36 excellent children's books that could be contenders for the 2025 Newbery Medal. Check out the full list here; and we'll add more titles each month.
To celebrate this unexpected milestone I thought I’d reflect on the six most interesting facts about this weird, bittersweet, wild ride of a story.
Which graphic novels have been checked out the most at my school library this year? Let's have a look . . .
Not to spoil anything but meet the 200th classic we've featured on the podcast! Today we're talking about the void, Magritte, epitaphs, and more!
In their follow-up to Measuring Up, Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu send a very reluctant young girl to Taiwanese-American summer camp to get in touch with her heritage and grow closer to her sister—will the experience help her learn to be herself, or will she continue to strive to fit in on others' terms?
By choosing books that combine the thrill of a mystery with a unique setting, educators can review geography, address differences in the ways people live and work, and still engage young readers.
When kids at school say there are "no good books" to read, I send them to two places: graphic novels or the list of short books/books under 250 pages.
Somehow, Ursu has managed to write a legitimately scary ghost story (sorta) that’s also about accusations of hysteria, invisible illnesses, and issues in middle school.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie won’t be released until the summer, why not celebrate its upcoming release with a review?
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie won’t be released until the summer, why not celebrate its upcoming release with a review?
Miami is unreal. That’s why it was the inspiration for in my newest YA novel, Death’s Country.
Which books have been checked out the most at my school library this year? Let's have a look . . .
Today we talk with a man who slowly, methodically, carefully, and with great love, churns out some of the smartest books for kids today.
Author Polly Holyoke shares tips for helping tweens and teens to become writers
Full of humor, memorable characters, great dialogue, and more wrestling than maybe any other book I've read before, this empathetic and meaningful look at grief makes it clear that there's no wrong wrong to do it, even if that means living with the voice of a professional wrestler in your head.
I started making up this story with my brother when I was in middle school, and it’s taken all these years to finally finish it.
Checking in on the 2025 Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists on Goodreads.
Since we're already in the thick of it, let's round out our look at the spring 2024 titles coming out from a slew of smaller publishers this season.
Two high schoolers are drawn together by the power of the number 8 in this one-shot manga.
Keep your eyes open. Notice the art in your community and look for opportunities to engage students. Watch for special exhibits in your school and community. No matter the size of your community, there are artists.
Here’s the thing that took me awhile to learn: suppressing our feelings, or berating ourselves for having them in the first place, only makes those difficult feelings worse.
A conversation with Lucy Ruth Cummins about her new book, DALMARTIAN.
Cape Verdean books for kids may be rare in America, but there's at least one author out there working to fill the gaps. Today we talk with Janet Costa Bates about her latest early chapter series.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Anzu and the Realm of Darkness from Viking Books for Young Readers and Action Dude from Silver Dolphin Books.
This great read is a real page-turner and will especially appeal to readers who love family stories and readers who (like me) like their fantasy to be quite grounded in reality. An absolutely smashing read that everyone should pick up this summer!
It's time to add May suggestions to the growing Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list. Readers can submit up to five titles that might be considered as possible contenders for the 2025 Newbery Medal.
Everyone—children, teens and even adults—need safe outlets to explore their emotions, fears and unspoken curiosities. Whether you’re writing a book or reading a book, stories can be that safe harbor.
When television and books collide.
"Like a Playboy featuring vegetables. Sexy sexy vegetables." The original vertical Caldecott Honor winner turns out to be the perfect spring title for us to discuss today.
Today's Archie Digest preview focuses on the hazards of high school sports.
We are lucky to live in a time where there is just so much wonderful middle grade coming out. There's no reason to hear a middle schooler say "I'm bored" this summer.
I’ve finally been able to reach into that drawer and grab some panache. CJ and the soccer-princess-sprite deserve a lot of thanks for that.
The Cat in the Hat comes back again, this time in the very first in a new line of graphic novels starring Dr. Seuss' characters and created by cartoonists working in their own distinct styles.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen discusses learning to do sublimation and what works, and what you might want to think twice about, in a library makerspace
In 1999, almost everyone was worried about a computer flaw or bug nicknamed Y2K for year 2000. Now Erin Entrada Kelly has put the subject in a middle grade novel, The First State of Being.
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