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The world can be a hard and terrible place, and the world can be a fantastically whole and enlivening place. It’s both, and it’s where we live. We can survive the first, and even grow. We can rejoice in the second, and practice empathy.
Are nerds having a moment? You might say that.
Before all the leaves fall off the trees here in Michigan, I want to share ten books publishing in September, October, and November that I’m looking out for. Picture Books Pig Town Party by Lian Cho HarperCollins | October 29 | Grades K-2 A girl receives an invitation to a mysterious party. Great way to […]
It took all year but Evanston Public Library has released their 101 Great Books for Kids list for 2024. Are your favorites present? Come see!
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels featuring Swing from Feiwel and Friends and Science Comics Human Spaceflight Rockets and Rivalry from First Second Books.
Many 2024 titles feature ghosts as primary or secondary characters. Let's take a look at these titles and see if we'll have a spooky Newbery winner for 2025.
A powerful story about loss, justice, hope, and persistence. An important addition to library collections.
It’s important to address topics of death and loss in middle grade because children do go through those experiences.
While doing another Chris Van Allburg picture book may seem like a relative no-brainer around the Halloween season, maybe there's a reason we hadn't done this particular title before.
I’ve been reading and listening to quite a few books lately, but not taking the time to review them. I'm taking the time today!
COLBY: ‘Spider in the Well’ is one of my favorite 2024 pictures books. It is just so much fun to read aloud. I hope you enjoy my conversation with Spider in the Well debut author Jess Hannigan. Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
Author Jessica Vitalis discusses poetry and writing novels in verse
Given that October means endless talk about spooky stuff, Halloween ideas, and all things ghostly, I figured why not round up a few booooks featuring ghosts?
Sometimes the best way to evaluate a children's book in Newbery terms is to stick to the words on the page. Here are some examples of how looking at selected passages from a book can illuminate its qualities of excellence and maybe even help us decide if it might be true contender for the Newbery Medal.
I think the best stories are a reflection of life, with all of its messiness, pain, and beauty.
People sometimes ask me how much interaction the author and illustrator have while making a picture book. In my experience, it’s been pretty limited. I focus on the words and I completely trust the illustrator to bring their own vision to the story. That was the case with The Ship in the Window. And that’s […]
Middle-schooler Pablo Ortiz is no hero. But when a vengeful Aztec goddess and her army of monster pours through the magic portal in his locker, he may have no choice but to become one.
Fostering a love of reading in students is one of the most rewarding roles for me as a school librarian. However, in today’s fast-paced, tech-savvy world, it can be challenging to keep young readers engaged. In this post, I will explore a variety of strategies school librarians can use to captivate students’ interest in reading. […]
Kids don’t grow up in a vacuum; they are terrified and confused and experience great loss, too. If we want our children to feel safe and to grow into emotionally intelligent adults, they need to know that death is a part of living.
A look at the trailer for the film adaptation of OUT OF MY MIND.
Why is so little short fiction for older readers published in America today? We talk with two middle grade expert authors on the topic and get some insights into why that might be.
A student with a low power level must find a way to survive his new environment in this action-packed manga.
It's been nine years since a picture book won the Newbery Medal: that was LAST STOP ON MARKET STREET by Matt de la Peña. This year's notable picture books include palindromes, the Korean War, and a kitchen table. Which 2024 picture books are the strongest candidates for the Newbery Medal?
They say to “write what scares you,” and I often use my own fears and anxieties as a guide of urgency for determining what topics people need help starting conversations about.
The Undies and Endies are back for 2024!
Hope is hard to write in a book. Hope is particularly hard to write in a picture book. Still, when someone gets it right, there’s nothing else like it. Maybe it’s true. Hope? It really is a thing with feathers.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under featuring Detective Beans and the Case of the Missing Hat from Andrews McMeel and Sidekicks from Graphix.
The truth is we need books that tackle tough topics because kids are already tackling them—whether they’re going through the issue themselves, supporting a friend, or just trying to understand how the world works.
The books I think will end up on the 2024 NYT Best Illustrated Books list.
The Tri-Interview Spectacular! Winkler! Oliver! Santat! It’s a Detective Duck Interview Extravaganza
Interviewing three people at once? It's a challenge but, by gum, not an impossibility! Watch! Amaze! Admire! As I talk with the creators of the Detective Duck series at once!
One of this year's recurring themes is moms that are dealing with a lot of personal issues.
The library didn’t give my mother, my sister, and me our strength. But the library was a place where we could learn to unlock our power ourselves.
One afternoon when my fifth-grade class was at the library for our weekly visit, my friend Jessica handed me a purple paperback book. “I just finished this,” she said. “It’s SO good. You have to read it.”
Tale of the Flying Forest is Narnia, if Narnia was grounded in Judaism rather than Christianity.
Sometimes adults shy away from discussing tough topics with children, but those conversations are necessary.
I recommended some voting/election books for the New York Times.
"He's a chonky baby and he has a good heart." We talk orange cats (NOT Garfield) and a legitimately spooky book from Brinton Turkle "purveyor of terror" (or so I called him on this blog back in 2011).
The future of school librarianship requires strategic legislative action to safeguard these vital roles. This article outlines seven key legislative and policy proposals designed to protect and strengthen school libraries, ensuring equitable access to resources and intellectual freedom for all students.
DC has announced six graphic novels and a box set for publication in Fall 2025.
While we've been building our list of possible Newbery Medal contenders on Heavy Medal, other Mock Newbery groups have been doing the same. Looking at other mock lists might help us identify outstanding books that need a closer look.
Undeniably one of the weirdest and best books I've read in my lifetime of reading.
If I had a dollar for every time I said something to the effect of "graphic novels are real books" or "reading graphic novels is reading" to someone disparaging them... well, I couldn't quit my job, but I would have a LOT of dollars.
You’re never too old to read a picture book!
Taking those books home allowed me to escape the entrapment of those silent days when I could not communicate in English. I will never forget the feeling of joy upon receiving that first library card!
One of Heartstopper’s central themes is that it’s rude, even dangerous, to speculate on someone’s else’s sexuality. But some fans aren’t getting the message.
This version of pillow fighting is a semi-professional fight club where anything goes as long as the pillow is the first point of contact. It’s more roller derby or WWE-style wrestling than a pillow fight in pajamas at a girls’ night sleepover.
The power of books, reading, and a good library help create brave spaces.
Checking in on potential Newbery/Caldecott contenders on Goodreads.
Caldecott Honor artist Cindy Derby joins us today to discuss her latest title, her process, the empowerment of creativity, and small bugs in blue berets.
Author Tina Athaide asks middle grade readers why middle grade books matter
In today's Wednesday round-up, we look at a genre that seldom receives Newbery glory, easy reader and early chapter books.
In the most recent Escape Room by Teen Librarian Cindy Shutts: Cryptids
I’m never going to be a marine biologist at this point in my life. But writing about sharks. . . educating kids about them, about why we need them, why we need to care about their declining populations . . . that I can do.
On the six-year anniversary of THE VERY LAST CASTLE, I'm giving away some copies.
Are you ready to repair the world or maybe just improve it and make it right? Ruth Spiro drops by to talk about her latest, as well as the concept of tikkun olam in today's society.
A conversation with Hanna Harms about researching her graphic novel Milk Without Honey, a meditation on bees and their importance to our world.
Librarian Jackie Eagleson shares middle grade books that talk about cryptids
When we write, research, and even read about things that truly excite us, the job is suddenly fun. In fact, it’s no longer a job. It is a joy.
Here’s to children’s books that expand our assumptions of what a children’s book can be.
Beatrix Potter meets Brian Floca in this latest title from the extraordinary Torben Kuhlman. I premiere his latest book cover in this one-of-a-kind reveal.
Beatrix Potter meets Brian Floca in this latest title from the extraordinary Torben Kuhlman. I premiere his latest book cover in this one-of-a-kind reveal.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring The Night Mother Volume 1 from Oni Press and Monster Locker from First Second Books.
32 unique titles were chosen in the first round of Heavy Medal nominations.
These authors show readers that grief is not something to “get over,” but something to adapt to, to work through. It’s OK to not know how to feel, what to do, or what to say.
What I really loved about this book is that it shows a really good, healthy, positive relationship steeped in friendship, respect, and support.
Wanna read a book about a woman attempting to "reinhabit her epidermis"? If so, I can't think of a better candidate than this 2004 release (which retains its creepiness today) by the legendary Virginia Hamilton.
Why, hello, funniest graphic novel of 2024 for kids!
Unlike the Newbery and most other ALA awards, the National Book Awards share their longlists and shortlists of finalists. The first ten for Young Peoples Literature were announced in September and now there are five remaining: BUFFALO DREAMER- Duncan (no current suggestions) THE GREAT COOL RANCH DORITO IN THE SKY- Galarza (teen book, no suggestions) […]
I remember going to the local library, getting my first library card, and piling the car with books. I couldn’t believe it—I could take them home? We didn’t have to pay for them? And I could bring them back and then get more? It was the greatest thing ever!
Ah, October. Hoodie weather. Pretty leaves. Apple and pumpkin everything. Impending long, cold, dark winter. Needing to get out my Happy Light. Okay... maybe I should stop listing things fall brings. But it does bring a nice batch of new books!
In the book, Mendel is convinced he's been cursed, and it might be true. But I think it's safe to say we, cursed or not, all have aspects of ourselves we find troublesome.
A middle grade graphic novel that explores family relationships in the most stressful of times.
A middle grade graphic novel that explores family relationships in the most stressful of times.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen dives into spooky season by sharing some of her favorite teen horror books that somehow involve killer camps
Charlotte was my student in a university fiction course during the pandemic. A couple years later, I was delighted to find out that my publisher had chosen Charlotte to illustrate my cover!
The National Book Award finalists have been announced!
Chris Raschka joins us today to talk about his latest middle grade novel, process, writing, editing, cactuses, and more!
Cartoonist Kaeti Vandorn is the latest to take a crack at adapting classic Dr. Seuss characters into new graphic novel adventures, here sending the Grinch and Max on a series of vacations.
Ruth Chan talks about her graphic novel memoir, UPROOTED
This week's Wednesday Roundup looks as several excellent novels in verse. Several books in this form have been recognized by Newbery Committees in the recent years. Will the 2025 Newbery list include this unique format again?
With a mother who grew up in Istanbul and a father who grew up in Montana, I spent much of my childhood traveling between those settings, figuring out how to exist in both, and grappling with questions of identity and belonging.
Dog's story is not an easy one or one that quickly turns hopeful and positive. It's rough ride. But in Hautman's ever-capable hands, it's a rough ride full of adventure, suspense, emotion, and a feeling that the path Dog is on, and maybe even the path Evan is on, is a profound one, that their connection will change their lives.
What does cold fish have to do with picky eating? We're talking with Jacob Grant today about his latest title and an ode to adventurous palates!
Spooky month is here, and not only am I thrilled for the fall breezes and pumpkin decor, but I’m also excited for so many incredible YA releases that arrive this month. And there are so many. I cut this list down at least four times, and we’re still at 16 books! So here’s the 16books […]
Tiffani Carter believes this is what libraries do: they provide space to bring people together, connecting one resource, one service, one child, with another.
Author Josh Roberts talks about horror and bridging the gap between middle grade and teens
Scary stories allow us to explore the dangers inherent in the world from a place of safety. Kids need this—we all do.
I wondered why, after writing twenty-five books for young readers, I had never addressed the bond between a child and an animal.
"If you're looking for a typical story with words and a plot, this ain't it. Go somewhere else." Our special guest Travis Jonker takes us on a wild journey with a book that rewards close reads.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels featuring Great Turkey Walk from Helvetiq and Wingbearer Saga Volume 2 Wingborn from Quill Tree Books.
Author Chloe Spencer talks about her book, Haunting Melody, and disability representation
It's nomination time! Readers are invited to nominate three titles for the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery. Submit the title and author of your strongest contenders for the 2025 Newbery Medal. We'll share the results soon!
A rundown of 17 new and forthcoming books. Plus wild chiweenies excited for book mail!
What Are You Waiting For?, a new picture book by Marcy Campbell and Shelley Johannes is out March 4th, 2025. Today, we get a first look at the cover.
In this episode, we talk with Ruth Chan about her graphic novel debut.
It was Mrs. Márquez and Sister Rose—the librarians at PSJA High School—who answered our complaint about the lack of Mexican American authors on the shelves with a suggestion:
“Perhaps you could author titles that would fill those gaps, boys.”
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