Reviews+

Emily Murdoch explores kidnapping, selective mutism, and drug abuse in her debut novel 'If You Find Me'. Which group will get school funding, cheerleading or the robotics club? In Prudence Shen’s 'Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong' the two cliques take the fight to the school election. If you never thought the Burning Man Festival would show up in teen fiction, think again—a local boy and a gypsy girl connect there in Elana K. Arnold's 'Burning'. Does R.L. Stine still have his horror chops? Read our reviewer's take on 'A Midsummer's Night Scream', and decide for yourself.

Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life is one of the most buzzed adult books of the year so far.  It has starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly.  Outside of the library world, it’s gotten glowing reviews from Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many others.  And it [...]

In the fifth and final installment of our series celebrating National Poetry Month, Jack Prelutsky, America’s first children’s poet laureate, offers us five of his top poetry collections for kids.

A captivating tale about small people capable of great feats

Today’s three reviewed novels share elements of the supernatural and magical realism. What teenager doesn’t wish for a superpower, if only to imagine themselves less under the control of the adults in their lives? In a series of connected vignettes, What the Family Needed introduces seven members of one family who grapple with special abilities. [...]

Where did April go? It’s the last Wednesday of the month, and there are some great title to check out! Abrams Comicarts releases a book that should be in every middle school library and science classroom; How To Fake a Moon Landing: Exposing the Myths of Science Denial. It will make learning critical thinking fun! [...]

In our ongoing series about our first encounters reading adult books, reviewer Amy Cheney discusses many of her favorites as a young teen, but offers a special shout out to the power of Harlequin Romances.  For more thoughts on Romance novels, check out this fascinating article from The Atlantic, discussing the genre’s ongoing interaction with [...]

At ALA Midwinter, one of the people in attendance asked how many librarians in the audience still encounter opposition from parents, teachers, or school administrators in promoting and collecting comics. I was astounded to see the majority of the librarians in the audience raise their hands.

In our next installment celebrating National Poetry Month, acclaimed and versatile author Marilyn Singer highlights five of her top poetry anthologies for kids.