News & Features

In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. A. A. Vacharat shares about This Moth Saw Brightness in this latest installment.

Authors and illustrators have become evermore adept at hooking readers with fantasy and humor while providing solid details like bait to hook their continuing curiosity. These five fishy tales prove it.

In a rare win for those fighting book bans in South Carolina, a book on Billie Jean King is returning to the shelves; advocates and school staff are fighting back against censorship in Pennsylvania and Ohio; and more in the latest Censorship News.

For young listeners who need a reminder that kindness matters and resilience is powerful, share these audio titles to provide inspiration, comfort, and even temporary escape.

Rebecca Stead's first picture book and an audiobook of the latest Renée Watson title make the list, along with several back-to-school books.

The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed and illustrated by Hatem Aly is the winner of the Irma S. Black Award. Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Jason Chin earned the Cook Prize.

An Ohio man burned 100 books he checked out at a public library; military academies and schools that serve children of military members continue to battle book bans; South Carolina has banned more books than any other state; and more in censorship news. 

Creaky Acres is a story about a girl, a horse, and a whole new way of life. Brigid Alverson spoke to the creators about their graphic novel featuring Nora, a competitive rider, who finds her way on a delightfully weird farm, inhabited by an equally quirky crew of young equestrians.

Middle grade and YA authors tackle the unfathomable and the long reach of tragic events.