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A parent complaint about a nonbinary snail led a Virginia elementary school principal to cancel a visit by author Erica S. Perl. A former trial attorney, Perl offers a lesson in smart booking contracts and standing up to book and author challenges.

Virginia librarian IdaMae Craddock is using her professional research skills to keep facts at the forefront for her students and fellow educators.

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.

Award-winning author illustrators Julie Flett and Sophie Blackall sat down for a chat on the occasion of Children’s Book Week 2025. Flett created this year’s poster on the theme: “An Ocean of Stories,” and Blackall did the honors in 2024, illustrating “No Rules. Just Read.”

The Illinois elementary school's advisory board planned and led the events of author Dusti Bowling's school visit and continues to focus on building community with their future projects.

A federal judge ruled that the government may not take further action toward dismantling the IMLS, including the mass layoff of employees, while the case is heard.

The U.S. Department of Education expressed its love of librarians. It was not well received. 

Book access and other restrictions on libraries and library values remain top of mind for readers. So too, practical posts toward serving library patrons, with creative ideas for staging a crime investigation to teach research skills and preserving family recipes getting the most views on SLJ.com.

Serious investigators and laid-back browsers will find something to love in this season’s series nonfiction.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Mahmoud v. Taylor, a legal dispute that started when a Maryland district added books with LGBTQIA+ characters and themes to its curriculum and did not allow parents to opt out of instruction. Here are SLJ's reviews of those books.

Kiese Laymon, award-winning author and MacArthur Fellow, is out with a new picture book. City Summer, Country Summer celebrates the deep bonds of friendship forged among three Black boys on a summer journey to visit their grandmothers in Mississippi.  

Readers responded to our coverage of a North Carolina bill, which could bring criminal charges against librarians over "material that is harmful to minors"—and much more. 

In an attempt to make teaching research skills less "dry and boring," this middle school librarian hit on a mysterious new lesson plan, and the strategy has been a huge success.

Birding is a great way for students and teachers to connect with nature. From citizen science projects and live feeder stations—and books galore—the resources here will help kids learn about our avian friends.

PEN America, the National Education Association, and student advocacy organization SEAT are among those who have filed amicus briefs in support of the school district in the upcoming Supreme Court case; Harry Lerner has died; applications open for Banned Books Week programming grants; and more.

Books to help budding ornithologists explore the world of birds, along with aspects of SEL (social and emotional learning), from persistence to making friends.

Schools and public libraries are still navigating the aftermath of devastating flooding and wildfires.

The American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are taking the Trump administration to court to save the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

From the loss of Hoopla, databases, and Wi-Fi hotspots to the closing of rural branches, librarians document the devastating effect of the end of IMLS funding.

SLJ wants to share the stories of how the loss of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services—including Laura Bush Foundation grants —will impact your library and community.

We Need Diverse Books will celebrate the first We Need Diverse Books Day on April 3; senators call on acting director of IMLS to continue funding programs as directed by Congress; Suzanne Collins talks philosophy and Sunrise on the Reaping; Eric Carle Honors honorees announced; and more.

Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, a grassroots youth advocacy organization, called a press conference with state legislators and the president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers to respond to President Trump's executive order and changes impacting the Department of Education and public school students across the country.

Comics didn’t just survive COVID-19, they thrived. Despite the strain the pandemic placed on the industry, the audience for comics, graphic novels, and manga grew—and is still growing.

To inspire students, Tim Jones proves a little fun goes a long way. For his work transforming the school library into a hub of learning and inspiring students and staff with compassion and humor, Jones has been named the 2025 School Librarian of the Year.

What's the favorite part of her job? Turning reluctant readers into bookworms, says Tatanisha Love, library media specialist at Southwest Academy Magnet School for Science and Engineering in Baltimore.

At the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind, Jennifer Mathews built a library from scratch and learned American Sign Language and braille to better serve her preschool through 12th grade students. 

Jones, a library media specialist at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Louisville, KY, received the 2025 award, announced today by SLJ and sponsor Scholastic. Two School Librarian of the Year finalists were also selected: Tatanisha Love of Southwest Academy Magnet School for Science and Engineering in Baltimore, MD; and Jennifer Mathews of the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind in Colorado Springs, CO.

The elimination of the Institute of Museum and Library Services would be a devastating blow to public and school library services across the country. ALA and EveryLibrary call on Congress and the American people to fight for the funding.

The platform no longer serves our mission or reflects our values. 

The Department of Education lost nearly 2,000 workers in the latest—and largest—move toward the administration's goal of eliminating the federal agency that collects data on student performance, ensures funding for low-income schools, and protects students' civil rights.

Many of the more than 80 executive orders issued by President Trump since Inauguration Day affect K-12 education, schools, and students as the Department of Education faces cuts from Elon Musk's DOGE group and a declaration for the department's "final mission" from new secretary of education Linda McMahon.

Absenteeism is at an all-time high, challenging school districts across the country. How to get students back? The school library could play a role, providing a safe space and sparking engagement.

With expertise, empathy, and innovation, librarians have supported students and patrons through COVID-19.

Libraries use data about summer programs to make them better every year, and their methods have been improving.

SLJ asked librarians, authors, and illustrators to reflect on their pandemic experience: the impact on them, their students, and readers; the innovations that stuck; the memories that linger; and the lessons we learned.

As the American education system continues to work toward recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts say it’s vital to properly frame what happened and understand the multifaceted reasons behind the continued struggles.

Author Kelly Yang shares her unique COVID-19 experience, which reminded her of the power of stories, which "give us hope and light when our tank is empty."

She was a bit shaky at first but persevered through nerves and emotion to tell her story. My mother's testimony bore witness to injustice. Stories matter. 

Bank Street College of Education has revealed the 2025 Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award honorees, along with the Best Board Books of the Year.

Tabletop role-playing games can be popular programming for all ages in school and public libraries.

This roundup features an assortment of tabletop role-playing games that are easy to learn, easy to play, and have something for everyone.

Thanks to a remarkable effort by a public library, 20 New York teens had an unforgettable trip visiting monuments and museums and learning and connecting with history. 

School Library Journal and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) reprise their popular Tech Trends webcast series this spring. Join us March 17 for "Everything Al in Education." On April 22, we'll present "Emerging Technologies in K–12, from AR/VR to the Metaverse." 

When educator Benjamin Ludwig missed one day of school, a group of fifth graders reorganized the books—not by genre, but with ROYGBIV.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal have revealed the winning titles in the 2025 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience.

Connecting the library to pop culture with shareable social media images brings the library to a broader audience and puts it in the forefront of people's minds, says Richmond Public Library's Jennifer Deuell. 

Sometimes, one good book can supercharge your professional development. That was the experience of these library leaders.

Topics that drew reader attention in an eventful first week of February 2025. 

The New York City–based initiative is holding strong, even as book bans in schools surge nationwide and anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation expands.

The News Literacy Project offers resources and advice to educators teaching news literacy at a time when the rhetoric around news and contentious issues has been ratcheted up to a new level.

Public libraries work with groups from health departments to community-based organizations and provide access to everything from cooking classes to safe walking routes.

There were tears and standing ovations as librarians, including Martha Hickson and Amanda Jones, watched their stories of fighting against censorship chronicled in the new film.

In the latest lawsuit battling censorship, Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks have filed a lawsuit challenging an Idaho law that restricts books in both public and school libraries. 

The Library of Congress ambassadorship will celebrate the power of picture books.

There are varied paths to the profession. Find out how these librarians found their way to the library.

Spotlighting the history of Jim Crow and civil rights struggles outside the South, along with recent books and teaching resources on the topic.

Given the current backlash, with anti-DEI legislation and sentiment festering, we risk losing ground on fairness and equality when we need it most. 

Progress toward a more racially diverse publishing workforce has been slow. Publishing leaders face political and economic changes that may make further progress harder.

The American Library Association issued a strong statement in response to the actions of the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, saying, in part: "In their cruel and headlong effort to terminate protections from discrimination for LGBTQIA+ students and students of color, the Department of Education advances the demonstrably false claim that book bans are not real. Book bans are real."

Across the country, educators, parents, and others keep Black history alive amid restrictions on how race is taught in schools.

Some kids love narrative nonfiction; others, expository literature. Learn more about these two styles of books and browse a list of recent outstanding examples. 

With the loss of protected area status for sensitive locations, immigration enforcement officers can now take action in schools, churches, and other sites. 

Everyone wins when public libraries collaborate with these preschool programs, which are funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and implemented through local agencies.

Veronica Bane, YA author and high school English teacher, is calling on the publishing and kid lit community to help those impacted by the fires.

It's never a bad time to pull out a good book for a little inspiration.

As the wildfires continue to rage in Los Angeles County, these organizations are collecting donations to help those impacted by the disaster.

An author proposes a simple standard for representing climate reality in books for children and teens.

SLJ spoke with Nicholas Espiritu of the National Immigration Law Center about students' rights and how educators and administrators can support and protect children at their schools.

With the expected attempts to enact the plans defined in Project 2025, librarians must act strategically within their schools, communities, and local and state legislation to ensure the future of libraries. Experts share tactics and advice for the upcoming fight.

Louisiana's highest court vacated the court of appeals ruling in Jones' defamation case against Citizens for a New Louisiana, Michael Lunsford, and Ryan Thames. The case will now go back and be heard in the lower court.

Booklists are perennially popular content on SLJ. The most viewed ones, however, aren’t all from 2024 or featuring titles from current publishing seasons. See what topics drew reader interest this past year. 

Page views on SLJ surfaced key interests and concerns among readers. From the Youth Media Awards and self-censorship to the 2024 presidential election, it was a big year in news. The following news stories received the most views.

Tired of active shooter drills, censorship attempts, and the overwhelming stress of the job, this school librarian writes about going abroad to revive her love of her job and find a true work/life balance.

At the 2024 SLJ Summit in Raleigh, NC, attendees facilitated conversations with their peers about various topics in school librarianship.

In their SLJ Summit session, librarians Julie Stivers and Julia Torres provided strategies and suggestions for helping students overcome reading trauma and creating truly inclusive libraries.

EveryLibrary executive director John Chrastka spoke at the 2024 SLJ Summit, providing a playbook for statewide strategies to prioritize and protect school libraries and librarians.

Mychal Threets spoke at the 20th SLJ Summit, sharing his story and taking questions from attendees.

IMLS-funded, READCON provides free, self-guided training to help library practitioners build strong community relationships, ­manage ­difficult situations, and engage stakeholders. Public, school, and academic library workers are also welcome to READCON's ­Legal Landscape of Librarianship Forum, February 18–20.

The event brought more than 150 school librarians to Raleigh, NC, to learn, network, and support and inspire one another.

The world lost poet, author, and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni on Monday, but her impact and legacy live on in her writing.

A class-action lawsuit alleges Lucy Calkins, Heinemann Publishing, and Fountas & Pinnell, among others, engaged in "deceptive and fraudulent marketing" that resulted in harm to students exposed to the whole language reading method and curricular products; registration is open for LibLearnx in January; auction offers rare items and experiences to benefit We Need Diverse Books; and more in News Bites.

In the face of rising censorship in schools and libraries, Lerner Publishing Group is hosting a Thursday, December 5 concert in Minneapolis. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to organizations engaged in fighting book bans and challenges, including EveryLibrary’s Fight for the First campaign, We Are Stronger Than Censorship, and the American Librarian Association’s Unite Against Book Bans initiative.

A national network of organizations revitalizing communities through public spaces, Reimagining the Civic Commons offers helpful information for libraries to connect their efforts to larger goals, as well as to the work of their neighbors.

2021 School Librarian of the Year Amanda Jones has filed two new federal lawsuits for defamation and false light against a man who has posted accusations of her being a groomer, distributing obscene material to children, and more.

What’s captured reader attention the last seven days? Top picks in middle grade and graphic format books, along with the political climate and the potential impact on schools and libraries.

If confirmed by the Senate, McMahon is expected to advance the school choice and conservative agenda while trying to fulfill the president-elect's campaign promise of shutting down the Department of Education.

This season's series cover favorite nonfiction topics from a variety of vantage points.

March 2025  will be five years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. We will mark the anniversary by sharing your memories of spring 2020 and the months that followed or thoughts on the impact that you still see today.

SLJ remains committed to the work. There is much to be done.

School librarians Andrea Trudeau, Tom Bober, and Amanda Jones created Librarians Building Libraries, a nonprofit with a mission to “collaborate with library communities worldwide, providing resources, training, and innovative solutions that promote literacy and provide access for all.”

We don’t yet know what Donald Trump’s second term will mean for education and libraries, but the incoming administration had made its priorities and goals clear. Here are just some of the things we are watching.

Family members who collaborate talk about the dynamics (and ground rules) of their creative partnerships.

While on tour promoting the newest book in the "Wimpy Kid" series, author Jeff Kinney is also offering kids the opportunity to choose from a collection of diverse titles.

Readers are "questioning everything," including librarians in popular culture.

Singsong language is good for infant brains, according to new research. 

The School District of Philadelphia hired former Texas librarian Jean Darnell as its new director of library science and earned an IMLS grant to work toward returning school librarians to the district.

Rosie Stewart is ready to organize at the state level to push freedom to read legislation and make sure legislators know the political consequences of book banning.

A “rolling unconference” provides time for librarians from around the world to exchange ideas, share challenges and successes, and take in local libraries—all while pedaling through changing landscapes.

Has a book resonated with you, gotten so inside your head, that you had to talk to someone? Kids make such striking connections, notably after reading “intense and disturbing” books, finds recent research.

The annual Halloween event offers dancing, karaoke, a costume contest, and more for New York City's teens.