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It may be a one-of-a-kind picture book, at least in the history of American publishing. A picture book about a mayoral candidate put out by a major publisher? How did this happen?
John John is the perfectly imperfect teen who is struggling to shape his own identity but can’t avoid the antiquated reach of his dad.
2025 is a very strong year for fantasy and today we highlight FOUR more potential Newbery fantsy contenders.
Why do none of us, including many, if not most, Puerto Ricans, know so little about our own mythology?
Our penultimate prediction post before final considerations. Here are the titles I think have the best show at the two major literary awards. Do you agree? Disagree? Find out!
This story set in the Canadian internment camps during World War II is set in a specific historical moment but also embodies universal themes of family, loss, and hope.
An inspiring story and a powerful look at what is happening not just to Yuli but in real-life classrooms all around our country. A good addition to high school collections.
Here’s a look at manga that feature short chapters, perfect for a quick, fun read—whether to dip in for just a few minutes or to get hooked and binge.
Seems to me the more books we can devise that confront racism, the better. But how do you confront a hate crime in a picture book? Today's title does precisely that.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12-and-under featuring Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales Volume 13 Bones and Berserkers from Abrams Fanfare and Ghosts of Wreckers Cove from Papercutz.
2025 looks like a particularly strong year for children's fantasy, with characters ranging from sentient dolls and fairy-like creatures to an undead fox and an assortment of ghosts. Will any of these be contenders for the 2026 Newbery Medal?
My upcoming novel, If Looks Could Kill, pits a modern yet mythical Medusa against the real-life, true-crime, name-unknown murderer we call Jack the Ripper.
We asked readers to rank their favorite Newbery contenders so far and share observations about current trends in children's literature. Here are the results:
A teenage girl pulls a sword out of a stone and ends up engaged to a bodyguard in this fast-paced shojo manga.
A light overview of dog evolution wit mixed results.
PREMIUM
Pizza Witch
Kiki’s Delivery Service with a sauced-up hero’s journey; a funny adventure story for young teens and graphic novel fans.
This powerful tale of race and American culture and history seamlessly weaves a popular middle grade topic, football, with crucial lessons about justice and humanity for tween and younger teens. This is Barnes at his best and is a required purchase for middle school libraries.
A solid choice that digs a little deeper into an often-overlooked subject.
PREMIUM
Enchanted Night Before Christmas
While cozy in tone, the story follows a well-worn holiday arc grounded in magic, loss, and wish fulfillment.
Lovers of historical fiction will thoroughly enjoy this novel, which is recommended for all junior high and high school collections.
PREMIUM
Dear Jackie
A realistic read that will make readers want to know what happens next. Give this to fans of Terri Libenson’s “Emmie & Friends” series and Maria Scrivan’s “Nat Enough” books. Highly recommended.
With extensive information and illustrations about relationships in nature, this is an excellent purchase for elementary where poetry and nature books are popular.
PREMIUM
My BIG Playbook: Christmas
A visually appealing introduction to winter and Christmas, perfect for adults to share with toddlers and early school-aged children.
Colloquialisms will primarily appeal to readers in upper-elementary and middle school, but teens breaking into crafting zines will benefit from ingesting the story arc and the author’s endnotes. A must-purchase.
PREMIUM
The Witch Who Stormed the Palace
A rollicking good tale with all the magic, dragons, and talking cats to recommend to any young fantasy reader who enjoyed the first installment.
Engaging, dynamic, and filled with bat facts, this nonfiction picture book is a strong addition to library collections.
A strong first buy for its explanations and examples of how to become an ally, while clearly explaining that it is ongoing and personal work.
The illustrations combined with compelling text will be a page-turning read for dragon lovers. Highly recommended.
PREMIUM
The Ghost of Wreckers Cove
Endearing illustrations combined with a heartfelt mystery make this an easy recommendation for fans of suspense, ghost stories, or both.
PREMIUM
Dinos Love Valentines
This solid addition to most holiday board book collections will be an extra hit with the youngest dinosaur fans.
PREMIUM
Tiny Bear’s Christmas Prayer
A well-fit addition to any Christmas holiday literature collection.
A superb effort for enthusiasts who want the latest technological advances in dinosaur research. Perfect for libraries, classrooms, and research.
PREMIUM
The Winter of the Dollhouse
This is an elegant novel that offers an authentic view of family and community life.
This fun, Spanish-language search-and-find is sure to provide enjoyable moments, especially during the holidays. A great addition to picture book collections.
PREMIUM
Folk Remedy
A compelling fantasy with cultural roots and strong emotional arcs, this is an excellent addition for libraries serving preteens and teens looking for adventure, folklore, and a heroine they can cheer for.
PREMIUM
Ruff Day
A fun, accessible addition to any library serving young readers who enjoy quick, engaging graphic novels.
PREMIUM
Tonight Is Krampus Night!
Sullivan and Persico make these friendly monsters heartwarming; readers will enjoy welcoming them to their holiday storytimes.
In creating these Take Five posts, I'm seeing so many books I wish I had read, so the TBR tower grows!
A childhood manuscript makes good. ND Stevenson discusses the origins of his debut middle grade fantasy while I fall over myself trying to get you to read it.
When their home is threatened, young monster Poe attempts to lead her siblings to a perhaps legendary safe place in this charming book in which "monster" really just means "somewhat different".
The only way to protect teens is to continue loving and nurturing them, but in ways that provide them space to be seen and heard while they continue to grow.
This season's Heavy Medal Mock Newbery process will include guest posts from readers. Learn more and consider applying to write about a 2026 Newbery contender.
A big thanks to the publisher for letting me dig into these 8 books.
A Steven Weinberg! A Q&A! A Cover Reveal! And a Special Secret Guest?!? We Discuss I Am the Mountain
Is it too early to start calling Caldecott 2027 contenders? That's not an idle question since today we're talking to Steven Weinberg about a book that, honestly? You're going to need to see this thing.
Apologies to everyone in my life is going to be so sick of me asking if they've heard of Tambora and the climate shock that followed. Tambora might be my whole personality now.
A picture book character returns to us in a middle grade novel. Though it's not out until March 2026, we talk with Carole Lindstrom into her new foray into older fiction for kids.
A picture book character returns to us in a middle grade novel. Though it's not out until March 2026, we talk with Carole Lindstrom about her new foray into older fiction for kids.
Here we are with one of my favorite annual Heavy Medal posts. The NUMBER BREAKDOWN! I love looking at the titles and seeing what we have in different categories- what is overflowing this year and what we aren’t seeing so much of. And of course I love debating what categories titles are in, because it’s […]
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring C.O.R.T: Children of the Round Table from DC Comics and Dear Jackie from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Obviously, every parent has their own version of these issues; these are just some of ours. But it’s a delicate balance, and we’re well aware of our risk of wobbling a bit as we try to strike it.
Recommended for general purchase in a holiday board book collection.
A perfect book to include in any young adult holiday display year round.
Not an essential buy for libraries, but may be useful if additional holiday craft and family activities are needed.
Festive and educational, this title is an excellent choice for expanding holiday collections and introducing young readers to the traditions and spirit of Hanukkah.
PREMIUM
My Two Christmas Trees
This sensitive book addresses family change during an emotional time of year. A recommended purchase for social-emotional collections.
PREMIUM
Isabel’s Birthday Surprise
A sweet, realistic story of family, culture, and emotional resilience.
This book about an ambitious Nepali girl detective will capture readers’ attention before the first chapter is done; recommended.
A middle grade must-read highly recommended for fans science fiction and books like A Wrinkle in Time.
PREMIUM
Three Blue Hearts
This heartfelt story takes readers through one boy’s coming of age, and the joy of rescuing an animal mixed with the heartbreak of loving it enough to let it go. Highly recommended for youth fiction collections.
A skillful tale of family lost and found, one that skillfully weaves discussion of heavier and relevant topics into a comedic plot.
PREMIUM
Jane Stays Dreaming
An adventurous novel about family, friendship, love and self-discovery that will be enjoyed by older tweens who find themselves at a crossroads of who they are and who they wish to become.
International in scope, this book provides an opportunity for educators to examine previously held thoughts about the limits of children’s literature. Recommended for researchers.
Purchase this resonant and relevant work for all middle grade nonfiction, Spanish-language collections.
PREMIUM
Todos los besos del mundo
An excellent choice for Spanish-speaking communities and libraries.
PREMIUM
Cuando sepas nadar
A breathtaking picture book about the beauty of the water and the magic of swimming, perfect for Spanish-language collections for children.
The book’s anecdotes and chapter-specific discussion questions could be particularly useful in a classroom or book group setting to allow the sharing of ideas from multiple perspectives.
A must-buy for any school library (and many public libraries) where patrons are actively using AI tools or considering AI-related careers. This book is equally valuable for librarians (and teachers) developing instruction on research methodologies, digital literacy, or copyright ethics.
History lovers and budding political enthusiasts will enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at presidential history.
A deeply human, absolutely riveting, and expansively inclusive marine biology nightmare.
PREMIUM
A Curious Kind of Magic
A whimsical novel for readers who enjoy more character-driven work. Consider as an additional purchase.
PREMIUM
Mercy
While this story has an interesting conceptual premise around generational trauma, it lacks the thrills many mystery readers crave and an accurate representation of the groups it seeks to portray.
PREMIUM
Last Chance Live!
A serious commentary on the obstacles, institutions, and society that teens face, offering a mirror and important issues. To be recommended with caution.
PREMIUM
Truth Is
Give this to readers struggling with changing friend dynamics and those starting to ask questions that too often are answered with opinions rather than fact.
PREMIUM
If Looks Could Kill
This book will appeal to readers looking for a Christian faith-based historical crime thriller with fantastical elements.
PREMIUM
Canada: We Are the Story
Complex, beautiful, and thought-provoking. The eternal presence and voices of the Old Ones will be a spiritual paean to some and a ghost story to others.
Purchase for use as a teaching support or as independent reading to spark interest, recommended for libraries serving upper elementary students.
Emily and Steven share some thoughts about early Newbery favorites and invite readers to chime in with their own top picks so far.
When an author bears witness to the experience of adolescence through a real, living, breathing, complicated, messy protagonist caught in a web of complicated, messy relationships, readers notice.
Join me in the Not-So-Way-Back Machine to catch up on a few May titles!
Chuseok is a Korean harvest festival on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar. This year, it falls on October 6. Share these two books with little ones to teach them about Chuseok and celebrate the holiday.
Not only has the creator of Strange Planet written a bedtime book, but it's chock full of science, humor, and some seriously sweet backmatter for the younger set. We talk!
The longer I live, the more I understand how science and math perfect art and music as much as engineering and technology.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
In eighth grade, I was scared of the world finding out the truth about me. But I think, even scarier, was admitting that truth to myself.
It's time to officially start our 2026 Mock Newbery discussions on Heavy Medal. Here's a look ahead at what to expect over the next few months.
Wherein I am taken to task for referring to beloved stuffed animals as "inanimate objects" by the inimitable (and very correct) Katherine Applegate.
COLBY: Barbara O’Connor is always one of the most popular authors in my fifth grade classroom. Kids cannot get enough of her stories. I am so excited to share my conversation with Barbara about her new book Dream (a companion to Wish). Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Tuck Everlasting from Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and Max, A Little Axolotl from Graphix.
Teen librarian reviews the debut novel LET'S SPLIT UP by Bill Wood
Next time you’re worried you’re not quite as alone as you think, remember that not all spooky encounters are what they seem. And you’ll maybe even get a fun story out of it.
A dual interview with two women deeply connected to the great novel TUCK EVERLASTING. If you ever loved the book, you're not going to want to miss this...
A dual interview with two women deeply connected to the great novel TUCK EVERLASTING. If you ever loved the book, you're not going to want to miss this...
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