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Teen librarian Rachel Strolle shares new YA LGBTQIA+ titles to help you read and build book rainbows for Pride (and all year round)
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through her Mario themed Escape Room
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through her Mario themed Escape Room
The Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Elementary-age kids are flocking to the library in droves to check out the latest Dog Man or The Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel. All kinds of kids with all kinds of hobbies are interested in reading graphic novels. The format is gaining popularity at an extraordinary rate. Why is this? There are […]
An informal look at the most popular animals in children's books.
In first grade, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow was the only non-white kid in her first grade class. Her response? Write a truly stunning and lovely picture book about it as an adult. We discuss all.
Here's a look at some recently signed graphic novel deals—and what we can expect coming up!
Grade-schooler Měi Yīng's life seemed happy enough until she got to fifth grade and encountered a relentless bully who made fun of every aspect of her life. Can the examples of her mother and grandmother help her find the inner strength to deal with it?
History is boring to most kids—totally unfair to history, BTW. But it’s true: students often rank my subject, social studies, as their least favorite.
Talking today about what it takes to make a great food-related picture book readaloud. We discuss pasta, Bee-bim Bop, and more! Warning: This Q&A may make you hungry.
Talking today about what it takes to make a great food-related picture book readaloud. We discuss pasta, Bee-bim Bop, and more! Warning: This Q&A may make you hungry.
Danielle Sachdeva, Associate Professor of Literacy and Elementary Education, University of North Georgia and Patricia Newman, Sibert Honor author and Environmentalist, discuss middle grade books about the ocean for World Ocean Day
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Kindgom Races from IDW Publishing and Summer Vamp from Random House Graphic.
For readers feeling their own haze all around them, Mackenzie's story will show that complicated realities will always be better than empty fictions.
The updated Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list features 36 excellent children's books that could be contenders for the 2025 Newbery Medal. Check out the full list here; and we'll add more titles each month.
To celebrate this unexpected milestone I thought I’d reflect on the six most interesting facts about this weird, bittersweet, wild ride of a story.
Which graphic novels have been checked out the most at my school library this year? Let's have a look . . .
Not to spoil anything but meet the 200th classic we've featured on the podcast! Today we're talking about the void, Magritte, epitaphs, and more!
In their follow-up to Measuring Up, Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu send a very reluctant young girl to Taiwanese-American summer camp to get in touch with her heritage and grow closer to her sister—will the experience help her learn to be herself, or will she continue to strive to fit in on others' terms?
By choosing books that combine the thrill of a mystery with a unique setting, educators can review geography, address differences in the ways people live and work, and still engage young readers.
When kids at school say there are "no good books" to read, I send them to two places: graphic novels or the list of short books/books under 250 pages.
Somehow, Ursu has managed to write a legitimately scary ghost story (sorta) that’s also about accusations of hysteria, invisible illnesses, and issues in middle school.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie won’t be released until the summer, why not celebrate its upcoming release with a review?
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and though Pearl by Sherri L. Smith and Christine Norrie won’t be released until the summer, why not celebrate its upcoming release with a review?
Miami is unreal. That’s why it was the inspiration for in my newest YA novel, Death’s Country.
Which books have been checked out the most at my school library this year? Let's have a look . . .
Today we talk with a man who slowly, methodically, carefully, and with great love, churns out some of the smartest books for kids today.
Author Polly Holyoke shares tips for helping tweens and teens to become writers
Full of humor, memorable characters, great dialogue, and more wrestling than maybe any other book I've read before, this empathetic and meaningful look at grief makes it clear that there's no wrong wrong to do it, even if that means living with the voice of a professional wrestler in your head.
I started making up this story with my brother when I was in middle school, and it’s taken all these years to finally finish it.
Checking in on the 2025 Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists on Goodreads.
Since we're already in the thick of it, let's round out our look at the spring 2024 titles coming out from a slew of smaller publishers this season.
Two high schoolers are drawn together by the power of the number 8 in this one-shot manga.
Keep your eyes open. Notice the art in your community and look for opportunities to engage students. Watch for special exhibits in your school and community. No matter the size of your community, there are artists.
Here’s the thing that took me awhile to learn: suppressing our feelings, or berating ourselves for having them in the first place, only makes those difficult feelings worse.
A conversation with Lucy Ruth Cummins about her new book, DALMARTIAN.
Cape Verdean books for kids may be rare in America, but there's at least one author out there working to fill the gaps. Today we talk with Janet Costa Bates about her latest early chapter series.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Anzu and the Realm of Darkness from Viking Books for Young Readers and Action Dude from Silver Dolphin Books.
This great read is a real page-turner and will especially appeal to readers who love family stories and readers who (like me) like their fantasy to be quite grounded in reality. An absolutely smashing read that everyone should pick up this summer!
It's time to add May suggestions to the growing Heavy Medal Mock Newbery list. Readers can submit up to five titles that might be considered as possible contenders for the 2025 Newbery Medal.
Everyone—children, teens and even adults—need safe outlets to explore their emotions, fears and unspoken curiosities. Whether you’re writing a book or reading a book, stories can be that safe harbor.
When television and books collide.
"Like a Playboy featuring vegetables. Sexy sexy vegetables." The original vertical Caldecott Honor winner turns out to be the perfect spring title for us to discuss today.
Today's Archie Digest preview focuses on the hazards of high school sports.
We are lucky to live in a time where there is just so much wonderful middle grade coming out. There's no reason to hear a middle schooler say "I'm bored" this summer.
I’ve finally been able to reach into that drawer and grab some panache. CJ and the soccer-princess-sprite deserve a lot of thanks for that.
The Cat in the Hat comes back again, this time in the very first in a new line of graphic novels starring Dr. Seuss' characters and created by cartoonists working in their own distinct styles.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen discusses learning to do sublimation and what works, and what you might want to think twice about, in a library makerspace
In 1999, almost everyone was worried about a computer flaw or bug nicknamed Y2K for year 2000. Now Erin Entrada Kelly has put the subject in a middle grade novel, The First State of Being.
What do The Joy Luck Club and Holes have in common? Both inspired Nedda Lewers' newest MG Egyptian-American inspired fantasy series for kids!
Teen librarian Rachel Strolle shares a look at some of the new YA coming out in May 2024
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts shares her recent Among Us themed escape room
This month kicks off a celebration of books featuring or by Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders. I am excited to shine a spotlight on the Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander portion of that lengthy acronym.
"Ryan is a young alligator, not the buddha." Bob Shea is our guest today and he's talking up the sequel to his highly beloved Chez Bob.
The latest volume of the InvestiGators spinoff is a hit with all ages in the Keller household!
The latest volume of the InvestiGators spinoff is a hit with all ages in the Keller household!
I can't wait for young readers to get to discover this awesome new series!
The bar and bat mitzvah—or, to use the modern gender-neutral term, bnei mitzvah—occurs at such a perfect, middle gradey moment. And new stories grounded in bnei mitzvah are being told all the time.
Have you missed hearing the voice of the ineffable Christopher Paul Curtis recently? Then read his incredible essay-response to my interview questions and bask in his words once more.
As more students take advantage of dual enrollment programs during a time when more states are adopting restrictive laws about access, academic freedom, and the right to read, we need new policy-focused partnerships between high school and academic libraries that will support student success and maintain institutional integrity.
COLBY: When I first heard about the new series The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class, I had a hard time wrapping my brain around the concept. Seventeen authors each writing a book about the kids in one third grade classroom seemed impossible. Then I started to read the list of writers that would be contributing […]
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Unhappy Camper from Harper Alley and Dr. Seuss Cat Out Of Water from Random House Graphic.
As an author, how do I approach the potential for pain in the lines I write? How, as a reader, do we make these mostly well-intended but sometimes trivial-feeling statements actually hold meaning for us?
52 (!!!) new and forthcoming books to build your TBR ever taller!
"If you love worms, this is the book for you." Inspired by LeVar Burton we take a look at an old Reading Rainbow book to see how it holds up.
Look at the jaw-dropping art and stellar storytelling inside, and this book may serve to upend everything you thought you knew about moving day picture books.
A wrap up of the North Texas Teen Book Festival 2024 with an emphasis on some of the cool thrillers and horror being written for tweens and teens today
Big news for Svetlana Chmakova fans: JY will publish the second volume of The Weirn Books in October 2024.
These kinds of books are a great way to "taste" stories from a bunch of authors and discover new favorites!
I hope my work will encourage others to think about disability in a broader context, whether that’s rethinking how disabled characters are portrayed or creating more opportunities for disabled writers to tell their own stories.
It's an all 2024 Award Winners edition of Name That LEGO Book Cover!
The First Amendment is a crucial defense against book bans, particularly those targeting LGBTQ+ stories, critical race theory, and BIPOC authors. However, schools often navigate around these protections through "educational discretion." Beyond the First Amendment, the Education Amendments to the Civil Rights Act's Title VI and IX provide avenues to challenge bans based on race and sex discrimination. A notable case in Georgia's Forsyth County School District demonstrates how these civil rights statutes can combat bans, offering a more direct path to restoring banned books. This approach highlights the importance of considering discriminatory impacts over intent in the fight against book bans, providing a potentially more effective strategy for upholding students' rights to information.
Young adult readers will be able to relate to this story of a boy who constantly gets in trouble through no fault of his own, even if they don't catch the allusions to Kafka.
Book lovers can't help but feel enchanted upon walking into The Curious Reader. After my first visit several years ago, I got the same magical feeling as seeing The Shop Around the Corner in You’ve Got Mail.
You know what is a terrible term? Sandwich Generation. Because I like sandwiches, but I for sure do NOT like being part of the Sandwich Generation. Yes, this is related to this post. Bear with me. This post has LOTS of post-it reviews because I have spent LOTS of time at my mom’s helping care […]
You know what is a terrible term? Sandwich Generation. Because I like sandwiches, but I for sure do NOT like being part of the Sandwich Generation. Yes, this is related to this post. Bear with me. This post has LOTS of post-it reviews because I have spent LOTS of time at my mom’s helping care […]
Is it weird that we torture Grover during the course of this book?
Iran's first superstar, Googoosh, at last gets her first picture book biography and I'm on hand to interview author/artist Azadeh Westergaard about what writing such a book entails.
In the book, Claire, Billie, Raelynn, and Tasha are the leftovers. The kids no one else wants to associate with. They are, for me, a celebration of the kids who got me through middle school. And high school. And honestly, who still help me today.
It’s crucial to empower teens to find their voice and their community while advocating for their rights. It’s just as crucial to highlight queer joy and friendship, especially when readers are coming of age during turbulent times.
"A country needs ideas from everywhere, just like mushroom rhizomes help the forest to grow. Below the surface." Today we celebrate the life of a great artist, now gone.
Author Brittany N. Williams talks about audacity and her new book, SAINT-SEDUCING GOLD
The classic children's book Winnie-The-Pooh, now in the public domain, gets a reverent, high-quality comics adaptation by cartoonist Travis Dandro.
So here’s my challenge: I dare you to get outside, in your community. Connect with your neighbors. Make a project out of it — get some extra credit or community service hours in.
All the 2024 books from previous Pura Belpré author and illustrator medal and honor winners.
Crafting a “mirrors” and a “windows” book all at once can be tricky but just in time for Passover this year we've an anthology from three great writers. Check out what they have to say about it!
Author Kristin L. Gray shares middle grade books about saving planet Earth
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under featuring Team Unihorn and Woolly Volume 1 Attack of the Krill from Harper Alley and King Arthur and the Knights of Justice from Maverick - Mad Cave Studios.
In Finally Fitz, I wanted to write a mental health representation that felt true to my experience, one where the symptoms aren’t so obvious in a culture that conflates perfectionism with ambition.
My mission is to create stories that teens can see themselves in and be entertained by so I can help them find a way through life despite what may have happened to them so far.
"Some cookies just want to watch the world burn." Violence and murder and a cookie all come together in this latest podcast episode.
Riley will turn 22 this year. She is the reason we are Taylor Swift fans in our house. Taylor launched right around the time that Riley started listening to music. And I have raised 2 daughters now with Taylor Swift as the soundtrack of our lives. On Friday, Taylor Swift released her 11th album, The […]
Funny and hopeful, realistic and wistful, this is a book to inspire dreamers and scientists alike. A book you simply won’t want to miss.
The Hex Vets are back in a third volume of magical veterinary adventures, this one featuring giant magical otters!
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