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This month's SLJ cover story is my piece on school shootings in middle grade and YA books.
Author Nova Ren Suma joins us to talk about her new book WAKE THE WILD CREATURES.
Author Riley Redgate joins us to talk about her new book COME HOME TO MY HEART.
Starmer has beautifully captured how that post-graduation, pre-college summer can feel: full of potential, last chances, drawn-out goodbyes, and perfect moments that you wish could last forever.
Certain kinds of important, difficult, and formative queer experiences are not being truthfully explored in books for queer teens—primarily, I believe, because they make adult gatekeepers uncomfortable.
The characters in Love at Second Sight are not direct parallels to the Scooby Doo crew despite referencing them at one point, but they were one of many inspirations. And with that, I would like to introduce the Love at Second Sight characters through the lens of Scooby Doo.
Saturday, April 26 is my favorite day of the year! That's right, it's time for Teen Lit Con again in Mendota Heights, Minnesota! I'm excited to be presenting for the sixth year.
Eventually, I decided that the nefarious plotting of my young tontine contenders was not only acceptable for middle grade but also funny—for the same reason that Home Alone is a comedy and not a horror movie.
As usual, the book mail arrives fast and furious here at the Minnesota branch of TLT. Hopefully you'll find some great things to add to your TBR list!
It's probably not wholly accurate to say that representation of trans and nonbinary characters seems more important than ever (again, it's always been important), but wow, does it sure feel extra necessary these days.
Losing anyone you love is a miserable, painful, and heartbreaking experience. But losing a friend is uniquely strange in the sense that the world isn’t really equipped to keep you in mind as you grieve.
Archaeologists, by definition, must care about the past; we wouldn’t be in this line of work if we didn’t. To care about the past, we have to connect to it. And it’s imagination, whatever form it takes, that makes this connection possible.
Where are the very real depictions of us saying, “yes, we have the thing, and it sucks, but we can still have amazing lives anyway, even when the disability causes us hardship.”
The hope is that LGBTQ+ teens can see that positive change is doable, even in difficult conditions, and that although it may not feel like it sometimes, it matters. They matter.
I talked with Jing Jing Tsong about her excellent 2024 graphic novel Fake Chinese Sounds. In the episode Jing Jing talks about how the book was inspired by a real-life event, and how she went about turning that event into her author/illustrator debut. Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
Here are five new releases to read while sitting outside in the sun!
Teen librarian Karen Jensen shares some YA book recommendations inspired by the emotion themed characters in Disney's Inside Out movies
Personally, I love poetry, but it can be a hard sell to kids. Many readers do not naturally gravitate to poetry books. Left to their own devices, teens and tweens are not stampeding to the poetry shelf. But if you can find a gateway, a poetry resource or activity that engages students deeply and gives […]
I usually talk about fiction in these Take Five lists, but there's plenty of great nonfiction out there too as well as plenty of readers who really prefer to read nonfiction.
So many wonderful books to share with you all here today. Get out those TBR lists, because there are a LOT of titles here you'll want to add.
This video game roundup features Mario and Luigi, Astro Bot, and more to boost collections and keep players of all ages entertained.
My grandparents may be long gone, but with Isle of Ever, I can’t help but feel this new story is as much theirs as it is mine.
These books touch on book banning, romance, mental health, trans history, friendship breakups, folk-horror, time travel, historical fantasy, dance, climate change, and more.
It’s that time my friends, Sunrise on the Reaping releases tomorrow. This Hunger Games title is highly anticipated, as many fans have hoped for a prequel with a young Haymitch Abernathy for a long time. While we wait to see exactly how that book unfurls, here are some great recommendations for your library teens who […]
Today's summer list from Penguin Young Readers centers LGBTQIA+ stories/characters and race/racism
If you work with young people and books, you already know that graphic novels are insanely popular. In response, there has been a huge publishing boom resulting in graphic novels that are not just entertaining, but that also address serious social issues in a way that make readers sit up and take notice. Last summer, […]
Books featuring grief, a magic school, a treasure hunt, a robot, and a young adventurer!
Author Trang Thanh Tran joins us to talk about their new book THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT.
Even as we need to keep telling the painful truth of book bans, we also need to take extra care to celebrate and elevate the unique gifts that each book offers.
Science fiction is fun, curious, and adventurous. It bends the reality of our world and stretches our imaginations to explore all the “what ifs” floating within our universe.
The new Caldecott Medalist on The Yarn podcast!
Author Jenna Voris joins us to talk about her new book, Say a Little Prayer.
Today’s guest post is by an Illinois youth services librarian known online as RAE, sharing her knowledge of queer YA coming out stories. Juliet Takes a Breath Latina Queer Lesbian Experience “Juliet Takes a Breath” is a coming-of-age teen book that digs into the curtails of a Puerto Rican college student from the Bronx, as […]
Today I'm sharing a few titles from the beginning of this year that I hope to read, even though the one that is partially set in 1987, when I was 10, pains me to think of as "historical fiction."
16 quick reviews of new and forthcoming books.
Things are so grim these days. But we still have books. We still have wonderful people writing diverse and inclusive stories and all kinds of people working to connect readers with those books.
This roundup features an assortment of tabletop role-playing games that are easy to learn, easy to play, and have something for everyone.
If someone wants to ask if I planned the significance of these objects, you can tell them yes: with plane flights and research and a lifetime of reading about boats and sand and magical balloons that make large distances small, I planned it all.
Hopefully by drawing attention to these debuts, they will end up on more TBR lists and collection development orders, helping them find readers just looking to discover a new favorite author.
I truly, firmly, believe that anyone can write a book. The thing that stops most people, isn’t talent, it’s time.
In uncertain and scary times, these recent audiobooks for kids, tweens, and teens can inspire much-needed resilience and joy.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen reviews the Morris Award Finalist AISLE NINE by Ian X. Cho
Teen Librarian Jennifer Rummel shares some of her favorite romance books
Today I'm sharing five new middle grade books coming out this month. Check in every Friday for themed Take Five lists of middle grade books!
We create the place we live in, but it also creates us, and it’s impossible to tell where one influence starts and the other begins.
Whether to deliver information in an enjoyable format, provide analysis of historical events, or dispense an innovative look at the future, multimedia continues to grow as a meaningful component of curriculum.
Most people can’t imagine a world without the worst of human nature because that would be the purview of a different species: a post-miserable humankind.
Doing something a little different here this week and instead of sharing 5 books, I'm sharing 5 publishers putting out hi-lo books for young readers.
Get ready to add a bunch of new titles to your TBR. If it's anything like mine, it's probably already bursting with 2025 titles!
Covert agents, penguin besties, undocumented siblings making it on their own, a good badger, and a kitty-girl!
Yesterday was YMAs day — ALA’s Youth Media Awards day, aka the only Monday a year I willingly set my alarm to wake up early (I work afternoon/evening on Mondays). I’m not an awards panelist person but I love a good awards show–and I also love lists like “Oscars Snubs and Surprises”, so I usually […]
I’m convinced that pumping books instead of iron is a better way of dealing with the insecurity and isolation affecting so many kids these days, especially boys.
I can’t believe it either. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is our guest on the latest episode of The Yarn podcast, talking about her new book, True Gretch (Young Adult Edition). Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
This is what I’d like to pass along to young readers: No one is perfect. Every one of us has our flaws, but we can grow and change, make a difference and achieve great things.
I’ve been thinking for a while about the question of how stories relate to truth.
Deeply affecting and beautifully written, this look at the lengths women will go to to protect and aid one another is a necessary and exceptional read.
If there’s one takeaway I’d like all readers to get, it’s that they matter, just as they are, and they deserve to follow their dreams.
Being a late bloomer is not a sign of failure, but a testament to the unique growth that is allowed when we give ourselves the grace to bloom in our own time.
My hope is that my book adds to the canon of mythological stories so that more kids can find themselves reflected in the story, especially kids that might have grown used to feeling “othered.”
Truthfully, although I write about destroying giant, horrible monsters, I’ve never quite been able to vanquish the imposter beast. But I’ve learned how to work around it.
On the last day of 2024, Colby Sharp and I got on a call to look back at the year in children’s literature. This episode of The Yarn podcast is always one of my favorites (and not just because I get a chance to talk about things like The Great British Baking Show). We talk […]
Once upon a time, a reader asked me that age old question: "Where do your ideas come from?" I leaned into the mic and with complete sincerity gave them the best answer I could: "Keanu Reeves."
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen shares 5 of her favorite YA reads for 2024, and 2 Printz Award predictions
A handful of 2024 releases and a bunch of 2025 releases round out this final book mail post of the year.
Sometimes the simple act of adding some books to my own personal endless TBR stack or list is all it takes for me to want to do a Take Five list.
Check out these 25 middle grade titles coming out in 2025!
Kwanzaa is an African American and pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture. These board books, picture books, and audiobooks will help young children learn more about it and get into the spirit of the holiday.
Being vulnerable on the page hasn’t been easy. Opening myself up to judgement—both good and bad is terrifying.
This Thanksgiving season, I’ve been thinking about all the ways libraries have influenced my life.
It was a huge week in the movie world this Thanksgiving, as Wicked and Gladiator II continued their streaks and Moana 2 premiered to huge numbers. So I thought, while listening once again to the Wicked soundtrack, why not recommend books that I think fit some of the characters from these huge films? After all, […]
Book mail continues to trickle in as we get ready to wrap up 2024!
I am very grateful for the books here that managed to hold my wandering attention and pull me into their fictional worlds.
I am essentially making comfy nests where other tired hearts can rest, books with arguably naive but stubborn resilience against tough odds, and books with kind power in them.
After a busy bookish September and October, we’re combining the posts for November and December! Here’s 10 fabulous titles that release before the end of 2024. The Davenports: More Than This by Krystal Marquis Sequel to: The Davenports by Krystal Marquis The Davenports Pitch: The Davenports live in 1910s Chicago, one of the few Black […]
The trick is to not give up while the slow burn runs its course.
Among this year’s outstanding listens—with publication dates from November 2023 to October 2024—are two picture books, two volumes of a graphic trilogy (they count as one entry), a head-smack must-read history, and several laugh-out-loud novels.
As it turns out, becoming a writer for teens—and teen Jan—is about the most thrilling and rewarding answer to the question: who am I?
Writing Lucy was our way of coping with the years Teghan lost: both the years trapped in self-denial about her identity and the years she spent in prison. The book is a badge of honor for those tough years we survived, and it’s a love letter to each other.
I discovered that if told with some heart and soul, history can be as compelling as fine fiction. And before long I found myself on a mission to make history come alive for young people.
Anthologies are the literary equivalent to a buffet dinner. They offer a wide selection of different perspectives (both in story telling and in personal background) and writing styles on the same theme.
You know what rules? Dogs. I sure do like them. Here are a few middle grade books featuring dogs, all approved by my rescue chiweenies, Charlie and Spot.
Shakespeare’s greatness can live on, but we can also give space to new voices - and both can happen at the exact same time with the power of a retelling.
The Donut Prince of New York isn't just about donuts or theater or football. It's about the revolutionary act of accepting yourself in a world that often suggests you shouldn't.
Author Gayle Forman is over on The Yarn podcast, taking us behind the scenes of her new middle grade novel NOT NOTHING
Middle grade may not have been in my initial career plans as an author, but now I can’t imagine writing without it.
Here is a small selection of twenty books which score 8/10 or higher on my personal "Fear Factor" grading used in The YA Horror 400.
35 new and upcoming titles to check out.
To write this story I interviewed social workers and read work by social scientists and scholars of American child welfare. I learned three lessons that I believe are critical for writers, librarians, and other members of the book community.
Jess Hannigan visits The Yarn podcast!
Readers can let their imaginations run wild thinking about how different their days would be if they attended a school focused on honing magical skills.
We adults can offer prompts, reading suggestions, and support, but that what’s most important is that young writers own their work, discover their own processes, experience encouragement but not too much intrusion from adults.
Top 2025 Printz Award contenders include poetry, stories featuring characters at both the younger and older ends of the age spectrum, graphic works, and an author who could get her fourth Printz recognition.
Powerful, affecting, and ultimately hopeful. Just beautiful.
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