Works by David Bowles, Meg Medina, Eric Velasquez, and Monica Brown were honored by the Spanish Language Affiliate of the CBC at Bank Street College of Education.

Pat Scales takes questions about Common Sense Media, who should select the novels taught in an English class, and more.

Those dreaded summer reading lists. For eons, teachers have been handing out assigned reading, mostly comprised of old “classics.” With this survey, SLJ and NCTE invite teachers and librarians to choose the titles you’d like culled from required reading and those books you would urge students to read instead.

Will the Printz committee honor nonfiction, a graphic novel, or the first book in a duology this year? A case could be made for any of these five standout titles. 

In the November issue of SLJ, we examine the state of U.S. school libraries and librarian ­positions—the fight to preserve the institutions and the vast range of critical services performed by library professionals nationwide.

Our School Libraries 2021 project goes beyond statistics to tell the human story of the profession. With reporting from across the country, we assess the scene from Washington, DC, and Seattle to tiny Crandall, TX, and New York City.

Battling threats to library funding and positions and educating the community on the value of librarians often becomes like a second job, taking up nights and weekends with conversations, events, and social media posts. 

Legislation that mandates certified librarians in every school seems like the solution to librarian loss, but it isn’t always that simple—as Washington State shows.

While school policies around masks, social distancing, and vaccination policies differ, librarians can share common goals to promote social-emotional learning.

The discussions in the spring set of free, one-hour professional development programs will tackle serving striving readers, information inequity, and news literacy.

 

On the Diverse Books Survey page, users can access related content, newly updated, as well as our Diverse Books Survey report.

While in the minority, the SLJ Diverse Books Survey reveals some librarians are declining to purchase books with diverse characters to avoid a challenge.

The top 10 audiobooks represent the best of November 2020 to October 2021 releases, with selections for all age groups and interests. Realistic fiction, speculative fiction, poetry, and more are represented, and exceptional narration enhances the fascinating stories.

COVID-19 is still a very real part of our daily lives and front of mind for young people. Here are four books a­ddressing ­viruses and germs that ­educators can share with students.

A booklist, resources, and an interview with Sasha Bouché, editor at HighWater Press.

November is Native American Heritage Month. As we celebrate and honor Native and Indigenous peoples and nations, here are 22 titles to share with children and teens.

Seven superb titles made SLJ's list of must-have chapter books, including a retelling of Don Quixote and charming take on the “new sibling” genre.

For the first time in years, we created a breakout list of poetry titles. These six selections include the latest from powerhouse poets Joyce Sidman, Jack Prelutsky, and Nikki Grimes.

May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and these titles, which include YA and middle grade fiction, picture books, and nonfiction, are perfect to recommend to readers both this month and year-round.

The 2021 list of best middle grade books counts with 26 novels, including unforgettable works by Joseph Bruchac, Jasmine Warga, and Kate DiCamillo.

From a choose-your-own-path Romeo and Juliet to a Macbeth retelling that channels #MeToo, there's something here for all teen readers and fans of the Bard. 

From graphical COVID diaries to investigative journalism, these comics are a time capsule of the pandemic experience.

With a range of grade levels (kindergarteners to high schoolers) and genres (fantasy and horror, among others), there’s something for everyone in these 17 comics picks.

This manga category focuses on relationships between two women or girls, usually romances. 

A booklist, resources, and an interview with Sasha Bouché, editor at HighWater Press.

Younger readers, seeing older kids read “Dog Man” and Raina Telgemeier’s books, want comics, too. Here’s a look at some new and upcoming graphic novels for early readers, ages four to eight.

Creators hone in on previously untold stories and lesser-known figures. Plus: 12 recommended titles.

The term graphic medicine was coined by Dr. Ian Williams—comics artist, physician, and editor of graphicmedicine.org—to “denote the role that comics can play in the study and delivery of healthcare.”

The post Graphic Medicine for Kids & Teens appeared first on Good Comics for Kids.

Our School Libraries 2021 project goes beyond statistics to tell the human story of the profession. With reporting from across the country, we assess the scene from Washington, DC, and Seattle to tiny Crandall, TX, and New York City.

Pat Scales answers questions about a recommended booklist; culling biographies for "questionable behavior," and titles that might upset kids in foster care.

Two reasons why the Caldecott should be renamed The Pinkney.

The post The Caldecott Medal Should Be Renamed The Pinkney appeared first on 100 Scope Notes.

Trigger Warnings: Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexual Violence and Suicide are discussed in this post Today as I write this post there are tons of calls for book banning and, yes, even book burning happening in our country. There have been calls to ban books, burn books, to jail and imprison librarians, and some librarians have now […]

The post Sunday Reflections: Teen Librarians are not Pornographers and Other Things You Should Know About the People Who Have Dedicated Their Lives to Serving Youth in Your Community appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.

Even in a year full of intense reading, it's impossible for one person to finish every single book with Newbery potential. With a committee of fifteen serious readers, though, the Newbery process still works.

The post You Can’t Read Them All: Widening the net of the Newbery search appeared first on Heavy Medal.

From the Walter Dean Myers and Sydney Taylor Awards to the Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature, 11 honors you should know about. Use them to expand your collection and recommend worthy titles to teachers, parents, and young readers. 

 

When a video of a woman speaking out against the book Out of Darkness at a school board meeting went viral, author Ashley Hope Pérez responded with a video of her own.

Pinguicha urges readers to question history, ask who wrote the stories, and present and amplify the narratives that have been ignored, hidden, and distorted.

The post Questioning Your History Lessons, a guest post by Diana Pinguicha appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.