AWARDS

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Announces 2025 EJK Award Winners

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Announces 2025 EJK Award Winners
The 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award went to Breanna J. McDaniel for Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. X. Fang won the Illustrator Award for We Are Definitely Human.
BOOKS & REVIEWS
40 Outstanding International Books for Children from USBBY. Download the Full List.

40 Outstanding International Books for Children from USBBY. Download the Full List.
3 Middle Grade Cli-Fi Novels | SLJ Spotlight

3 Middle Grade Cli-Fi Novels | SLJ Spotlight
Stonewall Book Awards Celebrate 10 Titles Centering LGBTQIA+ Youth | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025

Stonewall Book Awards Celebrate 10 Titles Centering LGBTQIA+ Youth | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
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BOOKS & REVIEWS
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BOOKLISTS

10 Titles About Ramadan and Eid for Board Book to Middle Grade Readers
SLJ Reviews, Feb 18, 2025
These stories share a variety of Ramadan and Eid experiences, from fasting for the first time to celebrating in a home. Hand them to young readers leading up to the holy month and all year long.

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BLOGS

Exclusive: Return to ‘Hollow’ with ‘The Woman in White’ | News
Brigid Alverson, Feb 20, 2025
The creators of Hollow return with a new Washington Irving-inspired queer romance, The Woman in White.
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INDUSTRY NEWS

BCALA, SLJ Announce 2025 Winners of the Children & Youth Literary Awards
Kathy Ishizuka, Feb 19, 2025
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.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SLJ ISTE Webcasts to Cover AI, AR/VR, the Metaverse, and Web3
SLJ staff, Feb 20, 2025
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." 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Spend It if You Can | SLJ 2024 Budget Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Apr 04, 2024
With budgets mostly flat, book challenges and rising costs pose hurdles for school librarians.

 

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ELEMENTARY

New Trends in Transitional Books
Marlaina Cockcroft, Sep 27, 2024
Early chapter books? Easy readers? Whatever you call them, transitional books are key for young students, librarians say.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Sora Report: Digital Reading Increases with Double-Digit Growth in Comics and Graphic Novels
SLJ Staff, Apr 03, 2024
The State of K-12 Digital Reading breaks down the data for the 2022-23 school year, showing the popularity of comics and graphic novels in the digital format plus regional differences in reading habits.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

From a Young Age, Children Tune in to Audiobooks | Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Jan 04, 2024
Children are eager listeners—of audiobooks, according to a new Library Journal / School Library Journal survey. Libraries are keeping up with the demand as formats evolve.

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CENSORSHIP

Nearly a Quarter of School Librarians Have Experienced Harassment Over Books | SLJ Censorship Survey
Kathy Ishizuka, Sep 30, 2023
Twenty-four percent of school librarians have been harassed this past year over books or displays in their library. That’s according to a recent SLJ survey, which found the rate even higher among high school librarians, 30 percent of whom have experienced harassment.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

Graphic Novels, Manga Explode in Popularity Among Students | SLJ Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Oct 03, 2023
If graphic novels are flying off the shelves at your library, that reflects a remarkable trend: The format’s popularity has shot up at over 90 percent of school libraries in the last few years, according to a new SLJ survey.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SLJ, NCTE Launch Survey to Remake Summer Reading Lists
SLJ staff, Jan 19, 2022
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.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

Time to Refresh the Canon: Here Are Our Picks
Shelley Diaz, May 10, 2022
SLJ and NCTE collaborated to create 18 booklists of titles to replace, or use as a companion to, canon "classics." 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Under Pressure: Survey Provides Insight into Librarians' Job Satisfaction
Marlaina Cockcroft, Feb 21, 2023
More librarians find their work challenging, but most still love what they do, the latest LJ/SLJ Survey shows.

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CENSORSHIP

Censorship Attempts Will Have a Long-lasting Impact on School Library Collections, SLJ Survey Shows
Kara Yorio, Sep 08, 2022
In the past year, school librarians have faced coordinated, hate-filled censorship campaigns that impact available books and collection development decisions. Here, they share their stories.

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AWARDS

Caldecott Medal Honors 5 Picture Books with Distinguished Illustrative Excellence | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 27, 2025
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Caldecott Medal and Honors winners.

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AWARDS

Stonewall Book Awards Celebrate 10 Titles Centering LGBTQIA+ Youth | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 27, 2025
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Stonewall Book Award and Honors winners.

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AWARDS

Pura Belpré Awards Honor Outstanding Books Celebrating the Latino Cultural Experience | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 27, 2025
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Pura Belpré Award and Honors winners.

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BOOKLISTS

9 Middle Grade & YA Graphic Novels About the Holocaust
SLJ Reviews, Jan 22, 2025
Every year on January 27th, International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorates the 1945 liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year marks the 80th anniversary. Share these graphic novels with young readers leading up to the day and all year long.

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AWARDS

Asian/Pacific American Awards Highlight 8 Stellar Titles | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 27, 2025
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Asian/Pacific American Award and Honors winners.

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AWARDS

'I Know How to Draw an Owl' Wins 2025 Charlotte Zolotow Award
SLJ Staff, Feb 04, 2025
Author Hilary Horder Hippely's title earned the annual award given for outstanding writing in a picture book.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BCALA, SLJ Announce 2025 Winners of the Children & Youth Literary Awards
Kathy Ishizuka, Feb 19, 2025
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.

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AWARDS

Stonewall Book Awards Celebrate 10 Titles Centering LGBTQIA+ Youth | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 27, 2025
The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the Stonewall Book Award and Honors winners.

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AWARDS

2025 Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck Award Winners Announced
SLJ Staff, Dec 09, 2024
NCTE has announced Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones and The Last Stand by Antwan Eady, illus. by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, as the 2025 Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck award winners, respectively. 

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CENSORSHIP

18 More Reviews of Banned Classics | Defending the Canon
SLJ Reviewers and NCTE, Sep 23, 2024
In time for Banned Books Week, NCTE and SLJ have partnered again to provide professional reviews of banned curriculum staples. We highlight 18 acclaimed works by celebrated authors, including Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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BOOKLISTS

Best Nonfiction Elementary 2024 | SLJ Best Books
Kimberly Olson Fakih, Vi Ha, Mary Lanni, John Scott, Nov 22, 2024
The blossoming ranks of stellar biographies for young readers continue to crowd the shelves. Japanese athletes hit their summits in two vastly different ways, an author attempts to right the record on Rosalind Franklin, and a forgotten sports hero at last gets his due. And that's just the start of the Best Books in the category of nonfiction for the elementary grades. Come have a look.

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AWARDS

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Announces 2025 EJK Award Winners
SLJ Staff, Feb 20, 2025
The 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award went to Breanna J. McDaniel for Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. X. Fang won the Illustrator Award for We Are Definitely Human.

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BOOKLISTS

Native Voices: A Curated List of 2024 Titles Featuring Native American Stories | Great Books
SLJ Reviews, Oct 28, 2024
This roundup of 2024 books centering Native American stories offers something for every reader to enjoy this November and all year long.

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BLOGS

And Now Some Books I’m REALLY Excited for in 2025!
Betsy Bird, Jan 02, 2025
For this one time only, please enjoy this list of some of the 2025 Children's Books I Am Most Excited To See.

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AWARDS

YMAs Reveal Top Titles in Young Adult Nonfiction, Informational Books | ALA Youth Media Awards 2025
SLJ Reviews, Jan 30, 2025
SLJ reviews of YALSA's Excellence in Nonfiction Award titles and the winner and honor books of the 2025 Robert F. Sibert Informational Award, administered by ALSC.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

8 Titles of Resilience and Hope for Holocaust Remembrance Day
SLJ Reviews, Jan 23, 2024
January 27 is designated as a day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Share these stories of resilience and hope about people of various ages, races, nationalities, and more with young readers today and throughout the year.

 

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BOOKLISTS

19 Books Featuring Incarcerated Family Members for Young Readers of All Ages
Rachel Owens, Jun 05, 2024
Stories of children with parents behind bars are as diverse as the millions of real-life kids familiar with the experience. These 19 fiction and nonfiction titles may offer an empathetic, metaphoric hand for young readers to hold.

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BOOKLISTS

81 Exemplary Picture Books | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far
SLJ Reviews, Jul 08, 2024
Get your purchase list out and make sure you include these picture books; we've found dozens of contenders for this year's Best Books collection.

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BOOKLISTS

Best Graphic Novels 2024 | SLJ Best Books
Jasmine Amiri, Angie Jameson, Rosemary Kiladitis, Andrea Lipinski, Allison Tran, Nov 21, 2024
Cozy fantasies, immigration stories, and reimagined classics—2024’s Best Graphic Novels list isn’t just a collection of 25 unforgettable reads, it’s a showcase of comics that push storytelling to new heights.

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BOOKLISTS

Best Manga 2024 | SLJ Best Books
Jasmine Amiri, Rachel Forbes, Joe Pascullo, Lisa Rowland, Sara Smith, Nov 19, 2024
As the medium continues its meteoric rise, 2024 marked the debut of SLJ's first-ever Best Books committee dedicated exclusively to manga. From shock-charged action and celestial fantasy to eco-horror and edutainment, these 22 standout titles offer something for readers of all ages and interests, redefining what belongs on K–12 shelves—and why.

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BLOGS

Flash Gordon Adventures | This Week’s Comics
Lori Henderson, Nov 26, 2024
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Flash Gordon Adventures Volume 1 Flash of Greatness from Papercutz and Sesame Street #4 from Oni Press.
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BOOKLISTS

Manga Monsters | Mondo Manga
Brigid Alverson, Oct 31, 2024
These seven series about supernatural creatures are more humorous than scary and often emphasize acceptance.

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BOOKLISTS

Best Graphic Novels 2023 | SLJ Best Books
Jasmine Amiri, Jenny Arch, Shelley M. Diaz, Andrea Lipinski, Carla Riemer, Nov 21, 2023

From stunning memoirs to sustainability guides, this year’s Best Graphic Novels list features 25 unforgettable works that take comics to new heights.

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BLOGS

Tegan and Sara: Crush | Review
J. Caleb Mozzocco, Nov 07, 2024
Tegan Quin, Sara Quin, and Tillie Walden return with the sequel to last year's Junior High, continuing the fictionalized story of Tegan and Sara's origin story.
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BLOGS

Take Five: New Middle Grade Graphic Novels for October
Amanda MacGregor, Oct 11, 2024
If I had a dollar for every time I said something to the effect of "graphic novels are real books" or "reading graphic novels is reading" to someone disparaging them... well, I couldn't quit my job, but I would have a LOT of dollars.
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BOOKLISTS

32 Superb Graphic Novels | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far
SLJ Reviews, Jul 15, 2024
From early reader to YA titles, these starred graphic novels showcase the very best of the comics medium so far in 2024. Use the downloadable spreadsheet to ensure your collection includes these superb graphic novels.

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NEWS & FEATURES

Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara on Collaboration, Comics Books, and Coming of Age
Jasmine Amiri, Aug 26, 2024
Sara Quin of indie pop duo Tegan and Sara discusses the forthcoming final installment in the band’s graphic novel series, offering a glimpse into the life events and creative journey that resulted in Tegan and Sara: Crush.

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ADVOCACY

15 Graphic Novels to Celebrate Pride This Month and Year-Round
SLJ Staff, Jun 17, 2024
As we find ourselves at the midway point of June, amidst the celebrations of Pride Month, it's an opportune time to reflect on the rich tapestry of narratives within the LGBTQIA+ community with 15 noteworthy graphic novels that can help us celebrate Pride this month, and year-round.

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BOOKS

Hilda and Twig: Hide from the Rain
Nov 01, 2024
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BLOGS

Goblin: The Wolf and the Well | Preview
Brigid Alverson, Jul 11, 2024
Today we have a preview of Goblin: The Wolf and the Well, by writer Eric Grissom and artist Will Perkins. This is the second volume of their middle-grade fantasy series about Rikt, an orphaned goblin, and his companion, a wolf named Fish-Breath. Here’s the publisher’s description: After losing his parents, Rikt struggles with a fear […]
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BOOKLISTS

Mighty Manhwa! | Stellar Panels
Brigid Alverson, Mar 27, 2024
Korean and Chinese comics reach English-language readers.

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OPINION

Turning a Page: SLJ will turn 70. How can we best serve readers? | From the Editor
Kathy Ishizuka, Oct 15, 2023
The editors are planning for 2024, SLJ's 70th anniversary year.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
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SLJ Summit 2025

, Nov 07, Nov 08 & Nov 09, 2025

LJ & SLJ Public Library Youth Services Leadership Summit

Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library, May 29 & May 30, 2025

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ONLINE, May 22, 2025

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Feb 25 to Mar 11, 2025

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Mar 06, 2025

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CENSORSHIP

Defending the Canon: SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
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