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Debut novelists and former We Need Diverse Books mentees Diana Ma and Angeline Boulley discuss their writing challenges, their families’ reactions to their novels, and using the YA genre to discuss identity and culture.

Three YA authors tell SLJ about their favorite childhood books and take a deep dive into the main characters in their debut novels.

Let’s show our children a world where everyone does not look, worship, or think the same—and that in spite of our differences, we’re more alike than different. Let’s join together on March 1 and Read Woke Across America! 

In the summer of 2020, a time of tragedy and activism throughout the country, Black teens were still falling in love and discovering their relationships to the world...and Renée Watson was working on a book about radical self-love and a Black girl saving herself. Here she writes about finding joy amid pain and how love can be a personal revolution.

In majority-white regions, librarians are bringing diverse books to kids, even when their efforts meet with resistance. 

Nidhi Chanani, illustrator of Binny's Diwali, reflects on the Hindu festival of lights that is celebrated in different ways globally.

Authors Nicola and David Yoon will start the new imprint at Random House Children's Books to let young people of color know "they are deserving of happily-ever-afters," according to Nicola Yoon.

The worlds of Huxley, Lowry, Atwood, and Orwell have parallels to today, but largely leave out the racism, xenophobia, and intergenerational wounds that persist.

"But though I’ve been deeply indoctrinated by the white imagination, I don’t invest in it." Junauda Petrus, author of the Coretta Scott King Honor Book The Stars and the Blackness Between Them (Dutton; Gr 8 Up), discusses the power of speculative fiction, removing racist statues, and navigating whiteness.

Debut novelists Kiku Hughes, Jordan Ifueko, Syed M. Masood, and Christina Hammonds Reed talk about constructing their books with food, folklore, and family stories.

Sophia Thakur, a performance poet and author of Somebody Give This Heart a Pen (Candlewick; Gr 9 Up), discusses the power of poetry, her artistic journey, and the five #OwnVoices works that have inspired her. 

These picture books, with their exuberant illustrations and positive prose, offer portraits of Black joy, within and beyond the African diaspora.

The viral hashtag #PublishingPaidMe has revealed the glaring disparities in author advances. It's not enough to publish books created by authors of color; change needs to happen on all levels. 

Just like for any other age group, it’s important that babies see people of color in their books. Use these 50 diverse titles to help build your board book collection.

These narratives of home and family push back against stereotypes.

Ten-year old Libby Scott's essay about autism went viral in 2018. Now, the young author discusses her new book, Can You See Me? cowritten with Rebecca Westscott, in which a young autistic girl navigates big changes while trying to be seen and supported for who she is.

Award-winning author, scholar, and activist Zetta Elliott (Say Her Name) explains the importance of representation, not just diversity, in literature, as well as the incredible contributions of Black women writers.

The debut author spoke with SLJ about the risks and rewards of creativity, taking a chance on yourself, and the significance of father figures in her middle grade novel.

Authors discussed their experience with soft censorship at “Not-Quite-Banned: Combating the Invisible Censorship of LGBTQIA+ Stories,” an ALA Midwinter panel. 

These fiction and nonfiction titles nourish the body, soul, and imagination.

Tonya Bolden's newest historical novel, Saving Savannah, follows an affluent African American teenager as she navigates the tumultuous summer of 1919 and discovers the need for activism and the ways in which she can make a difference. Bolden talks to SLJ about doing research, connecting the past to the present, and taking inspiration from Toni Morrison.

This month's debut YA authors share their bookish New Year’s resolutions, the inspirations behind their first titles, and more.

A bookmobile staffed by teen volunteers gives away high-demand YA titles to low-income students or those who are in foster care or experiencing homelessness.

La Sala sat down with SLJ to talk about giving power to underdogs, how drag queens are the ultimate world-builders, and the 10 years it took to write his debut novel...which he finished out of spite. "It was a selfish desire to correct many things I thought could be done a lot better, and a lot gayer."

In the last few years, there's been a rise in YA anthologies hitting shelves, and the trend isn't slowing down. Librarians weigh in on these books' popularity and how to use them in schools and public programming.

A collection of personal essays by immigrants in high school empowers them and affects their peers.

Writer Hena Khan shares insights on identity, and the creative process behind her newest middle grade book inspired by Louisa May Alcott's classic.

In Charlotte Nicole Davis's debut YA fantasy, The Good Luck Girls, young women escape from a "welcome house" on a planet inspired by the Wild West. Davis discusses how the Old West inspired her to create an adventure story Black and brown girls can see themselves in and building a fantasy world to understand our own.

Kevin Noble Maillard’s debut children's title is a poetic picture book tribute to a family tradition and a food with origins in the diaspora of Native peoples in the United States.

Administrators' efforts and advice, the power of immigrant stories, and the impact of the library on journalist Scott Pelley were among the highlights of the second day of the SLJ Leadership Summit.

As Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off on September 15, here’s SLJ’s coverage of titles for kids, tweens, and teens with Latinx creators and characters. Our roundup of this year’s reviews and interviews features #OwnVoices creators and books that center Latinx experiences.

Jen Wang's childhood experiences and eye for detail informed Stargazing, her new graphic novel about an unlikely friendship.

James Brandon's debut YA novel Ziggy, Stardust and Me is set in 1973, when being gay was considered a mental illness. Sixteen-year-old Jonathan undergoes conversion therapy but finds comfort in music and in Web, an American Indian boy who isn't ashamed of his sexual identity. Brandon talks to SLJ about David Bowie's queer legacy, overcoming shame, and how the events of 1973 echo in our world today.

Award-winning author Celia C. Pérez (The First Rule of Punk) spoke with SLJ about tactile story writing, activism, and living vicariously through one's characters in Strange Birds: A Field Guide To Ruffling Feathers.

Twelve wonderful middle grade and young adult #OwnVoices titles that reflect Indigenous life and culture. They include historical and contemporary fiction as well as anthologies, graphic novels, and speculative science fiction.

Longtime collaborators Renée Watson and Shadra Strickland discuss the creative process behind the cover of Watson's stunning upcoming middle grade novel, Some Places More Than Others.

Debut author Mills discusses the inspiration behind her poignant middle grade novel, Indigenous representation in kid lit, and creating "stories about Cree kids living in a contemporary world that’s still touched by magic."

From mysteries to summer adventures to first loves, these 12 titles validate queer youth, and youth in queer families, who are navigating those ever-­confusing years before young adulthood.

Award-winning writer, hip-hop professor, and author of The Roots of Rap, Carole Boston Weatherford talks to Tiffany D. Jackson about Jackson’s new book Let Me Hear a Rhyme, a love letter to 1990s Brooklyn and the hip-hop generation.

Hafsah Faizal and Nafiza Azad are debut Muslim fantasy authors, and both of their #OwnVoices YA novels are out this week. Here, they talk to each other about world-building, intersectional feminism, subverting stereotypes, and more.

Don't miss these 12 stellar middle grade and YA audiobook selections.

Celebrate poetry with these 16 middle grade and YA #OwnVoices titles.

Sixty-four poems explore living between cultures, the pleasure and pain that memories can bring, and the power of poetry to express joy, loss, and pride.

While no one book list can adequately explore all the variations in culture and traditions embodied within the broad category of the “Asian/Pacific American Experience,” readers who identify as Asian American and/or Pacific American—especially as first-generation Americans—will find reflections of their own stories in these novels.

The debut author of the middle grade novel Chula the Fox, which recently earned an SLJ starred review, talks process, #OwnVoices, and learning from loss.

Tehlor Kay Mejia’s debut novel We Set the Dark on Fire is a fantasy based in contemporary issues: political turmoil, sexual identity, class inequality, immigration, even a border wall. She tells SLJ about world-building, revolution, and how rage inspired her first novel.

The author and teacher talks about her debut novel, a sensitive yet honest look at a girl grappling with colorism, internalized self-hatred, and parents she can't always count on.

Check out the recording of Acevedo’s 2018 SLJTeen Live! keynote, in which she talks about her path to publication, the importance of literacy and seeing yourself books, and more.

Recent titles address various privileges among young people. Ultimately, a lot of folks realize it doesn’t feel good to cause harm.

Authors Renée Watson, Ibi Zoboi, and Ellen Hagan joined Cicely Lewis to discuss Woke Books and their own novels.

The second-generation Cuban American author talks to SLJ about her sophomore YA novel, path to publication, and advice to aspiring teen writers.

This cadre is made up of Latinx women and non-binary creators with debut and sophomore fictional books for children and teens releasing between Fall 2018–2019.

In anticipation of the free August 15 event, here’s our interview with opening keynote speaker Elizabeth Acevedo.

An influential poet led workshops for these Newark, NJ teens, who competed in a national youth poetry slam competition in July.

The award-winning author talks to SLJ about his third novel; a story of welding, colorism, and PTSD that at its heart is a loving reunion of father and daughter.