If you’re looking to foster a love for fantasy that’s sure to last a lifetime, here are six spectacular, inclusive (and more or less recent) middle grade fantasy books to gift this holiday season.
More than 8 million students, educators, families, and librarians from as many as 100 countries are expected to take part in fun and engaging activities that encourage creative expression during the fourth annual Crayola Creativity Week, running January 27 through February 2.
Whatever you might call them, today's books are the titles that transition children into first reading on their own, and then into reading on their own for pleasure.
Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid, a longtime favorite and award-winning kids' comic, has found a new home at Papercutz.
Check out these 25 middle grade titles coming out in 2025!
Announcing the winners of the 2024 Undies Case Cover Awards!
From a bilingual book about Cuba to a graphic novel poetry collection, these diverse titles are sure to delight a wide range of young readers.
EveryLibrary executive director John Chrastka spoke at the 2024 SLJ Summit, providing a playbook for statewide strategies to prioritize and protect school libraries and librarians.
Some books today could easily be called "weird" but you're also going to see a number of titles that upset our conceptions of what a children's book published in America can even be. That might mean the subject matter, the narrative style, the art, or some other aspect is "unconventional".
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Alligator Loki Holiday Special #1 from Marvel Comics and Surfside Girls The Clue in the Reef from IDW Publishing.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen looks at the PEW Research findings on teens, social media and technology for 2024.
Our discussion of 15 Heavy Medal Mock Newbery titles begins in two weeks. Here's a complete schedule of titles and discussion dates, along with other Heavy Medal activities in store as we approach the announcement of the 2025 Newbery Medal.
Dive in to a delicious array of poetry for children. Poetry. It ain't just for April anymore.
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.
Mychal Threets spoke at the 20th SLJ Summit, sharing his story and taking questions from attendees.
Unfamiliar with today's book? Maybe it deserves classic status as an undiscovered gem. Today we discuss Gremlins, tiny demons, and so much more.
Today, I'm giving you the books in 2024 that hadn't a word of narration to spare. And they're not all picture books either! See if you can spot the graphic novel hiding in their ranks.
IMLS-funded, READCON provides free, self-guided training to help library practitioners build strong community relationships, manage difficult situations, and engage stakeholders. Public, school, and academic library workers are also welcome to READCON's Legal Landscape of Librarianship Forum, February 18–20.
Today's list combines the best parts of traditional storytelling and modern mores. Come and enjoy the old and the new together.
The X-Men get the manga treatment in this retelling of the animated series.
Take a look at the 15 titles that made the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Book List for 2025. We will discuss these titles in depth- Dec. 28- Jan. 14th.
A few more great books to round out your reading year!
Book challenges overwhelm members seeking to follow library policy and address other district issues.
The event brought more than 150 school librarians to Raleigh, NC, to learn, network, and support and inspire one another.
Today we're giving a shout out not simply to the translated books that make to American shelves, but also to the hardworking translators who are so good at what they do.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
Being vulnerable on the page hasn’t been easy. Opening myself up to judgement—both good and bad is terrifying.
The 2025 Mock Caldecott winners at my K-3rd grade school!
New planets, secret headquarters, extraterrestrial creatures, and other cosmic delights fill the pages of these works for elementary through high school readers.
The new law in New Jersey aims to limit book removals and protect librarians from criminal prosecution; in Illinois, some school districts are choosing to lose state grants instead of complying with its Freedom to Read law; additional titles removed in Oregon and Tennessee; and more in censorship news.
I LOVE photography. I feel it's the great unsung, untapped genre of children's books and is vastly deserving of more attention. 2024 had some true photographic beauties and we're going to experience them firsthand, right now!
In celebration of Taylor Swift's birthday on December 13th (iykyk), Teen Librarian Cindy Shutts shares her Taylor Swift themed Escape Room
Today we have a preview of the final arc of James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas' fantasy tale Wynd.
Author Sabrina Moyle discusses her graphic novel, ASTRID AND STELLA COMET TOGETHER
Several journals and libraries have announced their "Best Children's Books of 2024." How do their choices compare to the possible Newbery contenders on our Heavy Medal nominations list?
A behind-the-scenes look at how THE LAST ZOOKEEPER was made.
Caregivers can read these poems to children to help them on their journey to slumber.
This year, we're going to talk about the usual slew of "message" books, while also taking some time to consider those titles that look at social and emotional learning.
This sweet graphic novel about a girl with dyslexia will help readers understand not only their own challenges, reading or otherwise, but also those that their friends may be facing.
Check out my 13 favorite reads of the year!
It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea.
Math! It's beautiful, isn't it? The perfection of it. Its logic. Cadences. Sublime applications. Today we celebrate it when it's put into children's books brilliantly. Don't be scared. Math is for everyone.
The world lost poet, author, and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni on Monday, but her impact and legacy live on in her writing.
What do you do when four million wasps invade your town? Make 'em a sandwich, of course! Kate and I discuss this 1972 publication and determine whether it ranks as a "classic".
Teen librarian Karen Jensen discusses the end of the Eras Tour and what libraries can learn from Taylor Swift
View the final nomination list of 57 Mock Newbery contenders and vote in a poll to help determine our final book list.
Enjoy both books where two different languages appear in the same title, and books of translation from one language to another. It's a celebration of all things bilingual today!
Make your voice heard by voting for the 2024 Undies Case Cover Awards.
These three chapter books feature lovable, quirky animal sleuths solving wacky mysteries and getting into plenty of high jinks along the way.
Cree, Sioux, and Ojibwa are featured in these picture books across fiction and nonfiction categories. Among them are an old favorite, vastly updated, plus a biography about the hero of the drum.
At story hours or in more casual settings, readers will come away from these two charming books about family and baking hungry. In each, family and friends—woodland animals or human dear ones—gather, and beautiful loaves of challah are enjoyed by all.
The Young Adult Library Services Association announced the finalists for the Morris Award for a YA title by a previously unpublished author and the Excellence in Nonfiction Award for nonfiction YA books for ages 12 to 18.
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.
While from a sales perspective picture book reprints are risky things, today we are highlighting those rare titles that get a second chance at life.
What precisely is a "Caldenott"? Any book where the illustrator is inconveniently from a country other than America. Today, we look beyond rigid classifications to celebrate artists deserving in every possible way save location.
For more than 40 years, book supplier Children’s Plus, Inc. has been helping librarians do their jobs more effectively. Now, Children’s Plus has rebranded as Libraria and launched a new website that will make getting the right books into the hands of readers even easier.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
Are you a serious children's book reader who loves to discuss the best of the best? Now's your chance to volunteer for the Heavy Medal Award Committee. Participants will take part in in-depth book discussion and a live webcast leading to the selection of our Mock Newbery winner. Apply online by December 12th.
As always, the one thing that makes life tolerable is escaping into fiction. And for all my hatred of actual winter, I love books set in winter. Here are a few you might like, too!
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
Funny books? They're difficult to create. Today we look at a slew of books that are doing it right. From parrotfish and hilarious Iranians to science fiction, nonfiction, and more, there's something here for every humor lover on your list!
With stunning visuals and a cast of relatable characters, this manga illustrates that by finding the right people in life who offer respect and support, there are no boundaries on what one can achieve. Recommended.
With a promising, action-packed start, ancient Japanese folklore gets a fresh spin as a new hero follows the path of those who came before him, making this a series worth jumping into from the very beginning.
This adorable manga about identity delves into topics of injustice and advocacy and is a great option for middle school readers. Recommended.
A must-purchase tale of conservation and coming of age for children and adults.
The perfect blend of education and entertainment, this series, particularly this volume, is highly recommended.
Despite the disparity in quality between the two alternating perspectives of this book, teens who enjoy lighthearted queer love stories by authors like Jason June, Mason Deaver, and Jennifer Dugan will enjoy this candy cane–sweet holiday romance.
Humorous, relatable elementary school situations make this a perfect suggestion for a reluctant reader.
An exceptional book about Ramadan that celebrates the breaking of the daily fast and the sharing of the transcendent power of food.
A must-have conclusion to a winning series.
Only for those who want a slimmed down adaptation of the original.
Browsers and sports fans will be drawn to these concise yet engaging vignettes and will want to learn more about and cheer on these noteworthy athletes.
Great and engaging nonfiction.
Primarily for browsers; but offers plentiful food for thought on this critical topic.
Despite the sloppy presentation, this book is a valuable addition and a good resource for a language that its speakers are diligently working to keep alive.
A simple but timely biography.
This book is packed with fun facts and charm; add to collections where Richard Scarry’s “Busy Town” or Raul the Third’s “¡Vamos!” series are popular.
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