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The best storytellers I know put their emotions on the page or screen and don't seem to make a distinction between children and adults.
Includes everything from tiny head denizens (a.k.a. lice) to
I sifted through nearly a thousand children’s books coming out in December, January, and February to bring you the ten that most jumped out to me. Let’s get started . . . Picture Books The Rare Bird by Elisha Cooper February 24 | Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan) | Grades K-2 Cooper’s last effort, the excellent […]
On the first day of my podcast my true love gave to me… Jan Brett! Yes, we’re in the thick of the holiday season now, and what better way to kick off our holiday picture booking than with, not simply a Christmas classic song/book, but a classic picture book creator as well! Brett last appeared […]
As educators and information leaders, I think librarians have the responsibility to provide information and skill development so that our students and community members can make informed choices about using AI.
I mean, who doesn't love a good myth or legend?
So many incredible books hit our shores in a given year, that it only makes sense to write an entire post about them today.
It’s been a busy week of Heavy Medal as we prepare for the next stage of discussions. We are going to finalize our booklist this weekend and would love to hear any final comments you have. Here are some very specific questions I would love to have answered: We look forward to unveiling our Final […]
Let a dinosaur teach you how a computer is built in Science Comics: Computers: How Digital Hardware Works
I don’t know why, but I find it incredibly charming when kids ask to have books put on hold. I love that they’re so into wanting to read them that they want to remember that they want to read them, and then I get to see the utter delight on their faces when it’s finally […]
2025 turned out to be a particularly good year for books for the newest of readers. Check out this array of talent!
In Kenny Ruiz's fun new manga, a young would-be hero first stumbles upon and then seeks to master the iconic weapon of the title...while on the run from The First Order.
The genre helped me rewrite the narrative of my own story. I was not a victim of the world around me, but girl who could save herself.
Newbery winner Rebecca Stead is our guest on the latest episode of The Yarn podcast. We go behind the scenes of Stead’s latest middle grade novel, The Experiment. We also talk about how this year’s Newbery winner, The First State of Being (by Erin Entrada Kelly), was in part inspired by Stead’s 2010 Newbery winner […]
These books have something to say to kids, and not only are they unafraid to say it, they do it in the best possible way.
Lives are validated not through what reviewers often see as ‘gritty’ but a very nuanced layering of Black classicism. Even though she provides a fictitious urban setting, these teen’s reality isn’t directly about racism, income, or gender. It’s about the balancing act they do to survive every day.
Registration is now open for our live Heavy Medal Webcast: "What's It Really Like? Join the 2026 Mock Newbery Live!" The free event is scheduled for Friday, January 23rd, at 1:00 pm EST.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
In the kitchen, you’re a team. You have each other’s backs. No matter what happens, keep going. Knives out. Flames blazing. You are a band of wild pirates.
An interview with John Schu and Holly Hatam, and a cover reveal for their upcoming book, LILY-MAY'S JOYFUL DAY.
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 YA nonfiction books for ages 12 to 18.
Books to inspire a love of reading? Sure. That's a thing. But a little math along the way couldn't hurt either.
I’d like to think that history is not a moral judgment on the contemporary individual but a record of human choices and their consequences. As such, it is a guide. History shows us how to make different choices, how to recognize old patterns appearing in new guises.
Kids have voted! And the winners of our 2026 Mock Caldecott are . . .
Beautiful books simultaneously released in more than one language are deserving of their own separate list. Wouldn't you agree?
It’s deeply personal for me that kids feel seen and connected. Books and schools are lifelines, and both failed me as a boy. Many still fail kids.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures The Training Sessions from Dark Horse Comics and ZOR Saves Christmas #1 from Keenspot Entertainment.
For every kid who feels like they think too hard or care too deeply: I see you. I was you. And I can’t wait for you to meet Sama and, maybe, to watch you build your own way to fly.
View the final nomination list of 71 Mock Newbery contenders and vote in a poll to help determine our final book list.
It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea.
We delve into a Jon Agee work for the first time on the podcast, determining how efficient a sarcastic title can be on a book.
A look at books that take a chance and tell their tales with quiet aplomb.
They're gorgeous! They're glorious! They're amazing! They're... completely ineligible for the Caldecott Award. But that doesn't mean we can't celebrate them in other ways.
Rebecca Stead takes us behind the scenes of THE EXPERIMENT.
Humor may be subjective but odds are at least a couple of the books on this list will deeply amuse some child in your life/classroom.
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.
An overview of some recent graphic novel titles that feature detectives and mysteries.
What graphic novels were popular at my school in 2025? Let's look!
Rhymes: They're harder than they look. Wanna know how to write them? Let today's book selection be your guide.
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Author Alan Markham’s extensive credentials coalesce in his debut novel, Spy Sisters Versus Snake Ten-Fangs. The new middle grade series from Shadow Mountain Publishing follows three sisters, ages 6–13, as they take on the notorious Snake Ten-Fangs in a mission packed with high-stakes action, humor, and covert vocabulary and SEL lessons.
Calling the documentary an Oscar contender, Deadline reported that The Librarians will headline the PBS' Independent Lens series.
Mendez structures The Story of My Anger so that it demonstrates ways to express anger, the danger of holding it all in, and the need for community.
Artist Scott Campbell (AKA Scott C.) has a weird new kids comic book, an anthology of short stories set in his silly world of "Head" characters.
When I started researching this book, I came across countless other invisible women, scientists whose achievements and contributions were overlooked, ignored, trivialized, or cannibalized by their male peers.
Here are twelve books I read, loved, and didn’t review in 2025.
It may be the winter holiday season, but this list looks at EVERY season and every holiday it can. Bask in them!
Lee & Low publisher and co-owner Jason Low says publishers must continue the commitment to diverse titles while also contributing to the larger fight for the freedom to read.
As we enter the last month of the year, it's time to compare the top children's books on Heavy Medal to recently announced "best of the year" lists from review journals and public libraries.
Tis a gift to be simple, so that's what we're celebrating today! Enjoy these picture books for our younger readers, one and all.
A mix of board books, picture books, one graphic novel, and one middle grade novel make up this roundup of Christmas-focused titles for young readers.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Jessica Walker discusses The Secret Astronomers in this latest installment.
A former middle school dean of students has sued a Colorado district, its superintendent, and human resources director; Texas will have state mandated K–12 reading list; New Hampshire high school pulls The Perks of Being a Wallflower; and more.
One of the things I’m happiest to create for my library teens are recommendation booklets. I love talking face to face with teens about what they’re reading and what they’re looking for, but let’s face it–some of them do not want to talk to an adult at the library they want to browse in silence […]
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
Storytelling helps teens reflect, translate their inner world into language, and hear themselves with clarity.
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is coming to be known as Giving Tuesday, and I have just the thing to celebrate. Interested in giving to a good cause? Are you a fan of literacy? This is the guide for you. Updated for 2025, here are some of the literacy-focused organizations doing good work. Pitch in a […]
Whether you want to pep up your average storytime session or you're just starting out and in need of inspiration, here's a list of those picture books that just beg to be read out loud to large groups!
A fantasy series opener by Chanel Miller and a picture book from the newest Reading Rainbow host Mychal Threets are featured in November's web stars.
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen highlights 2 books for teens for World AIDS Day
Here's this week’s list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under.
PREMIUM
The Spiral Key
A great addition to the YA thrillers lineup, especially for school and public libraries.
PREMIUM
Wrack & Rune
The overt themes in this first volume may feel heavy-handed to voracious readers, but fans of high-action storytelling and comic book art styles will be satisfied by this new graphic novel series.
PREMIUM
Jazz Davies Skips a Beat
A solid read that tackles the challenges of a tween realizing she’s bisexual, the pressures of growing up too fast, and discovering who your real friends are.
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