Highly recommended for library collections supporting STEM education, particularly for high school and early college levels. It delivers clarity, structure, and breadth without sacrificing depth, making it an excellent choice for conceptual understanding.
Interesting and informative essays on significant international events will be of use to report writers and debaters; selectors should consider.
Writer A.J. Locascio talks about his picture book Spoops, a sweet Halloween story about a girl who teams up with some tiny Halloween sprites to enjoy the creative side of the holiday.
As a writer, it’s been fascinating to watch the publishing team and artists add a visual layer to these books. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at how and why they do it.
“Anything less is not good enough for a child.” Those would be the words of the irascible editor, Ursula Nordstrom. Now she's getting a middle grade nonfiction book on her life, and author Nancy Hudgins is here to tell us more.
When does protecting children do more harm than good? If I’d understood those times better, maybe I’d be better prepared for these, and so would my children.
Contributor Riley Jensen shares a list of 5 YA books coming out September 2025.
A warm, inviting celebration of love, acceptance, and the beauty of finding your place in unexpected spaces. Ramírez’s lyrical text introduces readers to Esmerelda, a charming, wide-eyed squirrel navi...
This fantasy-themed TTRPG roundup features games perfect for library programming, where players can step into the boots, paws, or claws of adorable animals and outlandish creatures to work together and save the day.
Were you aware that ghosts are the hot trend of 2025? Not sure what that says about the state of the world today, but it does give me an excuse to talk to the creator of the ghost with the most.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Wizkit Volume 2: A Tail of Disruption from Atheneum Books for Young Readers and Cryptid Kids Volume 2: Moby Duck from First Second Books.
The list of suggested titles for the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery has now reached 87! Check out the full list of possible contenders for the 2026 Medal.
Author Ellen Forney joins us to talk about her new book, The Adventures of You!: How to Write, Draw, and Star in Your Own Comics.
For more than 60% of children in the U.S., walking into a school or library represents their first encounter with books. If we make that experience as welcoming as possible, we're giving them fuel for success.
This delightful book is a perfect holiday read-aloud, capturing the magic, impatience, and joy of the season through a child’s eyes
A strong addition to the series that will inspire young readers to embrace who they are.
A useful addition to collections in communities welcoming immigrants and refugees, especially with its celebration of inclusivity.
Highly recommended especially for collections with fans of collected biographies such as Vashti Harrison’s “Leaders & Dreamers” series and Robin Stevenson “Kid Legends.”
A must buy for every library, fostering curiosity for cultures throughout the world, and bringing balance to such Eurocentric works as the Opies’ landmark titles.
Kids interested in developing their sleuthing and French skills will benefit from encountering Bea’s journey in this series debut. A general purchase for the fiction shelves.
With its manageable and impactful subject matter alongside engrossing illustrations, this is a valuable handbook for learning about the objects that surround readers every day
A mild whodunnit to add it to picture book collections.
A wonderful multigenerational beach story, perfect for all libraries for summer reading hours, or for classroom units on family.
With its lilting text and gorgeous artwork, this is the rare book that amplifies the ferocity and the necessity of fire in nature, employing the ecology of the sagebrush.
A timely purchase for all middle grade collections with a reassuring message kids need to hear
An excellent choice for social studies units dealing with geography, as well as integrated studies showing how art and social studies can work together to create meaning. This is a beautiful, fascinating, and uniquely told book.
A perfect simple, nonreligious Christmas book featuring beautifully illustrated polar bears and friends. Recommend for all children’s sections.
This slice-of-superhero-life comic delivers laughs and lessons, making it a standout for Marvel fans and middle grade readers.
A highly accessible format and inspiring message make this a great pick for young most collections.
This is a story that reassures readers we all forget things at times, but when people work together, the day can end on a positive note and be memorable.
A heartfelt and empowering coming-of-age story that will resonate with tweens navigating identity, ambition, and digital spaces.
A great story for libraries looking for representation of Chinese culture, of intergenerational relationships, and of trying new things; it’s also something of an ode to the fact that grandmothers were once young.
Abari’s accessible text sheds light on a group of women who did not receive enough recognition during their time; students will be inspired by the story of this brave and hard-working battalion. A first purchase.
A strong purchase for cookbook collections
PreS-Gr 2–“We take the groove wherever we go...
This pleasant offering will appeal to dancers and will resonate with anyone who has ever had to overcome disappointment.
The fall books are arriving in droves these days, so while I'm trying to hang on to the last joys of summer vacation, I am thinking ahead to what I'll be reading in the upcoming months.
A recommended purchase for schools and libraries in need of current, high-interest nonfiction on important topics.
Rom-com fans will root for these two to win it all, and just give in to the chemistry. A good addition for libraries with readers who enjoy wickedly funny, realistic romance.
A powerful addition to the genre of teen fighting competition novels, and for fans of The Hunger Games.
A must-have for all YA collections.
This is likely a supplemental purchase for young adult collections.
This feel-good magical fetch-quest-style adventure will do well in libraries with diverse young fantasy readers who love a cozy tale.
Readers will discover a wonderful role model and a perfect message: be true to yourself and do what you love. A touching and wonderful tribute to a real star, and a first purchase for all libraries.
This love story is sure to please fans of Tobias Madden’s Wrong Answers Only and Loan Le’s A Pho Love Story.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
SJ Sindu joins us to talk about their new book, TALL WATER.
A beauty, kid-friendly, fun, touching, and there’s just the barest hint of bittersweetness at its core. In short, the perfect summer picture book.
For me, gardening is not only a way to neatly symbolize the writing journey—I feel that it’s also one of the best methods for gathering story ideas.
These four titles discuss women's equality in America, as well as women's suffrage worldwide. Hand them to young readers for Women's Equality Day and throughout the year.
We continue our ode to science fiction this week with the delightful Rebecca Stead in discussion about her latest title, tails and all.
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen reviews April Henry's newest teen mystery/thriller, WHEN WE GO MISSING
In Debasmita Dasgupta's new graphic novel, little Faiza wants to be a boxer, but she finds there are many challenges that need to be fought through in order to achieve one's goals...or even to just live one's life.
It's time for the monthly Penguin showcase!
Some friendships last a lifetime. Others last forever. Award-winning author McCall Hoyle affirms the powerful and enduring relationship between dogs and humans in this heartwarming middle grade novel.
Is there life on Mars? Who cares! It's the Moon we're focusing on today, in this ribald conversation about one of my (already) favorite middle grades of 2026.
Kathy is a champion of libraries, literacy, and free speech.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Adorable Empire from Graphix and The Fire-Breathing Duckling from Toon Books.
Has your summer reading list included any possible contenders for the 2026 Newbery Medal? If so, now's the time to submit your suggestions for our growing Mock Newbery list. August suggestions can be made through Saturday, August 9th.
I always needed the girl I tried to leave. Every word we write shapes a chance to see the world and ourselves in new ways.
This month brings starred titles in gaming books, professional reading, and more.
I’m in the middle of two books right now (1; 2) but there are still August releases I’m looking forward to read this month.
A must-have for elementary and middle school libraries, especially where sports nonfiction is in high demand.
A first purchase for libraries building collections around Jewish history, refugee experiences, and stories of resilience for young readers.
A lovely, affirming addition to picture book collections, offering both a sweet intergenerational story and meaningful cultural insight.
The soft turkey feet that hang off the book won’t last long out on the shelf of a public library, but this would be a cute addition to most story time collections.
An overall rich narrative, this book covers an important but underrepresented Indian tradition of gifting mithai boxes, making it a necessary purchase or read.
Fans of Kayla and Kugel, as well as libraries looking for basic Rosh Hashanah picture books for the youngest readers, may welcome this new addition.
A great purchase for nonfiction resource collections serving upper-elementary and middle school readers.
Recommended for middle school or high school collections where in-depth NASA or STEM materials are in demand.
An excellent purchase for elementary and middle school library collections where accessible and well-organized biographies written for younger students would be beneficial to the collection.
A new entry into a popular genre, wait and see if later books in the series deliver stronger narratives before adding to a collection.
Purchase for classroom use or to bolster collections with adventurous readers.
A young adult novel that delivers it all: betrayal, ambition, heart, heat
This is a very slow-paced book with timeline changes that make what little substance there is to the plot difficult to follow, further undercut by a somewhat lifeless art style.
A surreal emotional journey for any teen seeking validation in shared experiences. Recommended for most collections.
An optional purchase where teens are impatient to move into YA books.
For fans of her other romances and those by Kasie West, Sophie Gonzales, and Emma Lord, this boarding school friends-to-lovers story is a delight.
While well illustrated, the graphic novel struggles with narrative balance, often diverting from Calamity Jane’s personal history to focus on the political issues of the historical period, making this ultimately not a great biography of the person; nor a needed addition to the library.
An illuminating, must-have purchase for every library.
Strongly recommended for purchase for the nonfiction shelves; both space fanatics and “Magic Tree House” fans will be racing to read it.
Highly recommended for those seeking a story that is heartwarming and thought-provoking.
A good blend of action, magic, and surprises will entertain readers despite some uneven plotting. A solid purchase.
A secondary purchase for collections with fans of books with mythology and video game themes.
With Clueless vibes for a new generation, this rom-com of disastrous meet-cute to happily ever after will brighten any reader’s day.
Contributor Riley Jensen shares some new YA coming out this August
A cover reveal of the new middle grade book StEvEn & Parker: Dinos Are Forever by Parker James.
With a compassionate tone, accurate information, and thoughtful design, this book is easily one of the best resources available for young people navigating adolescence.
A solid starting point for anyone interested in the psychological and physiological dimensions of anxiety, though it could benefit from smoother transitions between its main content and outside sources.
Gr 3-5–This colorful, engaging cookbook takes young bakers through the process of baking cupcakes from scratch and decorating them in a variety of delightful designs featuring animals, space, nature, and more...
A valuable addition to any library collection aiming to support social-emotional learning and inclusive education.
A good addition to the nature section of most libraries.
An introduction to spending time outdoors, this will appeal to readers who seek to decrease their screentime but may prove too basic for longtime nature lovers.
Gr 4-8–An introduction to complex physics concepts—quarks, relativity, curved space, and antimatter—that is both clear and engaging for young readers...
Consider purchasing where books on this topic are needed.
Animal lovers and collectors of fun facts will enjoy this colorful romp through the world of animal adaptations.
This book is a fine addition to a library’s STEM section, had many curricular tie-ins, and is useful for curious readers and young researchers.
It offers valuable insights and strives to empower teens to embrace who they are. With its vibrant tone and focus on self-love, it’s a solid resource
A fascinating book that curious young scientists and trivia lovers will happily read and revisit often. A good addition to a classroom or school library book collection.
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