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Books are crucial tools in understanding the lives of those who may look or sound a little different from the majority.
If Castle Swimmer sounds like a story you would enjoy, then I have some additional, queer YA comics I’d like to recommend, in celebration of Pride Month.
PREMIUM
Un país en mi mochila
A strong choice for migrant teens looking for books that mirror their own experiences and a good addition to Spanish-language fiction shelves for older readers.
When I told my mother about my newest adventure, she jokingly sang the refrain she used to sing to me and my siblings when she suspected we were up to no good: “Someone’s gonna end up cry-ing!”
Friends. FRIENDS. Look at all this glorious book mail. Behold the GIANT AMOUNT of books to arrive at my house in the past few weeks.
Today we have a preview of Vol. 2 of King Arthur and the Knights of Justice, in which a football team travels back in time to the days of Camelot.
Of course, the problem with being a writer is that you’re always writing. I literally couldn’t help myself – every step of that journey, I was making a book inside my head.
Giving all the attention to the showier talents prevents us from seeing the true potential of many of the kids in our lives as well.
I hope you enjoy every step of their story, spend some well-earned time-away-from-time in Pocket, and try dressing for your own fairy tale.
I hope readers close this book feeling the same kind of sleepy magic you experience watching the sunrise after a night spent sitting up and laughing with your best friends.
I wanted warmth to radiate off the page. Kids deserve a model of what respect looks like, what empathy looks like, what support looks like. Especially nowadays.
Teen Librarians from the White Oak Library system shared some of their Hunger Games themed activities to celebrate the release of SUNRISE ON THE REAPING
It took many drafts to get the Alligator Witch of West Bay right; mythmaking takes time and energy.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. A. A. Vacharat shares about This Moth Saw Brightness in this latest installment.
Books can show you a world where you belong, not just by yourself, but with a whole bunch of other people who understand you and care about you.
The authors join us to talk about their experience writing THE COOKIE CRUMBLES and THEIR JUST DESSERTS together.
Teen Librarian Cindy Shutts walks us through a tutorial on how to make button silhouette art
The Burning Season is a riveting read that I highly recommend. I was so emotionally invested in the story that I got choked up toward the end.
My new middle grade novel, This Cookie Will Change Your Life, is a love letter to libraries, which is a funny thing to write, but it’s true.
Authors Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby join us to talk about their new book, Athlete Is Agender: True Stories of LGBTQ+ People in Sports.
In Judaism, neshama describes the holy, everlasting spark inside every human being that lasts in the universe, even after a person passes away.
I was about to enter middle school, and I desperately yearned for a new obsession that could distract me from reality. I found it in the form of a cassette tape of the latest Backstreet Boys single, “All I Have to Give.”
Social biases are explored from the point-of view of a humanoid cat in this thought-provoking one shot.
This month's SLJ cover story is my piece on school shootings in middle grade and YA books.
Author Nova Ren Suma joins us to talk about her new book WAKE THE WILD CREATURES.
Author Erin Entrada Kelly joins us to talk about her new book At Last She Stood: How Joey Guerrero Spied, Survived, and Fought for Freedom
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Mina Ikemoto Ghosh shares about Hyo the Hellmaker in this latest installment.
Grab your towel, sunscreen, and snacks, and head out in the sunshine to enjoy some summertime stories. These 16 YA romances celebrate love and everything summer, from camp and vacation drama to days spent at jobs and on creative pursuits.
I always imagined GAMERS as a celebration of video games and how they can connect people, and I hope this book appeals to those who grew up playing them as much as those who are still growing up.
Author Riley Redgate joins us to talk about her new book COME HOME TO MY HEART.
PREMIUM
Thirsty Ground
With this novel that explores themes of identity, duty, and destiny, YA readers are in for an adventure.
Like a sun-drenched memory, this book embodies the magic of girlhood fangirl summers, the sun warming your face, and your favorite pop song blasting as if the whole world is yours.
PREMIUM
The Rebel’s Guide to Pride
Fans of Becky Albertalli’s Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and Trung Le Nguyen’s The Magic Fish will fall in love with Zeke and his story.
Full of righteous rage and a strong drive for justice and inclusivity, Maeve's story is an inspiring look at activism.
PREMIUM
Love, Canter, Action
This debut is an absolute delight to read; it’s perfect for readers who never outgrew horse stories.
PREMIUM
Come Home to My Heart
A realistic portrait of the plight of homeless queer youth across the United States as well as a beautiful story of first love, this novel is great for high schoolers or fans of a wholesome, romantic tearjerker.
With a new-era Pretty Little Liars vibe, this cautionary thriller is the perfect drama for Karen M. McManus and Rory Power fans.
PREMIUM
Death in the Cards
Recommended for libraries where Karen M. McManus and Maureen Johnson books are popular.
PREMIUM
Titan of the Stars
A mash-up of sci-fi and horror tropes fervently coalesce into a satisfying and fresh option for teens.
PREMIUM
That Devil, Ambition
Small doses of gore and horror heighten the stakes of this magical survival story. Recommended for general purchase.
PREMIUM
When We Go Missing
Recommended where Henry’s books and blends of coming-of-age and mystery are popular.
A thought-provoking, uncomfortable thriller that readers won’t be able to forget. Highly recommended.
A must-have flirtation-via-tropes tale with all the swooning and joy readers want in a love story.
PREMIUM
Out of Step, into You
This sport-centered story featuring Black characters will appeal to teens looking for a feel-good queer romance, particularly in a genre of sports that is rarely represented.
PREMIUM
Just Another Meet Cute
Tweens and teens will gravitate towards this book, especially fans of Sarah Dessen, Katherine Center, and Ann Liang. It’s a good purchase for classroom and school libraries.
PREMIUM
This Could Be Forever
Whether readers personally resonate with Deja’s or Raja’s experiences or are just interested in YA romance, LaDelle’s book provides a beautifully sweet reading experience.
PREMIUM
Vesuvius
A fun, unique historical romance for fans of Adam Silvera’s They Both Die at the End and Roman mythology. Consider for general purchase.
PREMIUM
It’s You Every Time
The “what if” plot of a fantasy romance serves a deeper purpose here as two teens grieve the death of loved ones.
PREMIUM
A Forgery of Fate
Hand to readers who like the ache of slow-burn romance and the whimsy of fairy tales. Highly recommended for all collections.
Highly recommended for libraries diversifying their YA romance collections with more stories that focus on managing identity, disability, and mental health anxieties in positive ways. A sure delight for fans of authors like Tashie Bhuiyan and Farah Heron.
PREMIUM
His Face Is the Sun
Betrayal, murder, magic, and a monster combine within a desert setting for an ancient Egyptian-inspired Game of Thrones feel.
PREMIUM
Audre & Bash Are Just Friends
A good choice for teens looking for a summer rom-com that has a bit of depth.
Cranney performs with an addictive energy that’s just pure fun, effortlessly creating Egan’s memorable miniverse of diverse young women on the verge of self-discovery.
An expert village of narrators convincingly breathe life into Mari’s expressive, revealing graphic panels.
PREMIUM
Camila Núñez’s Year of Disasters
A sensitive Cuban coming-of-age gets authentic aural representation.
Interabled: True Stories About Love and Disability from Squirmy & Grubs and Other Interabled Couples
Pair with Melissa Blake’s Beautiful People for an empathic, inclusive introduction to the disability experience.
PREMIUM
I Am Not Jessica Chen
Regardless of format, Liang’s raw exposé of family dysfunction, performative posturing, unyielding pressures (“somehow we’re expected to just keep going”), will ring too true for many contemporary teens.
This stunning act of resilience and resistance belongs on all shelves in all formats.
The relationship between a deaf student and her oblivious classmate is explored in the new rom-com.
Starmer has beautifully captured how that post-graduation, pre-college summer can feel: full of potential, last chances, drawn-out goodbyes, and perfect moments that you wish could last forever.
Today we have an exclusive first look at The Last Witch: Blood & Betrayal, a YA fantasy tale set in medieval Ireland.
Certain kinds of important, difficult, and formative queer experiences are not being truthfully explored in books for queer teens—primarily, I believe, because they make adult gatekeepers uncomfortable.
Here are five quick reviews of graphic novels I've read in the past few weeks.
The characters in Love at Second Sight are not direct parallels to the Scooby Doo crew despite referencing them at one point, but they were one of many inspirations. And with that, I would like to introduce the Love at Second Sight characters through the lens of Scooby Doo.
Saturday, April 26 is my favorite day of the year! That's right, it's time for Teen Lit Con again in Mendota Heights, Minnesota! I'm excited to be presenting for the sixth year.
Eventually, I decided that the nefarious plotting of my young tontine contenders was not only acceptable for middle grade but also funny—for the same reason that Home Alone is a comedy and not a horror movie.
Literally everyone in this fast-paced story is Up To Something and it's so satisfying as it's all revealed.
Optimism fosters a sense of collective action and shows that no effort is too small.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen shares an outline for a tween and teen program that teaches tech skills and encourages participants to create their own recipe cards for posterity
It's probably not wholly accurate to say that representation of trans and nonbinary characters seems more important than ever (again, it's always been important), but wow, does it sure feel extra necessary these days.
A remarkable debut novel which delves into both adolescent struggles and mental health.
PREMIUM
This Thing of Ours
A rich view into the many ways oppression marginalizes people and a loving portrait of an urban Black community, recommended for high school collections.
PREMIUM
Learning to Fall
This British import is an ode to the sport of roller derby and its inclusivity, and will be appreciated by older readers who enjoy the sport or are simply curious.
PREMIUM
The Payback Girls
An optional purchase for school or public libraries looking to satiate increased demand for YA thrillers.
Losing anyone you love is a miserable, painful, and heartbreaking experience. But losing a friend is uniquely strange in the sense that the world isn’t really equipped to keep you in mind as you grieve.
A great book told in two standout voices that takes young people and their interactions in the world seriously. A really good read.
Author Regina Linke talks about bringing ancient traditions to today's young readers
Archaeologists, by definition, must care about the past; we wouldn’t be in this line of work if we didn’t. To care about the past, we have to connect to it. And it’s imagination, whatever form it takes, that makes this connection possible.
In this popular Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Adina King shares about 'The House No One Sees' in this latest installment.
Our characters, Bee and Alice, talk about the same things middle-grade readers do: how the world works, bodies, queerness, and what is fair and right.
Told with deep compassion and raw feelings, this book is not an easy read, but it's an important one.
Where are the very real depictions of us saying, “yes, we have the thing, and it sucks, but we can still have amazing lives anyway, even when the disability causes us hardship.”
What a great book. It's so full of love and joy and community, things that feel particularly needed considering the everythingness of everything these days.
Author Rune Kier Nielsen discusses climate change and encourages young people to be engaged with the discussion of their future
PREMIUM
Meet Me at Blue Hour
For readers who like to consider and think about the effect of technology on social interactions and the idea of scientific studies mixed with a little romance. Recommended.
PREMIUM
Wish Upon a K-Star
A readable, charming, drama-filled story with relatable characters, this book will appeal to readers who like romance and K-pop combined into one fun tale.
PREMIUM
Bad Influence
An enjoyable enough read for readers looking for a love story with a little drama. Includes language more suitable for older readers.
The hope is that LGBTQ+ teens can see that positive change is doable, even in difficult conditions, and that although it may not feel like it sometimes, it matters. They matter.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Trisha Tobias shares about Honeysuckle and Bone in this latest installment.
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