DC Comics' superstar writer Tom King joins artist Dan Parent for a special one-shot in which Archie tries to finally decide between Betty and Veronica...by tossing a coin.
Mobilizing Alumni Networks for School Library Advocacy High school alumni are a potentially useful group for advocating about school library issues and initiatives. While some alumni have left your area, many towns and neighborhoods continue to have well-established networks of local graduates who can be mobilized for advocacy. With the current fight over censorship and […]
As always, a list of five is only sharing a tiny bit of what’s new this month. Check your local library for other new releases!
How do we make the world safe for all of us to express our emotions? To begin with, we need to stick together as we cry and laugh our way through the world.
Can you name these 3 books by their LEGO-fied covers?
Is this a future classic? The answer may lie in the goats.
Authors Cathy Carr and JOanne Rossmassler Fritz discuss adults in middle grade fiction
A fantastic fast-paced environmental mystery with wide appeal.
These days, writing and recommending books about tough subjects can feel risky…but there’s never been a time when it’s more necessary to offer readers greater depth and breadth of subjects and diversity of characters.
How GUAVA AND GRUDGES Pays Homage to the Golden Age of YA Romance, a guest post by author Alexis Castellanos
When I started working on my novel A Second Chance on Earth, I wanted to capture, in verse, the beauty and complexity of a Colombia that I love so intensely.
It's time for Year 17 of the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Blog! We're looking forward to another season of discussing the best children's books of the year. Here's a look at what we have planned for the next few months on Heavy Medal.
Lisa Fipps returns to talk about her latest book And Then, Boom!
It is our honor today to host Violet Duncan (Kehewin Cree/Taino) and her guest post accompanying her new MG novel Buffalo Dreamer.
I’m thrilled to share the Team Canteen kids with this next generation of readers and hope the members of The Baby-Sitters Club would choose to sit with them in the mess hall.
Think of every awful disaster that could befall a middle schooler on picture day, and it happens to poor Andrew.
I wrote about books for kids beginning kindergarten for the New York Times
"To love palindromes is to be okay with a little bit of wiggliness when it comes to sense." Settle in for discussions of Borges, Calvino, and Legend of Zelda in our talk with Newbery Honor winner Daniel Nayeri on his latest.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12-and-under featuring Taxi Ghost from Random House Graphic and Hearing Things from Toon Books.
We have finished up our final round of suggestions for Heavy Medal 2025 Mock Newbery. The real committee keeps suggesting all year, but here we focus on nominations instead. We have 337 suggestions for a total of 83 titles with FERRIS by Kate DiCamillo still leading the way followed closely by THE TENTH MISTAKE OF […]
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen looks at some recent discussions regarding children and teens in the labor force for Labor Day
It’s Labor Day. So whatever you do, DO NOT read these books today. But tomorrow? Go for it.
We finally tackle our first Bill Peet picture book. This one is what Kate would call a Choose Your Own Moral kind of book. Let's see if you agree.
We continue our series with David Jacobson's history of the work of Jella Lepman and Mildred Batchelder.
COLBY: Last spring I read aloud Lisa’s new book And Then, Boom! aloud to my 5th graders. It was a magical experience. I jumped at the opportunity to interview her for The Yarn. I hope you enjoy our conversation! If you would rather watch an unedited video of our conversation, you can check that out […]
Minnesota is a wonderful place for many reasons, not the least of which is our amazing children's lit community.
3 of my favorite posts from the past month.
Today we are delighted to welcome David Jacobson to the site. If you ever wondered why the Batchelder Award was named the way it was, don't miss this series.
The digital manga platform Azuki announced at AnimeNYC that two of its series will be published in print by Graphix.
27 new and forthcoming books, including many graphic novels, to have on your radar.
An omnipresent icon, Swift has, with this latest album, offered up the term “poet” for mass consumption and contemplation.
Last week, The Ship in the Window set sail into bookstores. Today, I’m giving away three copies. Click that button below to enter. Enter by 11:59 pm ET on August 29th, 2024 to be eligible.
Life imitates art in this caravan inspired by a Roald Dahl classic.
Rosie Knight and Oliver Ono graduate from a Godzilla one-shot to their own original graphic novel featuring Godzilla's little friend Minilla and an endangered Monster Island.
This is the story of fifty-four authors, seven-hundred librarians, thirteen funny hats, and how (I hope) all of them come together to make book joy.
Picture, if you will, a book with a lovely story and fun illustrations that is also packed to the gills with small jokes. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Today I talk with The Dictionary Story's creators about what that entails.
Postapocalyptic stories have a strange optimism because the worst has happened. We are with the survivors and the Earth is in fragile recovery.
This quiet look at identity and loneliness will appeal to readers who appreciate the brevity of the verse format and who like a character-driven story.
From viral poem to picture book, we talk today with the creators of an upcoming book that was inspired by the historic election of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Mystery Science Detectives Volume 1: The Case of the Forest Fingers from Graphic Universe and The Inscrutable Dr. Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue from Iron Circus Comics.
And here goes another summer and our final suggestion piece for Heavy Medal! It’s your last time to suggest books to consider for our 2024 Mock Newbery, but don’t worry we will still be able to nominate books later in the year, so those late publication books won’t be left out. Our official Heavy Medal […]
A powerful story that likely will provide many readers with their first look at residential schools. A good book to add to all collections.
I wish we utilized more ways to show young people this, to bring history out from the dusty marble, and I applaud the many innovative educators who work to connect the the dots between history and today’s lived experience.
On Saturday I visited the wonderful McLean & Eakin bookstore in Petoskey, Michigan for the release of The Ship in the Window
Today we have not a single cover reveal but three at once!
Blue Beetle wraps a story about immigration and conflict in a superhero tale of a teenage boy whose superpowers come with a command to prepare the earth for incoming aliens.
Let's jump in the (I can't really properly call it a) wayback machine and go to 2023!
Comfort media, at its core, tells its consumers that they’re not alone. All things end eventually, good and bad. But one thing that remains is the memories of those stories that stick with us early in life and provide comfort for years to come.
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
"I wanted to celebrate this essential work, and more, as a Latina, I wanted to honor work that, in this country, is mostly done mostly by Black and brown women, just like Señora Mimí." Meg Medina discusses her latest title.
We've got the scoop on Skybound Comet's upcoming YA graphic novel lineup: The conclusion of Tillie Walden's Clementine, a story about a kaiju-fighting family, and a graphic novel about pizza magic.
This book is a heartbreaker. One of my top reads of 2024.
Colby talked with Newbery Honor winner Gennifer Choldenko (Al Capone Does My Shirts) on The Yarn podcast this week.
From British spooky stuff to proper cat procedures to a changing body book developed with a leading national LGBTQ+ organization, there's a little something for everyone here today.
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts discusses turning her library into a teen playground for an after hours event
Giant robots, environmental crises, and mental health come together in this action-packed sci-fi manga with a serious undertone.
Monitor lizard Zeke navigates bullies, friendship, grief, and self-image in this series starter, out September 24, 2024.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen reviews the new YA mystery/thriller GIRLS WHO BURN by M K Pagano
In Nora Dåsnes' latest graphic novel, Bao leads her friends and classmates in an effort to save a nearby forest from destruction and fight against the climate crisis, despite the grown-ups in her life all failing to take the problem seriously.
Not only do short story collections empower kids to control how they read, but they also have much in common with the kinds of media today’s kids crave.
A behind-the-scenes look at THE SHIP IN THE WINDOW
Join a down to earth conversation between author and editor about what truly goes into the picture book making process.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
It's not spelling that makes you intelligent—it's your ideas.
For all of your collection development and TBR needs, please enjoy these new titles from Holiday House and Pixel+Ink.
The Ship in the Window comes out tomorrow and I visited BookBug in Kalamazoo, Michigan to talk about the book and sign copies.
The Ship in the Window comes out tomorrow and I visited BookBug in Kalamazoo, Michigan to talk about the book and sign copies.
School Library Journal (SLJ) is pleased to welcome a new blog by Edith Campbell. “Pearl’s & Ruby’s” debuts this month.
Mouse SEL books for the win! In time for the kids heading back to school after the summer, we tackle a second Kevin Henkes first-day-of-school title.
Add a great text and art from an illustrious artist and you’ve got on your hands a librarian biography that’s a cut above the rest. A book that surpasses its form. A tale worth telling.
Let's jump in the wayback machine and go just a teensy bit back to 2022!
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the JUST ONE WAVE cover!
Osamu Tezuka's Unico returns in a new, original manga series updating the character's adventures for 21st century readers.
Here's a look at some recently signed graphic novel deals—and what we can expect coming up!
I hope this book sheds some light on the strange and wonderful animals you might find in the darkest reaches of caves!
Full of drooling ghosts, new friends, and lots of heart, this middle grade debut has wide appeal and will be easy to recommend to readers.
Let's see which books are on the NYT Bestseller lists
How do you make a graphic novel into an audiobook? We talk with a producer and creator to get the lowdown on this incredible collaboration.
Teen librarian Cindy Shutts shares a Pokemon themed escape room
Teen librarian Rachel Strolle highlights some new releases for August 2024
COLBY: Earlier this year I fell pretty hard for Gennifer Choldenko’s The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. This middle grade novel is fantastic. Interviewing Gennifer about the book was so much fun. I hope you enjoy our conversation! Subscribe below to catch every episode of The Yarn: iTunes Spotify Stitcher
With a new school year upon us, let's not forget the approved and unapproved ways to carry a book.
It may be the most peculiar early chapter book out for kids this fall season (and the best!). I talk with the author of The Knife of Never Letting Go about his latest, rather silly, book.
Running a program with a teenager as the primary facilitator can be scary or stressful, I am a strong believer in youth-led programming, and there are myriad benefits to having a youth lead your library’s Dungeons and Dragons program
One week from today The Ship In the Window comes out. It’s written by me and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell. It’s a Junior Library Guild selection and has been getting a bunch of great reviews. I went on Good Day Northern Michigan to talk about the book and the inspiration behind it (Spoiler: […]
Moose gets a new dog and Betty outsmarts Veronica in this week's Archie preview.
What if ghosts weren't scary at all? What if we as the audience, instead of being frightened by a ghostly tale, were left with a different feeling altogether?
A sensitive and powerful look at grief with the uplifting reminder that even with all the bad crowded in, there is still room for joy and happiness. Highly recommended.
In our second-to-last suggestion pool, we received 65 suggestions for a total of 62 books with 13 new titles.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Unico Vol. 1: Awakening from Graphix and Skeleanor the Decomposer from Penguin Workshop.
For over 20 years, it has been my great joy to immerse myself in novels in verse. Middle grade novels in verse have had a long, continually developing history.
When I set out to write the Curious League of Detectives and Thieves, I wanted to write a story for my dyslexic twelve-year-old self. But for Tommy to have wanted to read it, the book would require a very specific list of demands.
We tackle only our third Margaret Wise Brown episode on the podcast. And a Little Golden Book to boot!
Combine the Tik Tok ghost painting trend with the Taylor Swift Anti-Hero aesthetics to create fun paintings
A closer look at the 2023 Best Digital Tools for Teaching and Learning list.
Author Laurie Morrison writes about the need for developmentally relevant romance in middle grade and her latest book, KEEPING THE PACE
The best partners, the best crushes, help us feel seen. The best books do, too. They remind us that we’re not alone. Everyone feels a little goofy. Everyone feels a little unsure.
Let's jump in the (kinda, sorta) wayback machine and go to 2021!
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
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