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Without effort, our culture will inevitably dissipate over generations. It takes intention to keep the stove on. To keep the recipes alive. To talk to our parents and grandparents to learn what we can, and pass it down to the generations that follow.
Two for the price of one!
Feel like you should give kids the best of the best poetry coming out today? Well, aren't you in luck? I've gathered it all together for you here.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Red and Blue Monster Hunters from Dark Horse Comics.
Our 2026 Heavy Medal Book List is finalized! Here are the 15 titles that will be discussed in the coming weeks during our Mock Newbery process.
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.
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 […]
Includes everything from tiny head denizens (a.k.a. lice) to collectable "stones" to snot snot snot snot!
We talk about why anyone would put a wig on a bird, what "milk parties" might consist of, whether a "lord" needs to capitalize his title, and so much more.
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.
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.
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.
It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
December nominations are open from now through December 6th. Choose your final two titles and we'll share the final list of nominated titles for our Mock Newbery next week.
Here’s to children’s books that expand our assumptions of what a children’s book can be.
You're not going to believe me when I tell you that this is just a small smattering of board books published in 2025, but it's the truth.
Are you ready to celebrate the books you know and discover the ones you had no idea about? December's gonna be a WHOLE THING!!
Our first dual podcast episode! Just in time for the Hanukkah season.
Just three books populate this publisher preview but all three are completely unforgettable.
Insomnia, bibliophiles, river trolls, last things, and more abound in this delightful preview of this small publisher's offerings
Hannah Sawyerr's second novel, Truth Is, is a pro choice novel where Truth finds her voice and learns how to step up, speak out, and make positive choices for herself.
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen reviews the audiobook version of THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY'S GUIDE TO MURDER by Kate Emery
Could Tiffany D. Jackson's BLOOD IN THE WATER be one of the rare mysteries to earn Newbery recognition? Guest blogger Betsy Bird highlights the many strengths of this book that "could easily become that dark horse candidate that deserves to be taken seriously."
"Risk is so much easier when you're not fretting the outcome." Today we talk mistakes, art, and the life of an influential man with the creators of a new picture book bio.
Is this the year a nonfiction title will win the Newbery? We have a variety of strong contenders spanning a vast array of topics from volcanoes, to disabilities, to cults and life origins.
The story of Raymond Santana of the Exonerated Five is explored in this gripping graphic memoir.
Announcing the winners of the 2025 Endies Endpaper Awards.
From house hunting to simple picture books to creating large groups of characters, Claudia details the process that led to her latest series (and why it's so delightful).
A girl and a friendly yeti find a way to negotiate family problems in a new graphic novel for early readers.
13 new and forthcoming books to add to your TBR!
It’s Betsy Bird month on The Yarn podcast. In our last episode, Betsy shares how her picture book POP! Goes the Nursery Rhyme (illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi) was made. In our latest episode, Betsy talks about her highly influential children’s literature blog A Fuse #8 Production. If you’ve ever read Betsy’s blog, I think you’re […]
Take a trip into the future, where the new crop of Norton books tackle protests, codes, swallows, and the environment. Check out the upcoming titles here today!
COLBY: I had the best time chatting with SLJ blogger and librarian Betsy Bird for The Yarn. We chatted about the origins of her blog, her 31 lists and 31 days project, and the current state of children’s literature. I hope you’ll give it a listen on your podcast listening app of choice. If you […]
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Sheeta's Little Big World Volume 2 from Kodansha Comics.
A huge piece of the Newbery medal is that titles are a distinguished contribution to American literature. What does that mean and what 2026 potentials hit the mark? Let's take a look.
Raidah Shah Idil joins us to talk about her new book, How to Free a Jinn.
A queer Romeo and Juliet, a memoir from a member of the Exonerated Five, pretend magic, and more!
Announcing the winners of the 2025 Undies Case Cover Awards!
"This is the episode of Kate being annoyed by the silliest of things." In honor of the Thanksgiving holiday we tackle a 1987 publication, complete with kohlrabi.
Today’s guest blogger is Lisa Menasha, introducing WEIRD, SAD, AND SILENT by Alison McGhee.
Today we are joined by author team Jim Zub, Stacy King, and Andrew Wheeler to talk about their new book, The Warriors & Wizards Compendium: A Young Adventurer's Guide.
I'm curious what's moving the most at your libraries, especially if you're in Minnesota.
Can you guess the children’s book by its scathing one-star review on Goodreads?
"The mode of operation in writing about one’s past is searching for the hidden patterns. They are there in the first place but only the hindsight examination avails them to you." Eugene Yelchin recounts his teenaged years in Russia and we discuss what doing that entails.
In cartoonist Hamish Steele's new book, lonely little boy Tobi becomes a giant, kaiju-fighting superhero. In addition to being a lot of fun, this is also a metaphor.
Lullabies for the Insomniacs strings together the countless lonely sleepless nights I spent as a teenager, stranded in the turbulence of my mind and emotions.
Lullabies for the Insomniacs strings together the countless lonely sleepless nights I spent as a teenager, stranded in the turbulence of my mind and emotions.
I chat with Fuse #8 Production blogger Betsy Bird about her latest picture book.
Bold and brassy (but never bratty) the iconic pig reaches her 25th year, and we've her editor and publisher on hand for a quick Q&A.
In typical McBride fashion, the lines and verses evoke a story that is more shadow play than structure.
Hopefully, we will choose to learn and grow from the mistakes we make in digital spaces . . . and to be kinder people in the future.
This year's Newbery winner will need to excel in the area of "presentation for a child audience." As we consider this year's contenders with that in mind, let's recall some past award winners that were especially notable for the ways they connect with child readers.
"We have all made some kind of pilgrimage in our lives; we are all in transit, searching for the best path to a life full of opportunities and shared happiness." A talk with the author and the translator of a seminal work.
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