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U.S. publishers step up to provide age-appropriate new releases for 8- to 12-year-olds.
Increasingly, sensitivity readers play a role in the editorial and publishing process. Experts in a specific identity, they often undertake research to provide detailed feedback on a manuscript.
Mostly free and readily available, webtoons are particularly appealing to teens and young adults. Publishers have seized the opportunity to bring many to print.
Comics and graphic novels publishing veteran Jasmine Amiri has joined SLJ as graphic novels reviews editor.
Looking for information on buying, curating, and learning more about zines in the U.S. and internationally? This list provides it.
Today Random House Children’s Books announces the inaugural Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 lists for Labyrinth Road, a new imprint led by Vice President and Editor in Chief Liesa Abrams. SLJ shares the full press release and an exclusive Q&A with Abrams.
The vice president and publisher of Greenwillow Books says, “publishing is completely unpredictable.”
The combination of engaging tales, funny pictures, and language children can grasp while learning to read is propelling a booming market.
High shipping costs, skyrocketing paper fees, and labor issues wreak havoc on book publishing schedules.
The authors and founders of Just Us Books reflect on the recent passing of trailblazing Black figures in the kid lit world.
What goes into an exceptional book cover? Betsy Bird investigates.
More publishers are loosening copyright restrictions given the ongoing state of remote learning. Abrams, HarperCollins, and Peachtree join Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster in extending permissions for online story time and classroom read-aloud videos to June 30, 2021.
COVID has changed the way publishers promote books—and how libraries buy them.
Companies continue to respond to the pandemic's impact on educators and students; NCTE is taking proposals for next year's convention; the Educator Jobs Fund Act of 2020 is proposed in the senate; and Simon & Schuster plans new graphic novels for young readers.
As more Native writers make inroads into childrens' publishing, educators and readers must set aside internalized misconceptions about Native life, people, and nations.
The viral hashtag #PublishingPaidMe has revealed the glaring disparities in author advances. It's not enough to publish books created by authors of color; change needs to happen on all levels.
Employees with disabilities and chronic illnesses have long fought for basic accommodations now granted to millions of workers from home. Here's what else is needed.
Navigating bookstore and school closures, publishers innovate while helping those in need. The Internet Archive's National Emergency LIbrary draws backlash.
Alvina Ling, vice president and editor-in-chief at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, talks about her career path and her passion for publishing books by and about people of color.
Fantagraphics continues to expand its line of well curated, beautifully designed collections of classic Disney comics beyond their original Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson libraries. The publisher’s latest effort is the Disney Masters series, each volume of which features the work of a single international artist working in the long-form adventure tradition established and perfected […]
Beavers: The Superpower Field Guide By Rachel Poliquin Illustrated by Nicholas John Frith $18.99 ISBN: 9780544949874 Ages 9-12 On shelves December 4th Here, sit down a sec. I wanna tell you a story about this beaver I once knew. So I’m at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, which, if anyone asks, is my favorite […]
These films take inspiration from their source material without necessarily replicating the books to the last detail.
The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge By M.T. Anderson Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin Candlewick Press $24.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-9822-5 Ages 10 and up On shelves September 25th In my job I read a lot of books written for kids and middle schoolers. To guide this reading I take into account a lot of professional reviews from sources […]
Angela Carstensen takes a look back at three decades of YA—its evolution, groundbreaking titles, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award that honors its authors.
This year’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) celebrated ten years of Toon Books, the publisher of high-quality comics for children founded by Françoise Mouly, with a panel featuring Mouly and the following artists, moderated by Good Comics for Kids’ own Brigid Alverson. Kevin McCloskey is a professor of illustration at Kutztown University and created the […]
The Rabbit Listened By Cori Doerrfeld Dial (an imprint of Penguin Random House) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-7352-2935-8 Ages 4 and up On shelves now Lest we forget, the only reason that children’s books were invented in the first place was to teach small human lessons. That is, in fact, the very backbone of the book business […]
Travis: Colby interviewed Kat Yeh last fall at the NCTE conference. She takes us behind the scenes of her sometimes challenging writing process for her middle grade novel, The Way to Bea. It was a great conversation. We hope you enjoy the show. Subscribe below to catch every episode. Click here to subscribe to The Yarn […]
Gentrification, Friendship, & Disappearing Black Girls in Tiffany D. Jackson’s “Monday’s Not Coming”
Tiffany D. Jackson discusses the inspirations for her latest work, a thriller about a black girl whose disappearance is noticed only by her best friend.
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl By Stacy McAnulty Random House Books for Young Readers $16.99 ISBN: 9781524767570 Ages 9-12 On shelves now The world would have us believe that the left brained and right brained amongst us can never see eye-to-eye. Think about it. How many times have you heard a perfectly intelligent person say […]
Be Prepared By Vera Brosgol Color by Alec Longstreth First Second (Macmillan) ISBN: 9781626724457 $12.99 Grades 4-6 Out Now *Best New Book* Find it at: Schuler Books | Your Library Camp is like adolescence concentrate. Devoid of parents and with a limited time frame, it’s like a social experiment where big coming-of-age themes like self-reliance, belonging, and friendship come […]
Recently, I was talking to one of my students, and she told me that she preferred to read novels, because she liked to make her own images in her head. I get it. I happen to love both novels and graphic novels, and I’m also an avid fan of audiobooks… but I totally get her […]
The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoefer and the Plot to Kill Hitler By John Hendrix Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4197-2838-9 Ages 10 and up On shelves September 4th In this life, it can be difficult to find absolutes. Absolute good. Absolute evil. Absolute good in the face of absolute evil. For many […]
The Dragon Slayer: Folktales from Latin America Writer/artist: Jaime Hernandez Toon Books; $9.99 or $16.95 For years, Jaime Hernandez’s work with his brothers on seminal alternative comic Love and Rockets introduced adult comics readers to the sorts of cool, charismatic, complex young Latina women he grew up with. In The Dragon Slayer, a new Toon […]
The acclaimed editor talks about working on Erin Entrada Kelly's Hello, Universe, her mentors, and more.
This set of four hardcover storybooks makes up a new series in which the famous caped crimefighters use forensic investigation techniques to solve crimes. It’s a clever way to encourage scientific thinking and understanding the real-life background behind superhero adventures. The Felon’s Fowl Flames: Batman & Robin Use Fire Investigation to Crack the Case The […]
The Parker Inheritance By Varian Johnson Arthur A. Levine Books (an imprint of Scholastic) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-94617-9 Ages 9-12 On shelves now. The other day I was asked to come up with ten children’s book equivalents to Claudia Rankine’s book Citizen (which, should anybody ask you, is not for kids). To do this, I wanted […]
Ace: The Origin of Batman’s Hound and Jumpa: The Origin of Wonder Woman’s Kanga Writer: Steve Korte Artist: Art Baltazar Stone Arch Books; $4.95 (each) The latest offering from DC Comics and Capstone’s DC Super-Pets collaboration, which focuses on the adventures of the pets of DC superheroes and supervillains as designed and drawn by artist […]
A House That Once Was By Julie Fogliano Illustrated by Lane Smith Roaring Brook Press (an imprint of Macmillan) $18.99 ISBN: 978-1-62672-314-6 Ages 4-7 On shelves May 1st When I was growing up there was an empty house across the street. A melancholy, haunted structure that seemed to wear its sadness like a badge. No […]
Take a look at the classic and new "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" covers, and let the scar debate begin again.
Selznick's new illustrations will appear on paperback editions of all seven "Harry Potter" books.
The Cardboard Kingdom Edited and Illustrated by Chad Sell Written by Jay Fuller, David DeMeo, Katie Schenkel, Kris Moore, Molly Muldoon, Vid Alliger, Manuel Betancourt, Michael Cole, Cloud Jacobs, and Barbara Perez Marquez Knopf (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books) $12.99 ISBN: 978-1-5247-1937-1 Ages 9-12 On shelves June 5th The other day I listened […]
Comedian John Oliver created a book about Vice President Mike Pence's family pet to challenge the one written by Pence's daughter Charlotte Pence.
The debut author talks about the novel’s many iterations, why it’s important to talk about mental health in YA, and what she’s working on next.
The Journey of Little Charlie By Christopher Paul Curtis Scholastic Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-15666-0 For ages 9 and up On shelves now I don’t know Christopher Paul Curtis personally, but if I had to harbor a guess I’d say he’s the type of author that doesn’t like to make things too easy for himself. That’s […]
As March begins, teachers and librarians may start thinking about celebrating Women’s History Month. And while a graphic novel about a feisty fictional heroine may not exactly fit the bill, it does celebrate strong women. Monsters Beware! By Rafael Rosado. Jorge Aguirre First Second. 2018. ISBN 9781626721807 PBK, $14.99. 170pp. Grades 3 and up Readers […]
Maurice Sendak goes to the University of Connecticut, Looking for Alaska is challenged once again, and more.
If you’re a New Yorker, the Brooklyn Bridge is a majestic sight that regularly comes into view. It has made its appearance in fiction (for instance, in The Alienist by Caleb Carr, which was recently adapted for TV). For me, as a New Yorker, the bridge carries lots of good memories, like the huge fireworks […]
A playful, pajama-clad addition to the "Bear Family" series; two women fight in a cosmic battle a thousand years apart in "Furyborn"; #1000BlackGirlsBooks creator Marley Dias shares some tips for young success; and much more in this month's Popular Picks!
Time travel has always been an intriguing idea. What would happen if we could go back in time and change things? Could we improve our lives? In this entertaining graphic novel, author Chris Grine puts those ideas out there and leaves readers thinking, though they’ll be so entertained that they might not realize it. Time […]
The Morris Award finalist shares what inspired her latest sci-fi mash-up, the soundtrack that helped her keep writing, and what she’s working on next.
Winning a Newbery or Caldecott Medal boosts sales and interest in the selected books—and moves publishers and bookstore staff into immediate action.
The Mad Wolf’s Daughter By Diane Magras Kathy Dawson Books (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-525-53134-0 Ages 9-12 On shelves March 6th Sometimes you just want to read a book that knows how to run. There are many way to define the term “great writing” as it applies to children’s literature. Eloquent. Ennobling. Distinguished. […]
Today, we’re covering all the books! Ok, not all — but the last of the big hitters that we’re covering. (Note that as always, we didn’t get to everything. And this year, which has been an astoundingly rich year, that may just mean we didn’t even get to the winner, because there is SO MUCH […]
Dinosaurs Writer: Arnaud Plumeri Artist: Bloz Papercutz; $10.99 (each) The interest in and affection for dinosaurs is pretty much universal—regardless of your country of origin, chances are good that you think dinosaurs are awesome. It is therefore no surprise that French creators Arnaud Plumeri and Bloz produced a great series of comic books about dinosaurs—simply […]
5 Worlds: The Sand Warrior by Mark Siegel ISBN 978-1-101-93586-6 $18.99 hc Random House, c2017 The first in a presumably five-part series, Sand Warrior creates a unique and colorful world. Oona’s sister was destined to light the ancient beacon to restore their planet and make it healthy again, but Oona is unable to control her […]
Every child likes to be read to, even those irritable tweens, according to the latest Scholastic Kids and Family Reading research.
Back in November, we asked if any of our readers wanted to toss a “nomination” or two into the ring. Well, we have three! We are lucky to have wonderful readers and commenters, and even luckier to have three of them plugging their favorite books. Each review considers the book in light of its Printz […]
Travis: Before we even made the first episode of The Yarn podcast, we’ve wanted to do an episode on the 2008 Newbery and Caldecott medal winners, and unforgettable year that challenged assumptions about what kinds of books could win the most prestigious awards in children’s literature. In today’s episode, Brian Selznick and Laura Amy Schlitz […]
Here’s a roundup of grant opportunities, contests, and award submissions.
Monday, we got a graphic novel round up. And earlier this year, we had a nonfiction roundup. Now that we’ve reached the end of the year — and seen the Excellence for NF shortlist, and taken a look at all the year-end lists — we’ve got a second round up, taking a look at all the […]
It hasn’t been an outstanding year for graphic format works with Printz potential — but a handful of books either have some buzz or have some potential, even if none of them are likely to be serious contenders. So read on for an alphabetical listing of graphic novels that might maybe could (but probably won’t) […]
Gumby: 50 Shades of Clay Writers: Jeff Whitman, Eric Esquivel, Ray Fawkes, and others Artists: Jolyon Yates, Kyle Baker, Veronica Fish and others Papercutz; $8.99 Boomer era animated icon Gumby has returned to comics for the first time in a decade, and, as per his previous comics engagement, what the stop-motion clay hero loses in […]
Sisters. Parents. Family. Children of immigrants. Starred reviews. National Book Award recognition. These books have quite a bit in common, not least in terms of love and buzz and people talk-talk-talking. Both novels examine generational expectations, both examine daughters who long to be artists, and both novels illustrate how daughters and their parents move around each other […]
Baby Monkey, Private Eye By Brian Selznick and David Serlin Illustrated by Brian Selznick Scholastic Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-338-18061-9 Ages 3 and up On shelves February 27th Brian Selznick. Honey. We’ve got to talk. Now look, it was all well and good when you started getting a little crazy and shaking up notions of what […]
Two books today, both fantasy. All the Crooked Saints technically belonged in last week’s previous winners cluster, as Stiefvater received an honor for 2012’s The Scorpio Races, but it ran over the word count. And That Inevitable Victorian Thing seemed like a good book to pair with it; Johnston, like Stiefvater, loves to play with old stories in new forms, […]
Julián Is a Mermaid By Jessica Love Candlewick Press $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-7636-9045-8 Ages 4 and up On shelves May 22nd When you walk into another person’s home, there’s always a distinct smell to the place. Homes absorb the lives of their occupants, and the end result is as much an olfactory experience a visual one. […]
And here is part two of our previous winners posts! Again, we’re looking at past winners, honorees, and generally lauded authors who have a new book out this year, and again we’re wondering if lighting can strike twice (or, if you’re Marcus Sedgwick, four times). Genuine Fraud, E. Lockhart Delacorte, September 2017 Reviewed from ARC; 5 […]
Landscape with Invisible Hand, M.T. Anderson Candlewick, September 2017 Reviewed from ARC; five stars It’s not fun to lose, and as readers, we don’t usually take pleasure in witnessing our protagonists suffer and fail at every challenge they face. Yet we also know that failure, yes failure, can be highly instructive and valuable. In Landscape with Invisible […]
When I am Through With You, Stephanie Kuehn Dutton, August 2017 Reviewed from a final copy Today I get to talk about one of my favorite authors, Stephanie Kuehn. She has a new title out this year, When I am Through With You, and it got some comment-love earlier in the season as one to […]
Batman fans, city officials, students, and others gathered to celebrate the dedication of Bill Finger Way.
It’s time for another joint conversation about a book. We had a great time last time, and are hoping to have just as much fun again. These are the times this blog feels most like committee work, where we’re all at the table (metaphorically), and all ready to talk about the same book — but […]
As Scholastic fields complaints about merchandising included in book fair materials, Follett builds its own book fair program.
There’s a weird kind of bookending happening this year; we opened with the biggest buzz for early 2017 books belonging to The Hate U Give and we’re closing 2017 with the biggest buzz for the end of the year going to Long Way Down, two books that look at violence in largely black, urban communities […]
Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Freddie Williams II DC Comics; $3.99 Rated T for Teen Batman and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may sound like they go together about as well as some of the pizza toppings enjoyed by the latter in their original cartoon iteration—you know, marshmallows and pepperoni, […]
Let’s talk about heart books. Because today I want to call your attention to two books that are long shots at best, but which I loved them dearly as a reader. More than that, despite the flaws that I predict will ultimately sink them, these are strong books that deserve close attention. Both are contemporary fantasy, […]
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What do Malcolm Mitchell, wide receiver for the New England Patriots, Brian Selznick, creator of Wonderstruck (Scholastic, 2011), and Marley Dias, organizer of #1000BlackGirlBooks campaign, have in common? They all have books on the Scholastic Spring 2018 List.
Sunny Side Up, the story loosely based on the lives of sister-and-brother team of Jennifer and Matthew Holm, wrapped up so well that it never occurred to me there would be a sequel. But lucky for me, there is! Although the story will be better understood by those who have read the first volume, this […]
Walt Disney’s Christmas Classics Writers: Frank Reilly, Carl Fallberg and Floyd Norman Artists: Floyd Gottfredson, Richard Moore, Tony Strobl and others IDW Publishing; $39.99 One of the myriad ways in which American pop culture used to count down to Christmas was in the form of special Christmas-themed newspaper comic strips. From 1936 to 2010, the […]
Here on this holiday weekend (for some, but not for others, I know!), I thought we could have a brief whirlwind of a realistic roundup. We’ve already featured a grouping of funny girls, today we have a slightly smaller set of lady-centric fiction. They’re not all funny, but they are all realistic, they are all […]
I’ve been avoiding this review like the plague. I scrubbed my bathtub this afternoon in an attempt to not write this post, in fact, and I don’t know what my hang up is, really, except that this is not Code Name Verity but it is about Julie and so I have many feelings that have […]
Released in time for Halloween, Graveyard Shakes was an excellent choice to help get the spook on. But though Halloween is gone for another year, horror is always in high demand in my library! Graveyard Shakes By Laura Terry. Graphix. 2017. ISBN 9780545889544 PBK, $12.99. 204pp. Grades 4 and up Sisters Katia and Victoria both […]
A new app from Touch Press puts students inside a cell on a mission.
Today we have a two-fer! Are you in the mood for a quick nonfiction read? Or perhaps a fictional take on the Grand Tour? Maybe some history with a side of sass? Perhaps a rogue taking a hedonistic last hurrah before shouldering familial responsibilities? OK, I’m going to stop asking questions and just get on […]
We are pretty random when we divide up our reading each year — sometimes there are books that we latch on to because “that seems like a Sarah/Karyn/Joy type book,” but that’s fairly rare. More often, it’s just an up-in-the-air kind of thing…and it generally works out. For whatever reason, I am pretty sure I am […]
Today is going to be one of those ALL THE BOOKS posts, loosely linked by being by and about women and featuring humor. Which is a pretty loose thread, but let’s roll with it. As is often the case with these roundups, we don’t think any of these are books that are likely to go […]
So, today’s post was scheduled to be about two new books in familiar worlds with thieves in them. But after rereading Thick as Thieves I decided to split them up — because really, both books (the other is Wein’s The Pearl Thief, of course) deserve full posts to themselves. Thick as Thieves delighted me when I […]
I had originally paired this read with another book (one that is now to be reviewed later) which happened to include sisters, but it was too fanciful and too light of a connection. I had even mentally titled that post “Hello, seestra,” which delighted me, but as this week’s schedule fell apart, that title just […]
A lot of young adult literature is about teens in unfamiliar situations and places. Sometimes the differences they experience are socio-economic, sometimes they’re cultural, and sometimes they’re magical. Fish out of water tales are usually easily relatable, regardless of the specificity, because most people can remember how they felt the first time they encountered something that was […]
We are working on getting through books in the maximally efficient way, which sometimes means more fanciful pairings, and other times means groups that play with each other in interesting ways as we discuss them. Today we have the second option, a trio of books that mingle together in engaging ways as we consider the […]
YA authors Stephanie Perkins and Malinda Lo share what inspired them to venture to the scary side, how their writing process changed, and their feelings on “unlikable” characters.
Our news roundup includes information about Baker & Taylor summer reading grants; a teen-focused StoryCorps Thanksgiving project; and a GIF-making contest.
Do I start with why this is not going to win an award, or with why it should? Let’s start with the issues: it’s fantasy. It’s the start of a series. We’ve all heard this song before, and I don’t have faith that this is the book that will change the tune – but man, […]
Her Right Foot By Dave Eggers Illustrated by Shawn Harris Chronicle Books $19.99 ISBN: 978-1-4521-6281-2 Ages 6 and up. Consider your country, America. Consider what our teachers have been charged to do. Facing a future where the children of America are inadequate in the realm of nonfiction, our educators have been told to get them […]
In a fairly rare occurrence, we all three read today’s book BEFORE the scheduled post date, so today’s post has all of us discussing it together, just like a RealCommittee might, if six people were missing. Sarah: Friends. Friends. Is this the book to beat this year? To be honest, it’s hard to know where to start here. […]
Today I’m talking about two books that are impressive, powerful, skillfully crafted reads. Both have received some minor critical acclaim (1 star for Maresi, 2 for Fire Color One), and both are books no one is talking about or name-checking, which is a damn shame. More similarities: Both are imports and both are unexpectedly short, which […]
We’ve got two solid contenders up next, both realistic fiction, both with characters haunted by the past. It’s not entirely fair to pair titles up like this, and it’s not really how RC talks about books at the table — they are trying to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each title individually, after all. […]
Full disclosure: Yvain and Bull were meant to be one post, only then Sarah had a LOT to say about Yvain, which meant it got its own post, leaving poor Bull all alone. Like Yvain, it’s a retelling that plays with form. Unlike Yvain, it’s a straight up critical darling — 5 stars! Sarah argues that Yvain should be a contender. Should Bull? Bull, David Elliott Houghton […]
Today is part one of retold epics. We will hear more, soon, from Karyn, and it absolutely will be epic. Today is my day to talk about lovely knights and raging ladies, about feats of strength, about reclaiming honor. Yvain: The Knight of the Lion by M.T. Anderson and Andrea Offerman Candlewick, March 2017 Reviewed […]
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