Defending the Canon, reviews of classic lit by SLJ and NCTE—and James Patterson—grabbed readers' attention this week.

Report: James Patterson Accidentally Writes the Same Book Again
Travis Jonker, "100 Scope Notes," Apr 01, 2024
James Patterson is in hot water for plagiarism. The source material? Shockingly, his own book. "You win today!" commented Sarah Bean Thompson on Instagram.

Defending the Canon: SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
SLJ Reviewers and NCTE, Apr 03, 2024
In many states, school librarians can't include such established classics as The Bluest Eye and Persepolis on their shelves simply because they haven't been officially reviewed by a review publication. We've tackled 15 of these challenged classics.

District Leaders Tackle the School Librarian Pipeline
Kara Yorio, Apr 02, 2024
This School Library Month, censorship and loss of library positions are once again hot topics of conversation. But district library leaders across the country are focused on something else as well—bringing qualified educators into the profession.

Librarians Prepare Students and Patrons for Solar Eclipse
Kara Yorio, Mar 25, 2024
School and public librarians across the U.S. are preparing lessons and programming to educate and excite kids about the April 8th solar eclipse, which will appear in totality in parts of 13 states.

Early Mock Newbery Titles: It’s time for April Suggestions
Steven Engelfried, "Heavy Medal," April 1, 2024 
What are your favorite children's books of 2024 so far? If you've read any Newbery-eligible titles, please add your suggestions as we continue to build our Mock Newbery reading list on Heavy Medal.