SLJ

Organizations file federal complaints against the Cobb County, GA, and Moore County, NC, schools; Alabama bill to criminalize librarians for "obscene" content fails in state's senate; and advocates file lawsuit against Alabama public library board for restricting materials.

Our most viewed posts of the week ranged from high-interest stories for striving readers and shout outs to dear teachers to raising oysters in the library.

The King Penguin by Vanessa Roeder and The Book of Turtles by Sy Montgomery won the Irma Black Award and Cook Prize, respectively.

In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. In the latest installment, LaDarrion Williams shares about Blood at the Root.

Two authors, who met via social media in 2017 and have been friends since, both published books centering children who happen to be disabled. Here they are in conversation about the need to call disability what it is, and to allow those with disabilities to have the same story lines as everyone else. 

From going to work in faraway or dangerous jobs to walking with their kids around the neighborhood or reading bedtime stories, these fathers offer support and encouragement and set an example for their kids. As Father's Day approaches, or all year long, share these titles with little ones and families to recognize the important role Dad plays in their lives.

Among this month's standouts are the latest graphic novel co-authored by Gender Queer's Maia Kobabe, a picture book from Kyle Lukoff, and a video adapted from Carole Boston Weatherford's book about Mary Hamilton.

The Freedom to Learn collective marked National Day of Action by protesting censorship attempts outside the Supreme Court; a challenged book returns to shelves in Virginia while titles get removed from schools in Florida and South Carolina; and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver takes on book bans.

Hi-Lo titles are high-interest stories written at a lower reading level for striving readers. These 24 books, in genres ranging from romance to horror, are sure to grip readers with relatable main characters and contemporary ­coming-of-age themes.