BLOGS

Electing Care

Electing Care
While we might not have the capacity right now to do the long-term work to relieve the sources of our current stress, we can do a few things to feel a little better in the short term, particularly at work, where we’ve been so careful about what we say. 
BOOKS & REVIEWS
Native Voices: A Curated List of 2024 Titles Featuring Native American Stories | Great Books

Native Voices: A Curated List of 2024 Titles Featuring Native American Stories | Great Books
22 Fiction and Nonfiction Books About Voting and Elections for Children of All Ages

22 Fiction and Nonfiction Books About Voting and Elections for Children of All Ages
33 Great New Titles, Including a Star by Kwame Alexander & a LOVE Story by Jason Reynolds | Starred Reviews, October 2024

33 Great New Titles, Including a Star by Kwame Alexander & a LOVE Story by Jason Reynolds | Starred Reviews, October 2024
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BOOKS & REVIEWS
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BOOKLISTS

33 Great New Titles, Including a Star by Kwame Alexander & a LOVE Story by Jason Reynolds | Starred Reviews, October 2024
SLJ Reviews, Oct 28, 2024
In this month's starred reviews, Oliver Gerlach goes off menu, David F. Walker reimagines an American classic, and more.

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BLOGS

Newbery/Caldecott 2025: Fall Prediction Edition
Betsy Bird, Oct 29, 2024
By now a lot of us have seen some of the excellent contenders for the Newbery/Caldecott. Here's the fall prediction list in all its prediction-y glory.
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BLOGS

The Seven Bills That Will Safeguard the Future of School Librarianship
John Chrastka, Oct 13, 2024
The future of school librarianship requires strategic legislative action to safeguard these vital roles. This article outlines seven key legislative and policy proposals designed to protect and strengthen school libraries, ensuring equitable access to resources and intellectual freedom for all students.
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REASONSTOLOVELIBRARIES

When 50 Librarians Biked Across France | Reasons to Love Libraries
Laura Silver, Oct 24, 2024
A “rolling unconference” provides time for librarians from around the world to exchange ideas, share challenges and successes, and take in local libraries—all while pedaling through changing landscapes.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Spend It if You Can | SLJ 2024 Budget Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Apr 04, 2024
With budgets mostly flat, book challenges and rising costs pose hurdles for school librarians.

 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

BIPOC Representation in Children's Literatures Continues Its Slow Rise, According to CCBC's Diversity Statistics
SLJ Staff, Apr 04, 2024
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center released its latest Diversity Statistics report on children's literature, showing another year of small increases in books with BIPOC primary characters and significant BIPOC content.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Sora Report: Digital Reading Increases with Double-Digit Growth in Comics and Graphic Novels
SLJ Staff, Apr 03, 2024
The State of K-12 Digital Reading breaks down the data for the 2022-23 school year, showing the popularity of comics and graphic novels in the digital format plus regional differences in reading habits.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

From a Young Age, Children Tune in to Audiobooks | Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Jan 04, 2024
Children are eager listeners—of audiobooks, according to a new Library Journal / School Library Journal survey. Libraries are keeping up with the demand as formats evolve.

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CENSORSHIP

Nearly a Quarter of School Librarians Have Experienced Harassment Over Books | SLJ Censorship Survey
Kathy Ishizuka, Sep 30, 2023
Twenty-four percent of school librarians have been harassed this past year over books or displays in their library. That’s according to a recent SLJ survey, which found the rate even higher among high school librarians, 30 percent of whom have experienced harassment.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

Graphic Novels, Manga Explode in Popularity Among Students | SLJ Survey
Marlaina Cockcroft, Oct 03, 2023
If graphic novels are flying off the shelves at your library, that reflects a remarkable trend: The format’s popularity has shot up at over 90 percent of school libraries in the last few years, according to a new SLJ survey.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

SLJ, NCTE Launch Survey to Remake Summer Reading Lists
SLJ staff, Jan 19, 2022
Those dreaded summer reading lists. For eons, teachers have been handing out assigned reading, mostly comprised of old “classics.” With this survey, SLJ and NCTE invite teachers and librarians to choose the titles you’d like culled from required reading and those books you would urge students to read instead.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

Time to Refresh the Canon: Here Are Our Picks
Shelley Diaz, May 10, 2022
SLJ and NCTE collaborated to create 18 booklists of titles to replace, or use as a companion to, canon "classics." 

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Under Pressure: Survey Provides Insight into Librarians' Job Satisfaction
Marlaina Cockcroft, Feb 21, 2023
More librarians find their work challenging, but most still love what they do, the latest LJ/SLJ Survey shows.

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CENSORSHIP

Censorship Attempts Will Have a Long-lasting Impact on School Library Collections, SLJ Survey Shows
Kara Yorio, Sep 08, 2022
In the past year, school librarians have faced coordinated, hate-filled censorship campaigns that impact available books and collection development decisions. Here, they share their stories.

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AWARDS

SLJ’s Reviews of the 2024 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Finalists
SLJ Reviews, Oct 01, 2024
The National Book Foundation has announced the 2024 National Book Award finalists. Here are the SLJ reviews of the finalists for the Young People's Literature Award.

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BOOKLISTS

22 Fiction and Nonfiction Books About Voting and Elections for Children of All Ages
SLJ Reviews, Oct 24, 2024
As we gear up to a presidential election, these titles can help young readers to better understand the past, present, and future of the voting process.

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TEENS

8 YA Thrillers That Blend Influencer Culture with Page-Turning Plots
SLJ Reviews, Oct 09, 2024
What happens when teen influencers and streamers famous for their social #content end up dead or the main suspect in a murder case? These timely, topical YA thrillers will keep readers guessing.

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CENSORSHIP

Defending the Canon: SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
SLJ Reviewers and NCTE, Apr 17, 2024
In our last round of reviews of banned classics, SLJ and NCTE cover two of Jane Austen's works, the timely Fahrenheit 451, and the heartbreaking I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou.

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BOOKLISTS

33 Great New Titles, Including a Star by Kwame Alexander & a LOVE Story by Jason Reynolds | Starred Reviews, October 2024
SLJ Reviews, Oct 28, 2024
In this month's starred reviews, Oliver Gerlach goes off menu, David F. Walker reimagines an American classic, and more.

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BOOKLISTS

Keeping It Real: Eight Standout Nonfiction Graphic Novels | Stellar Panels
Brigid Alverson, Oct 24, 2024
In these recent releases, text and visuals complement each other to explain complicated concepts such as historical battles and biological cycles. 

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BOOKLISTS

Comics That Reflect the Vast Influence of Manga
Brigid Alverson, Sep 18, 2024
These seven works range from spin-offs of classic Japanese manga to completely original stories rendered with manga-style storytelling.

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TEENS

14 YA Romances to Warm Readers' Hearts During Hispanic Heritage Month and All Year Round
SLJ Reviews, Sep 17, 2024
From fantastical to contemporary, these 14 diverse YA romance novels featuring Latinx protagonists will be loved by readers this Hispanic Heritage Month and throughout the year.

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BOOKLISTS

21 Nonfiction Titles for Young People in Honor of Latinx Heritage Month
SLJ Reviews, Sep 18, 2024
From picture book biographies to historical overviews and reference titles, this roundup spotlights informational texts centering Latinx heritage. Add these works to nonfiction displays from September 15 to October 15 (and every other month of the year).

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CENSORSHIP

18 More Reviews of Banned Classics | Defending the Canon
SLJ Reviewers and NCTE, Sep 23, 2024
In time for Banned Books Week, NCTE and SLJ have partnered again to provide professional reviews of banned curriculum staples. We highlight 18 acclaimed works by celebrated authors, including Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

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BOOKLISTS

12 Transitional Book Series Librarians Love and Why
Marlaina Cockcroft, Oct 01, 2024
Librarians responding to our 2024 Transitional Books Survey had a lot to say about their favorite series. Here's why "Fly Guy," "Mercy Watson," and others stand out to them. 

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BOOKS & MEDIA

15 Titles with Haitian American Representation to Share with Kids of All Ages
SLJ Reviews, Sep 23, 2024
With Haitian communities under attack in Ohio and across the country, share these titles that feature Haitian American representation or are by Haitian American authors, including picture books by Tami Charles and YA novels by Ben Phillipe and Ibi Zoboi.

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BOOKLISTS

Break-Ups and Make-Ups: 14 books that tackle tween friendships | Great Books
Laura Dooley-Taylor, Aug 21, 2024
These excellent middle grade titles illustrate the significance and complexity of tween friendships.

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CENSORSHIP

Banned Books Week News, Events, and Resources
Kara Yorio, Sep 17, 2024
Banned Books Week 2024 is about raising awareness and taking action. Here are some events, resources, and ways to get involved in the fight against censorship.

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BOOKLISTS

8 Books to Help Librarians Thrive | Professional Reading Roundup
SLJ Reviews, Aug 07, 2024
From literacy instruction to battling book bans and censorship, the subjects of these titles will inform and inspire librarians and other educators.

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BOOKS & MEDIA

8 Titles of Resilience and Hope for Holocaust Remembrance Day
SLJ Reviews, Jan 23, 2024
January 27 is designated as a day to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Share these stories of resilience and hope about people of various ages, races, nationalities, and more with young readers today and throughout the year.

 

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BOOKLISTS

19 Books Featuring Incarcerated Family Members for Young Readers of All Ages
Rachel Owens, Jun 05, 2024
Stories of children with parents behind bars are as diverse as the millions of real-life kids familiar with the experience. These 19 fiction and nonfiction titles may offer an empathetic, metaphoric hand for young readers to hold.

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BOOKLISTS

81 Exemplary Picture Books | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far
SLJ Reviews, Jul 08, 2024
Get your purchase list out and make sure you include these picture books; we've found dozens of contenders for this year's Best Books collection.

More Classroom & Curricula
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BOOKLISTS

Keeping It Real: Eight Standout Nonfiction Graphic Novels | Stellar Panels
Brigid Alverson, Oct 24, 2024
In these recent releases, text and visuals complement each other to explain complicated concepts such as historical battles and biological cycles. 

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BOOKS & MEDIA

SLJ Reviews Comics Plus Database
Andrea Lipinski, Sep 25, 2024
This great resource for readers of all ages who are interested in comics, graphic novels, and manga, has just added more picture books to its collection.

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BOOKLISTS

Comics That Reflect the Vast Influence of Manga
Brigid Alverson, Sep 18, 2024
These seven works range from spin-offs of classic Japanese manga to completely original stories rendered with manga-style storytelling.

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BOOKLISTS

32 Superb Graphic Novels | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far
SLJ Reviews, Jul 15, 2024
From early reader to YA titles, these starred graphic novels showcase the very best of the comics medium so far in 2024. Use the downloadable spreadsheet to ensure your collection includes these superb graphic novels.

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BOOKLISTS

Best Graphic Novels 2023 | SLJ Best Books
Jasmine Amiri, Jenny Arch, Shelley M. Diaz, Andrea Lipinski, Carla Riemer, Nov 21, 2023

From stunning memoirs to sustainability guides, this year’s Best Graphic Novels list features 25 unforgettable works that take comics to new heights.

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BLOGS

Boys Vs. Shark | Review
J. Caleb Mozzocco, Oct 25, 2024
It's 1975 and 10-year-old Paul Gilligan has just seen the movie Jaws, giving him an acute case of sharkophobia...and emphasizing how far apart he and his braver, more grown-up best friend are becoming.
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BLOGS

Monster Locker | Review
J. Caleb Mozzocco, Oct 17, 2024
Middle-schooler Pablo Ortiz is no hero. But when a vengeful Aztec goddess and her army of monster pours through the magic portal in his locker, he may have no choice but to become one.
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BOOKLISTS

32 Superb Graphic Novels | SLJ 2024 Stars So Far
SLJ Reviews, Jul 15, 2024
From early reader to YA titles, these starred graphic novels showcase the very best of the comics medium so far in 2024. Use the downloadable spreadsheet to ensure your collection includes these superb graphic novels.

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NEWS & FEATURES

Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara on Collaboration, Comics Books, and Coming of Age
Jasmine Amiri, Aug 26, 2024
Sara Quin of indie pop duo Tegan and Sara discusses the forthcoming final installment in the band’s graphic novel series, offering a glimpse into the life events and creative journey that resulted in Tegan and Sara: Crush.

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ADVOCACY

15 Graphic Novels to Celebrate Pride This Month and Year-Round
SLJ Staff, Jun 17, 2024
As we find ourselves at the midway point of June, amidst the celebrations of Pride Month, it's an opportune time to reflect on the rich tapestry of narratives within the LGBTQIA+ community with 15 noteworthy graphic novels that can help us celebrate Pride this month, and year-round.

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BOOKS

Hilda and Twig: Hide from the Rain
Oct 31, 2024
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BLOGS

Goblin: The Wolf and the Well | Preview
Brigid Alverson, Jul 11, 2024
Today we have a preview of Goblin: The Wolf and the Well, by writer Eric Grissom and artist Will Perkins. This is the second volume of their middle-grade fantasy series about Rikt, an orphaned goblin, and his companion, a wolf named Fish-Breath. Here’s the publisher’s description: After losing his parents, Rikt struggles with a fear […]
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BOOKLISTS

Mighty Manhwa! | Stellar Panels
Brigid Alverson, Mar 27, 2024
Korean and Chinese comics reach English-language readers.

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OPINION

Turning a Page: SLJ will turn 70. How can we best serve readers? | From the Editor
Kathy Ishizuka, Oct 15, 2023
The editors are planning for 2024, SLJ's 70th anniversary year.

More Graphic Novels
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EVENTS

PRH Spring Book & Author Festival 2024

ONLINE, Dec 10, 2024

SLJ Summit 2024

, Dec 06, Dec 07 & Dec 08, 2024

LibraryCon Live! 2024

ONLINE, Nov 14, 2024

More Events
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ONLINE COURSES

Managing Conflict with Colleagues and Patrons

Nov 12 to Nov 19, 2024

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IN-PERSON EVENTS

SLJ Summit 2024

Dec 06, Dec 07 & Dec 08, 2024

SPECIAL PROJECTS
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BEST OF

2024 Stars So Far
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PROGRAMS & PROGRAMMING

Reasons to Love Libraries
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CENSORSHIP

Defending the Canon: SLJ & NCTE Review 15 Banned Classics
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