Industry News

As a self-described nonreader, Matt de la Peña could never have imagined as a kid that books would play an important role in his life. But key encounters with libraries and, more importantly, librarians, who actively sought to engage him, helped open a new world to de la Peña. The author of novels for young adults, including Ball Don’t Lie and Mexican Whiteboy, de la Peña recounted his "path to books" in the closing keynote of SLJ's Public Library Leadership Think Tank, held April 5 at the New York Public Library.

Lemony Snicket (also known as Daniel Handler) and Jon Klassen at a Book Launch Party for their new picture book, The Dark.

A host of teen filmmakers were on hand this Saturday at the New York Film Academy for Youth Voices Uncensored, a screening of the winners of The National Coalition Against Censorship's Youth Free Expression Project's film contest, which tackled the topic of book banning.

In honor of National Poetry Month, children's poet laureate J. Patrick Lewis picks his favorite collections for kids.

Mark your calendars for May 29 for an exciting children’s book art silent auction and reception taking place at BookExpo America in New York City. The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the ABC Children’s Group at the American Booksellers Association will use the funds raised to support the Kids’ Right to Read Project (KRRP) and Banned Book Week.

The Street Lit Book Award Medal (SLBAM) Committee has announced its 2012 young adult winners. On the flip sideWinners and honorees are based on the titles' popularity as determined by readers in school, public, and academic libraries. And the winner is... On the Flip Side, A Fab Life Novel (Kensington KTeen) by Nikki Carter.

Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams, is thrilled to offer readers a free ARC to introduce two of its spring debut titles, Bruised and In the Shadow of Blackbirds, and to welcome back Laura Lee Gulledge to its list. Gulledge is the author of Page by Paige, which received a starred review from SLJ. “Gulledge is a master of both words and images," wrote SLJ's reviewer. She brilliantly portrays poignant emotions.”

Encourage your students to harness their creative energies, follow their interests and passions, and put their 21st-century skills to good use. That's exactly what a contest for K–12 students from ThingLink and Rosen Digital aims to do. Thanks to the new contest, kids have an opportunity to create interactive ThingLink images, connect multiple resources into a cohesive presentation, and share their projects with a large community. And even better, they can win an iPad Mini or an annual subscription to one of Rosen Digital's online databases.

Amazon’s recent acquisition of Goodreads will likely have a ripple effect on other social media sites targeted at book lovers, with LibraryThing and Bookish potentially drawing membership from any defectors unhappy with the sale. Meanwhile, many Kindle owners will be introduced to Goodreads for the first time, as the site’s social media functions are integrated with Kindle devices. “Goodreads was fully independent…. it made them the natural allies of people who wanted to avoid the consolidation of the industry, in particular publishers,” LibraryThing founder Tim Spalding told LJ.