Here are some books with a distinctive fantasy feel that stood out to me in 2024. Read 'em! Enjoy 'em! Love 'em!
Today, I celebrate what little science fiction there is. And, interestingly enough, the bulk of it this year seemed to come in the form of picture books. What are we to make of that? Not sure, but it's kinda cool.
In this month's Newbery Author Spotlight, we look back at some memorable Newbery Medal acceptance speeches and invite readers to share their own experiences.
Sometimes the simple act of adding some books to my own personal endless TBR stack or list is all it takes for me to want to do a Take Five list.
Over the next two weeks I’ll be sharing the 10 most popular 100 Scope Notes posts during the past year.
On today's list you'll discover a wild mix of nonfiction, poetry, comics, novels, and more. Just sit back and enjoy the array!
At the 2024 SLJ Summit in Raleigh, NC, attendees facilitated conversations with their peers about various topics in school librarianship.
25 forthcoming YA books to add to your TBR.
Announcing the winners of the 2024 Endies Endpaper Awards.
Ah, this is a big one. There are only a couple topics including in the 31 Days, 31 Lists series that take significantly more time and energy than the others. With today's list we start tackling books for older readers this month. Comics just make for a natural starting place.
Keeping engaging series fiction in the hands of young patrons as they build habits and discover a love of reading is a priority. Fiction Series Made Simple is designed to help librarians maintain fresh and fun collections.
A careful examination of decodable sets designed to support burgeoning readers and their grown-ups on the path toward reading fluency.
Picture book series that help readers consider their place in the world.
This season’s additions to early reader series appeal to developing passions in science, animal welfare, and more.
A focus on the strong bonds of friendship and family run through these new and ongoing chapter book series.
Additions to beloved, well-established series and exciting new adventures await readers in this season’s middle grade selections.
The best of these hi-lo titles hit on the perfect mix of layered characterization, compelling plots, and sharp writing that will appeal to readers of any skill level.
These graphic novels series and sequels bring lessons about friendship, care, and self-determination into sharp focus.
In their SLJ Summit session, librarians Julie Stivers and Julia Torres provided strategies and suggestions for helping students overcome reading trauma and creating truly inclusive libraries.
A bill in Ohio would criminalize teachers and librarians for having "obscene" books in their collections; New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu pulls state librarian nomination after pressure from conservative groups; districts in Kansas and Tennessee remove and restrict titles; and more in censorship news.
Meet the 13 members of the 2025 Heavy Medal Award Committee (HMAC). Every one of them is committed to reading all 15 titles on our Heavy Medal Book List, then discussing each one, starting December 30th.
If you’re looking to foster a love for fantasy that’s sure to last a lifetime, here are six spectacular, inclusive (and more or less recent) middle grade fantasy books to gift this holiday season.
Whatever you might call them, today's books are the titles that transition children into first reading on their own, and then into reading on their own for pleasure.
More than 8 million students, educators, families, and librarians from as many as 100 countries are expected to take part in fun and engaging activities that encourage creative expression during the fourth annual Crayola Creativity Week, running January 27 through February 2.
More diverse voices speaking out means more opportunities for representative stories to be acknowledged, shared, understood, celebrated, and honored, as evidenced in these 25 audio titles for young listeners.
Mike Kunkel's Herobear and the Kid, a longtime favorite and award-winning kids' comic, has found a new home at Papercutz.
Check out these 25 middle grade titles coming out in 2025!
Announcing the winners of the 2024 Undies Case Cover Awards!
Some books today could easily be called "weird" but you're also going to see a number of titles that upset our conceptions of what a children's book published in America can even be. That might mean the subject matter, the narrative style, the art, or some other aspect is "unconventional".
From a bilingual book about Cuba to a graphic novel poetry collection, these diverse titles are sure to delight a wide range of young readers.
EveryLibrary executive director John Chrastka spoke at the 2024 SLJ Summit, providing a playbook for statewide strategies to prioritize and protect school libraries and librarians.
Check out this week's list of new comics, manga, and graphic novels for readers 12 and under, featuring Alligator Loki Holiday Special #1 from Marvel Comics and Surfside Girls The Clue in the Reef from IDW Publishing.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen looks at the PEW Research findings on teens, social media and technology for 2024.
Our discussion of 15 Heavy Medal Mock Newbery titles begins in two weeks. Here's a complete schedule of titles and discussion dates, along with other Heavy Medal activities in store as we approach the announcement of the 2025 Newbery Medal.
Dive in to a delicious array of poetry for children. Poetry. It ain't just for April anymore.
Unfamiliar with today's book? Maybe it deserves classic status as an undiscovered gem. Today we discuss Gremlins, tiny demons, and so much more.
Kwanzaa is an African American and pan-African holiday that celebrates family, community, and culture. These board books, picture books, and audiobooks will help young children learn more about it and get into the spirit of the holiday.
Mychal Threets spoke at the 20th SLJ Summit, sharing his story and taking questions from attendees.
Today, I'm giving you the books in 2024 that hadn't a word of narration to spare. And they're not all picture books either! See if you can spot the graphic novel hiding in their ranks.
Today's list combines the best parts of traditional storytelling and modern mores. Come and enjoy the old and the new together.
IMLS-funded, READCON provides free, self-guided training to help library practitioners build strong community relationships, manage difficult situations, and engage stakeholders. Public, school, and academic library workers are also welcome to READCON's Legal Landscape of Librarianship Forum, February 18–20.
The X-Men get the manga treatment in this retelling of the animated series.
Take a look at the 15 titles that made the Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Book List for 2025. We will discuss these titles in depth- Dec. 28- Jan. 14th.
A few more great books to round out your reading year!
Today we're giving a shout out not simply to the translated books that make to American shelves, but also to the hardworking translators who are so good at what they do.
Book challenges overwhelm members seeking to follow library policy and address other district issues.
The event brought more than 150 school librarians to Raleigh, NC, to learn, network, and support and inspire one another.
Here's a look at the graphic novels that publishers have been acquiring, and when we can expect to see them.
Being vulnerable on the page hasn’t been easy. Opening myself up to judgement—both good and bad is terrifying.
The 2025 Mock Caldecott winners at my K-3rd grade school!
I LOVE photography. I feel it's the great unsung, untapped genre of children's books and is vastly deserving of more attention. 2024 had some true photographic beauties and we're going to experience them firsthand, right now!
New planets, secret headquarters, extraterrestrial creatures, and other cosmic delights fill the pages of these works for elementary through high school readers.
The new law in New Jersey aims to limit book removals and protect librarians from criminal prosecution; in Illinois, some school districts are choosing to lose state grants instead of complying with its Freedom to Read law; additional titles removed in Oregon and Tennessee; and more in censorship news.
In celebration of Taylor Swift's birthday on December 13th (iykyk), Teen Librarian Cindy Shutts shares her Taylor Swift themed Escape Room
Today we have a preview of the final arc of James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas' fantasy tale Wynd.
Author Sabrina Moyle discusses her graphic novel, ASTRID AND STELLA COMET TOGETHER
Several journals and libraries have announced their "Best Children's Books of 2024." How do their choices compare to the possible Newbery contenders on our Heavy Medal nominations list?
A behind-the-scenes look at how THE LAST ZOOKEEPER was made.
This year, we're going to talk about the usual slew of "message" books, while also taking some time to consider those titles that look at social and emotional learning.
Caregivers can read these poems to children to help them on their journey to slumber.
This sweet graphic novel about a girl with dyslexia will help readers understand not only their own challenges, reading or otherwise, but also those that their friends may be facing.
Check out my 13 favorite reads of the year!
It’s time to take a look back at the year that was in children’s lit miscellanea.
Math! It's beautiful, isn't it? The perfection of it. Its logic. Cadences. Sublime applications. Today we celebrate it when it's put into children's books brilliantly. Don't be scared. Math is for everyone.
What do you do when four million wasps invade your town? Make 'em a sandwich, of course! Kate and I discuss this 1972 publication and determine whether it ranks as a "classic".
The world lost poet, author, and civil rights activist Nikki Giovanni on Monday, but her impact and legacy live on in her writing.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen discusses the end of the Eras Tour and what libraries can learn from Taylor Swift
View the final nomination list of 57 Mock Newbery contenders and vote in a poll to help determine our final book list.
Make your voice heard by voting for the 2024 Undies Case Cover Awards.
Enjoy both books where two different languages appear in the same title, and books of translation from one language to another. It's a celebration of all things bilingual today!
The Young Adult Library Services Association announced the finalists for the Morris Award for a YA title by a previously unpublished author and the Excellence in Nonfiction Award for nonfiction YA books for ages 12 to 18.
NCTE has announced Stealing Little Moon: The Legacy of American Indian Boarding Schools by Dan SaSuWeh Jones and The Last Stand by Antwan Eady, illus. by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey, as the 2025 Orbis Pictus and Charlotte Huck award winners, respectively.
These three chapter books feature lovable, quirky animal sleuths solving wacky mysteries and getting into plenty of high jinks along the way.
Cree, Sioux, and Ojibwa are featured in these picture books across fiction and nonfiction categories. Among them are an old favorite, vastly updated, plus a biography about the hero of the drum.
At story hours or in more casual settings, readers will come away from these two charming books about family and baking hungry. In each, family and friends—woodland animals or human dear ones—gather, and beautiful loaves of challah are enjoyed by all.
While from a sales perspective picture book reprints are risky things, today we are highlighting those rare titles that get a second chance at life.
What precisely is a "Caldenott"? Any book where the illustrator is inconveniently from a country other than America. Today, we look beyond rigid classifications to celebrate artists deserving in every possible way save location.
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