In this story of a little dog stressed out by the sights, sounds, and feelings of the city on a summer day, Salati wanted to share a universal experience of feeling overwhelmed that would resonate with kids.
A picture book about a young girl coming to understand what a Confederate flag means would be a tricky topic for anyone to tackle. Today I speak with Tameka Fryer Brown about writing such a book.
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.
Ahead of Banned Books Week, which begins Sunday, the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom released data on challenges from January to August of this year.
The first comprehensive look at book bans in the 2021-22 school year breaks down the numbers by state, author, title, content, and legislative pressures.
While in the minority, the SLJ Diverse Books Survey reveals some librarians are declining to purchase books with diverse characters to avoid a challenge.
Rollicking adventures, coming-of-age woes, and long-lasting friendships are part and parcel of middle grade books, and these outstanding 25 picks fit the bill.
These 27 picks for teens offer so much for young people pushing to define themselves--first love, fantastical worlds, betrayal, political upheaval, and more.
Striking images, stunning narratives, rich colors, and complex panel designs are prime examples of why these 22 works of sequential art belong in the classrooms and on library shelves.
Chapter books are such an important part of literacy, and these six selections are not only perfect stepping stones on the learning journey, but also fun gems to secure children’s love of reading.
These 27 picks for teens offer so much for young people pushing to define themselves--first love, fantastical worlds, betrayal, political upheaval, and more.
Stellar research, unexplored histories, scientific breakthroughs, and heartbreaking truths loom large in this whopping list of 52 choice nonfiction works.
This month, we feature John Lewis's follow-up to the "March" trilogy, Samira Ahmed's middle grade debut shines, Tiffany D. Jackson delivers another winning suspense novel, and two nonfiction titles discuss Charles Dickens.
Striking images, stunning narratives, rich colors, and complex panel designs are prime examples of why these 22 works of sequential art belong in the classrooms and on library shelves.
Graphic novels deliver on the thrills and chills, and middle grade readers have plenty to choose from. Brigid Alverson examines the format and recommends 13 titles that deftly blend scary and fun.
While publishers turn out an ever-growing array of young adult graphic novels, plenty of adult titles have strong teen appeal, too. These works across a range of genres offer mature takes on topics with potential teen interest.
With her graphic memoir Messy Roots, Laura Gao followed an unconventional publishing path from viral tweet to indie bestseller. She illustrates her path to publication in this SLJ-original comic.
Driven by conspiracy theories and memes, contemporary antisemitism is spurring new strategies to inform youth, empower allies, and hold social sites to account.
With the Newbery Medal announcement just a month away, bloggers Emily and Steven share some of their memories of what the last month of a Newbery year is like for the 15 committee members.
85 titles were suggested on Heavy Medal this year, then 68 titles were nominated. We narrowed it down to 6 for an “Early 6 Booklist” and then 16 for our final Heavy Booklist. Getting it down to 16 was not easy and we wanted to share some of the titles that sadly “didn’t make the […]
Of all of the literary elements named in the Newbery Criteria, "style" may be the most difficult to evaluate. Emily and Steven share thoughts on how important an author's style can be when trying to determine the winner of the Newbery Medal.
A Thousand Steps into Night started with a seemingly straightforward idea: A girl is cursed to turn into a monster. But what makes a monster? Maybe there's power in being a monster. Maybe it's worth it.
The post What Makes a Monster? A guest post by Traci Chee appeared first on Teen Librarian Toolbox.