Lynn: “There is a people in our forest,” Nix, “the foulest of fairies,” worriedly announces in the first chapter of Lena Coakley’s Wicked Nix (2018). Left behind when the other fairies went home to the Summer Country, Nix has lived in the forest alone for almost a year. Was he left to protect the forest for the Fairy […]
After months of deliberation, the Booklist editors have finally announced their 2018 Editors’ Choice lists and their selections for the best of the best—Top of the List! This is an exclusive sneak peak from Booklist’s January 1&15 issue which will be available on January 10th. It has been a wonderful year in reading and reviewing. Enjoy! Booklist […]
This regular feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. The Labyrinth of the Spirits, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and read by Daniel Weyman Casting a male narrator for a novel featuring a […]
It’s always a headache shopping for certain people on your list, particularly when it comes to books. But we’re here to help—again—with an oddly specific gift guide. Check out our entries from last year if you need further suggestions! For your nephew who wants a cat but his father (your brother) won’t let him get one because […]
Willowdean, the protagonist of Julie Murphy’s Dumplin‘ (2015), never set out to be the “Joan of Arc of fat girls.” Yet three years after Dumplin‘s release, Willowdean remains the poster child for fat positivity in YA, with readers of all ages ready to ride under her banner of self-acceptance and fabulousness. The novel’s film adaptation, starring Danielle Macdonald and […]
Lynn: Like the picture books in our earlier post, several graphic novels published this year also offer the opportunity to walk in the shoes of refugees and immigrants. Aimed at middle-school and teen readers, these books combine outstanding text and dramatic visual images to provide reading experiences that make a deep emotional impact. The Unwanted: […]
By now, you’ve surely heard of Knickers, the oversized Australian cow. If you haven’t, that’s really too sad for you because Knickers was the viral internet story we so desperately needed last week. Measuring 6’4” in height and weighing in at 1.4 tons, Knickers is large—too large, in fact, for the abattoirs, and thus destined […]
Lynn: How do we talk to children about refugees, immigrants, and all the related issues dominating the news? It seems to us a large number of adults don’t even understand the horrifying situations that have forced masses of desperate people to flee their homelands—so how can we help young people understand this serious issue while […]
Our newest feature gives Booklist critics the opportunity to shout about a recently published book they adored. They’ll tell us why we should read it, then provide five read-alikes for the title. Transcription, by Kate Atkinson and read by Fenella Woolgar Actress Fenella Woolgar and author Kate Atkinson have shared many creatively fruitful unions. […]
Best-selling and award-winning writer Maya Rodale discovered just how great a romance novel can be while in college when her mother insisted that she read one. Now the author of more than a dozen romances, a selection of novellas, and the nonfiction work Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained, Maya […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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