In the days since they survived unspeakable tragedy, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School have dominated the headlines for their remarkable transformation from victims to outspoken activists. Celebrate the kids from Parkland with these empowering YA and middle-grade books about teens who rally for positive change. (The titles are linked to their […]
When the doctors removed a tumor from Flora Banks’ brain at the age of 10, she also lost her ability to form new memories. Now, at 17, one memory sticks out—kissing Drake. The trailer for The One Memory of Flora Banks (Philomel) follows Flora as she traverses a tundra, determined to find Drake in Norway […]
Cindy and Lynn: So many of us are running around frantically—it’s that time of year. Like our mothers told us, we’d lose our heads if they weren’t attached. But recently, some teen books seem to have done just that—well, almost. Lately, we’ve noticed a steady flow of teen books with figures on the covers that, […]
Every weekday, we feature a different review on Booklist Online that highlights starred reviews, high-demand titles, and/or titles especially relevant to our current issue’s spotlight. We’ve collected the reviews from October 17 through October 21 below, so that you can revisit the week’s best books. Monday, October 17 Odes, by Sharon Olds An audaciously explicit poet of the […]
Well, I’ve done it. I entered the Riggs-Burton time loop and emerged intact and, on the whole, pleased. For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, you’re clearly not among the Peculiar initiate. Yet. I’m referring, of course, to Tim Burton’s new film adaptation of Ransom Riggs’ Miss Peregrine’s Home for […]
Assigning books in the youth department at Booklist can sometimes prove to be a tense process, since we’re all passionate readers and love some of the same authors. But the atmosphere is never stormier than when a new A. S. King novel arrives. When Still Life with Tornado appeared on the mail cart, my colleague Julia and I, […]
Cindy: Many libraries and English teachers have spent the week building displays and discussing book censorship to honor Banned Books Week. Thank you. Meanwhile, there have been several teen books that have recently flipped the bird at censors in their cover art. Have you read any of these books? Do you have them in your […]
Cindy: Last week, we held our first middle-school book club meeting of the year. Discussing our taste in books, I told the teens my favorites are always ones that make me laugh and cry. Falling Over Sideways (2016), Jordan Sonnenblick’s latest, is a perfect example. The start of Claire’s 7th-grade year is full of the pitfalls that […]
Cindy and Lynn: Booklist’s #SeptemberRomance seems like the perfect time to highlight all the kissy face on teen book covers. Let’s start slowly with the lipstick traces on Anna Michels’ 26 Kisses (2016) and what we assume is an off-stage kiss on the cover of On the Fence by Kasie West (2014). […]
Cindy: I looked at a friend across a table yesterday and could not remember her name. Rather than worry about aging, though, I’m going to chalk it up to the epidemic of amnesia cases in YA lit. I think it’s rubbing off on me. Earlier this year I read With Malice (2016) by Eileen Cook […]
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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