Celebrating Industry Greats We Lost in 2025

The turn from one year to another brings many celebrations and reflections. Reflecting over the year gone
by allows us to pause for those we have said goodbye to along the way. Betsy Bird, over on Fuse #8 Productions blog put together a list honoring youth literature greats we lost in 2025, including links to longer remembrances.

Stop here to see her post. [In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2025. Bird, Betsy.  Fuse #8 Productions blog. SLJ. January 2, 2026.]

Kidlit for Los Angeles Fundraising Auction

 From the press release:

The children’s publishing industry is uniting to support a fundraising initiative launched by four picture book authors in response to last week’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. Kidlit for Los Angeles—founded by Caroline L. Perry, Charlotte Offsay, Tara Luebbe, and Jocelyn Rish—has been flooded with donations from authors, illustrators, and industry professionals.

Top auction items include a complete set of signed Diary of a Wimpy Kid books with an original sketch from creator Jeff Kinney; a virtual school or book club visit from Wings of Fire author Tui T. Sutherland; virtual school visits from Kate DiCamillo, Alan Gratz, Lisa Moore Ramée, Bob Shea, Ben Clanton, Scott Magoon, Kelly DiPucchio, and Adam Wallace; signed books from Suzanne Collins, Donna Barba Higuera, Daniel Nayeri, and Eric Rosswood; original art from Vashti Harrison and Pete Oswald; and exceptional contributions from editors, agents, and other industry professionals.

“I reached out to Charlotte to see if we could channel our sadness into something productive,” says Perry, a Los Angeles-based author. “I have friends who lost their homes in the fires, and this tragedy has impacted so many.” After putting out a call for donations, Perry says the team was “overwhelmed” by the support they received. Illustrator Sydney Hanson designed the Kidlit for Los Angeles logo while evacuated from her home. “We turned to our networks,” says author Offsay, who is also an Angeleno. “And everyone wanted to help.”

The online auction will run from January 20 to 26, raising funds for the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, and the Animal Wellness Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund. “We have so many incredible items,” Luebbe says, with Rish adding: “There’s something for everyone. Please come and bid!”

ONLINE AUCTION SITE  

Where proceeds will go:
– California Community Foundation: Wildfire Relief Fund: calfund.org
– Los Angeles Regional Food Bank: lafoodbank.org
– Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation: https://supportlafd.org/
– Animal Wellness Foundation Fire Relief Fund: https://www.animalwellnessfoundation.org/

About Kidlit For Los Angeles
We are a group of kidlit creators who have been heartbroken by the apocalyptic scenes in Los Angeles. Many of us are proud Angelenos, with friends and loved ones who have suffered crushing losses. We are looking to help raise desperately-needed funds for wildfire relief efforts in the many communities that have been impacted.

Fundraiser Organizers:
Caroline L. Perry: www.carolinelperry.com
Charlotte Offsay: www.charlotteoffsay.com
Tara Luebbe: www.beckytarabooks.com
Logo design by Sydney Hanson: https://www.shannonassociates.com/sydneyhanson
Follow Kidlit for Los Angeles on Instagram (@kidlitforlosangeles) for updates.

Remembering Youth Book Creators Lost in 2024

Each year, Betsy Bird at School Library Journal's Fuse #8 Productions blog memorializes children and teen book creators who died in the previous year. It is always surprising to see the many people who had such a profound effect on the world of children's literature who are no longer with us.

Click here to read her post. [In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2024. Bird, Betsy. Fuse #8 Productions. School Library Journal. January 2, 2025.]

Walter Dean Myers Award Winners Announced

Youth Literature Awards season is in full swing. We Need Diverse Books recently published their awards recognizing diverse authors whose works fetaure diverse main characters and address diversity in a meaningful way.

2024​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category

Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House)

2024​ ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category
Grounded by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S.K. Ali (Amulet/Abrams)

2024​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Teen​ ​Category
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan)

2024​ ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Teen​ ​Category
All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr (Amulet/Abrams)

The​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Award,​ ​also​ ​known​ ​as​ ​“The​ ​Walter,”​ ​is​ ​named​ ​for​ ​prolific​ ​children’s​ ​and young​ ​adult​ ​author​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​(1937-2014).​ ​Myers​ ​was​ ​the​ ​third​ ​National​ ​Ambassador for​ ​Young​ ​People’s​ ​Literature,​ ​appointed​ ​in​ ​2012​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​a​ ​champion of​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​books.​ ​The​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ commemorate ​Myers’​ ​memory​ ​and​ ​his​ literary legacy,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​celebrate​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature.

The eighth annual​ ​Walter​ ​Awards ​Ceremony​ and Symposium ​will be held​ ​Wednesday,​ ​March​ ​13,​ ​2024.​

National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo, the Young People’s Poet Laureate, will serve as moderator. The​ event ​will​ include a panel discussion with the winners and honorees, followed by a Q&A.

The​ ​2024 Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee:​ Jeremiah Henderson (chair), Sarah DeMicheli, Jamila Felton, Siân Gaetano, Jamie Kurumaji, Hanna Lee, Sara Martinez, Jenell Penn, Hadeal Salamah

Walter Award Co-directors: Kathie Weinberg and Yukari Matsuyama

Remembering the Authors and Illustrators We Lost in 2023

Byron Barton

Betsy Bird recently shared lovely tributes to the many children and teen  book creators who died over the past year. in her Fuse8 blog. 

We are lucky to have their books to continue to share with young people.

[In Memoriam: Remembering Those Lost in 2023. Bird, Betsy. Fuse9blog, School Library Journal. Jan 2, 2024.]

FYI - Nomenclature Change at TeachingBooks

 

From Jeni Schomber:

 

We're excited to announce that our public library platform Book Connections will be rebranded as TeachingBooks for Libraries.

This change is anticipated to be live next week. At that time, you'll see the new logo and the web address will change from BookConnections.org to library.TeachingBooks.net. No timely update is needed on your end; existing links will all re-direct appropriately.

You will continue to have access to the same rich database of resources, helpful tools, and customer support. Soon after this change is live, we will send updated embeddable options for your library.

Thank you, as always, for finding joy in reading with us. We are excited to continue to streamline our offerings to better support your literacy work. If you have any questions, please reach out.

Sincerely,

Nick

TeachingBooks is available to all Wisconsin libraries and residents through BadgerLink, Wisconsin's Online Library. TeachingBooks is an engaging collection of resources that brings books to life. Features include author interviews, interactives activities, discussion guides, and more to support literacy at your library. 

UW-Madison Fall CE Courses

UW-Madison iSchool has, among it's excellent fall continuing education offerings, two courses of interest to youth services staffers. Read on. 10% early bird discounts are available for each course when signing up 2 weeks before the start date.

Youth Services 101  Sept 12-Nov 6

Online, asynchronous (you pick the best time weekly to access and learn). $350

Instructor: Brooke Newbery, Youth Services Coordinator, La Crosse Public Library

Looking to ground yourself in the basics of youth services for public libraries? Whether you are new to the field, need a refresher, or just need a breath of fresh air, this course will look at the past, present and, future of great service for children and teens.

Topics include:

• Child development
• Collection building
• Programming, planning
• Advocacy
• Outreach
• Partnerships
• Kid-friendly environments
• Trends in service
• Success with difficult patrons

Register here.

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What’s New in Children’s Books?       Oct 17-Nov 13

Online, asynchronous (you pick the best time weekly to access and learn). $150  1.4 CEUs.

Instructor: Crystal Brunelle, Library Media Specialist, Northern Hills Elementary School, Onalaska

Are you looking for ways to keep your children’s collection inclusive, relevant, and up-to-date? Designed for librarians and library workers in service to children, this course will provide a survey of new books for readers from birth to 12 years old. Participants will learn about current evaluation and selection techniques and resources for finding a wide variety of books for young readers. Books examined include outstanding new (2019-present) board books, picture books, graphic novels, poetry, along with fiction and nonfiction in various formats. The Fall 2022 reading list will be available by Sept 15.

Topics include

• Creating and maintaining inclusive collections
• Current trends in children’s lit
• Titles and formats popular with young readers
• Titles connected to current issues in the world
• Resources for locating materials and staying current

Readings There are multiple books to read for this course. A reading list will be available by Sept 15.

 Register here

To see the full list of fall CE courses, stop here.

This Year's Zena Sutherland Lecture is Virtual!

Mark your calendars for Friday May 7 from 7:30-9:00pm and virtually attend this free lecture with presenter Jason Reynolds  This lecture is presented annually by the Chicago Public Library, the Sutherland Lecture Committee and the University of Chicago. 

While most years you have to travel down to Chicago for this always-free lecture by a major figure in children's and teen literature, this year you can take advantage of this distinguished lecture virtually. It is a rare opportunity!

John Mangahas of the Chicago Public Library writes: "I'm excited to be able to share this news with you: registration is now open for the 2021 Zena Sutherland Lecture presented by Jason Reynolds! This year the lecture will be on Zoom. You can click here to register: chipublib.org/Sutherland  You can also submit questions to be considered for the Q&A portion via a link on the registration page. I'm so glad we are able to offer this again this year. Please feel free to spread the word and we hope many of you will be able to attend!'

The Prince and the Dressmaker Musical, Coming Your Way!

Calling all musical lovers...

Jen Wang's The Prince and the Dressmaker is going to be turned into a movie musical!

                  

You read that correctly...Kristen and Bobby Lopez, of Frozen fame, announced that their next project will be an adaptation of the popular 2018 graphic novel!

Here's a link to the Playbill article...and another featured on The Mary Sue.

No official timeline has been released for the project, but keep it on your radars!

10 YA Audiobooks Available on Spotify!

This is not a drill.  Repeat.  THIS IS NOT A DRILL!

Are you a Spotify user looking for another source for audiobooks?  You're in luck!

The good folks at Epic Reads recently shared the following LIST in their blog.

So far, there are only 10 YA-specific titles, but hopefully Spotify will add more soon.

Plus, the popular streaming service has an ever-growing collection of spoken word options, ranging from classic literature to poetry to vintage radio dramas to myths and fables from around the world.  It's definitely worth a gander.

Happy listening!

A Brief History of Modern YA Literature

One of my go-to teen services blog has long been Teen Librarian Toolbox, written by a group of front-line passionate YA advocates and librarians. Karen Jensen, with the help of her colleagues recently shared a great infographic looking at some the highlights of YA lit from the 1960's through now.

To read the post and see the graphic, stop here.

Books with LGBTQIA+ Protagonists - An Epic Reads Book List

Psst!

Epic Reads posted a super rad book list to celebrate Pride Month: Books with LGBTQIA+ Protagonists!

There are 32 titles included, so no matter how you use the list--for collection development, your personal TBR, or both--there's plenty to enjoy!

Happy reading and Happy Pride Month, everyone!

   

YA Addresses #MeToo

In a recent article in Publishers Weekly entitled YA Addresses #MeToo, Sue Corbett explores a but a small selection of the wealth of new titles available to YA readers that touch on the dangers of toxic relationships.  From abortion to victim shaming and sexual abuse, these authors and their stories don't shy away from heavy hitting, controversial topics.  "Fueled at least in part by the current political climate, publishers are also churning out books that look more broadly at sexual politics, including an impeccably timed novel about the realities of restrictive abortion laws."

A few of the titles highlighted upon include Screen Queens by Lori Goldstein, Unpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan, The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson, and Amelia Westlake Was Never Here by Erin Gough.

While books of this nature often feature a female protagonist, the article makes sure to mention a new title that highlights the issue from the perspective of a male victim:

"Though most of the books dealing with these issues involve female victimhood, Cub by Paul Coccia (Orca Soundings, Jan.) features a teenage boy who enters a baking competition. After surviving several rounds, he realizes it might not be his culinary skill that the judge, a] celebrity chef, is really interested in." 

Click HERE to read the whole article.

Teens Rockin' Social Media to Share Their Love of Books and Reading!

Looking to refresh your bookish social media intake?  You're in luck!

Book Riot contributor Karissa Knox Sorrell recently posted 30 Teen Book Bloggers, Bookstagrammaers, and Booktubers You Should Be Following.

Treat yo self to some lovely insights, reviews, and imagery from a plethora of teen readers, bloggers, vloggers, tweeters, and Instagrammers.



Because research.

YALSA's Book Finder Database

Just in case you missed the email from the ever-fabulous Tessa Michaelson Schmidt, YALSA's Teen Book Finder Database has been updated with the most recent award winners, honorees, and selected booklists.  Huzzah!

Not familiar with this particular database?  This fantastic resource allows the user to do a straight search or browse by a variety of topics, including genre, author, award year, and award/booklist.  The database also includes audiobooks and films!  Pages discussing a specific title will also include links leading to other similarly tagged offerings.

Click HERE to start exploring!

Book Lists Galore!

'Tis the season for oodles of book lists, fa la la la, la la la la

Best of, notable, can't miss book lists, fa la la la la, la la la la



The New York Times Book Review recently announced their Notable Children's Books of 2018.

Paste Magazine shared their picks for the 30 Best Young Adult Novels of 2018.

Chicago Public Library, rockin' out oodles of book lists with their Best of the Best Books, 2018 edition.

The annual Goodreads Choice Awards 2018 winners have also been announced!

Holy guacamole, that's a lot of fabulous books!  (and the lists are still coming, believe you me!)

Happy perusing!

ICYMI: It's Lit! The Evolution of YA

Have you been keeping up with The Great American Read on PBS?  It's an eight-part series that explores and celebrates the power of reading.  

In addition to enjoying the episodes on PBS, folks can join a book club, share stories about their experiences with reading, vote for their favorite titles, engage on social media, and learn about books and literature through a fun series of video essays entitled It's Lit!

So far there are only 4 videos, but one of which discusses young adult literature.  SO!  In case you missed it...

It's Lit! The Evolution of YA

Another sweet offering from The Great American Read are these super rad downloadables!  There are posters, memes, book facts, and book quotes galore!  My personal favorites are the vintage travel posters based on famous novels.  *insert swooning and heart eyes here*

CCBC Shorts Webinar

Wednesday, March 14

 9:00 - 9:30am

Join us for brief, timely tours through some of the newest and best in children’s and young adult literature. Megan and Merri from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) will be your guides for these monthly 30-minute sessions designed to give librarians a heads-up about selected brand new titles of note. We’ll also revisit some of the gems already in your library collections. Each month will feature a different topic or theme.

The webinar will be recorded if you're not able to attend the live session.

REGISTER HERE

What's the Difference?: Middle Grade vs Young Adult

Here in my neck of the woods, the grass is under a blanket of snow, the materials budget is in hand, and summer reading is right around the corner. Early spring is a great time to prune and grow the library collection and prepare for the influx of summer readers. With that in mind, the question what's the dividing line between Middle Grade and Young Adult fiction comes up from time to time. How do you determine where it fits? Do you look at the age of the protaganist? The subject matter? Or do you use other benchmarks like which collection it will circulate best in and reach more potential readers?

As in so many things, professional judgment and knowledge of our community of users plays a big part. From a writer's perspective, here's an article from the August 2014 issue of Writer's Digest that talks about the key differences between MG and YA. Do you agree?

FInding Books for Teens

YALSA's The Hub has a great post up about how teens find books (one-on-one recommendations are a huge piece).  Libraries provide it.  Yes?