And comic book author Kevin Eastman—cocreator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) series—was at the American Library Association’s 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition on June 26 to talk about the final installment of TMNT, The Last Ronin (IDW Publishing, July 2022), and how the original series came to be. “It was a dream come … Continue reading The Lean, Mean, Green Dream
Haddish appeared as a featured speaker on June 25 at the American Library Association’s 2022 Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. In a lively conversation with Andrew Medlar, president and director of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, she spoke about her early experiences with libraries, her new picture book, and her outlook on life. “This is my … Continue reading Bringing Joy
The critically acclaimed author spoke with librarian and author Nancy Pearl at the American Library Association’s 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition on Sunday, June 26, about the new novel, Our Missing Hearts. In the story, anti–Asian American sentiments have taken over the country, and children of parents who are deemed un-American are removed from their … Continue reading Part of Something Bigger
In a general session of the American Library Association’s 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition on June 25, Hinojosa drew parallels between journalism and librarianship and touched on the privileges and responsibilities that come with handling stories and information, especially during distressing times. “What we all understand is that we have this privilege, and when we … Continue reading Our Shared Responsibility
“The scariest moment of my life is when my son, Matt, was 4 years old. I took him to [the New York International Auto Show] in New York City at the Javits Center,” Stine said. “There were thousands of people, hundreds of cars, and I lost him. He was just gone. And I looked around, … Continue reading Haunting and Hysterical
In “100 Years of the Newbery Medal,” we look at the legacy, challenges, and future of this distinguished award for children’s books. Taylor Hartz talks with former and current Newbery Award Selection Committee members about the honor and responsibility of picking a winner. In “Newbery Firsts,” we explore important milestones—and archival photographs—from the award’s first … Continue reading A Celebration of the Newbery Medal
Appropriately, the Newbery Medal, the world’s first children’s book award, is named for the man credited with publishing the first children’s book. In 1744, John Newbery, a British bookseller, published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, a book of simple rhymes for each letter of the alphabet. The book often came with a gift—a ball or a … Continue reading 100 Years of the Newbery Medal
American Libraries interviewed Jerry Craft, Cynthia Kadohata, Tae Keller, and Lois Lowry about their past Newbery Medals in honor of the award’s 100th anniversary. Jerry Craft Recipient of the 2020 Newbery Medal for New Kid How did you react when you learned you had won the Newbery Medal? At 6:42 a.m., the phone rang. I … Continue reading Winner’s Circle
1922 The first Newbery Medal is awarded to The Story of Mankind, written and illustrated by Dutch American historian and journalist Hendrik Willem van Loon. 1928 Dhan Gopal Mukerji becomes the first person of color and the first Asian American author to win the Newbery. Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon is set in his … Continue reading Newbery Firsts
Spiegelman spoke with American Libraries about book banning, how comic books are used as teaching tools, and the importance of libraries in his life. The recent ban of Maus in Tennessee isn’t its first challenge. What did you think when you heard the news? Well, this was the most prominent. [And] this was much more, … Continue reading Newsmaker: Art Spiegelman
She was a young adult and her mother was serving time for a drug offense. She remembers “just how deceiving that three-inch plexiglass” was as she gripped the phone tightly during the contactless visitation. At that point, everyone she knew was somehow affected by the war on drugs, “which was really a war on Black … Continue reading Dream It to Achieve It
Kendi spoke with American Libraries about having his work challenged in libraries and schools, the myth of neutrality in libraries, and how to raise the next generation of antiracists. Your books are among the most frequently challenged in the current wave of censorship attempts. What’s that like? I write books for the general public, for … Continue reading Newsmaker: Ibram X. Kendi
