At the heart of your new novel is an underwater realm called the Library of Despair and Sorrow. Why do you view sadness and suffering as “more precious than gold,” as you describe in the novel? I think it acknowledges our humanity. It says to the reader, “We all have feelings of sadness, despair, or … Continue reading Newsmaker: Pam Muñoz Ryan
A complete list of the 2025 award winners follows. John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: The First State of Being, written by Erin Entrada Kelly, is the 2025 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: Across … Continue reading 2025 Youth Media Award Winners
American Libraries spoke with Harrison about the response from readers nationwide, life after winning the Caldecott, and how the publishing world can continue to elevate untold stories. What stories have you been hearing from readers about Big? Kids ask me questions about the narrative because there’s a lot of visual metaphor. For example, “Does the … Continue reading Newsmaker: Vashti Harrison
Alexander has written 40 books, including the Newbery Medal–winning title The Crossover and Caldecott-winning The Undefeated. He brought onstage his recent Emmy Award for the Disney+ television adaptation of The Crossover, thanking librarians for his success. “Librarians are some of the most important people in my life, and libraries are woven throughout so many of … Continue reading Libraries Are Love
Eggers has received many prestigious awards, among them the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award for Education, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and, most recently, the Newbery Medal for The Eyes and the Impossible (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2023), an honor Eggers will celebrate at ALA’s 2024 Annual Conference in San Diego. American Libraries caught up … Continue reading Newsmaker: Dave Eggers
A complete list of the 2024 award winners follows. John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: The Eyes and the Impossible, written by Dave Eggers and illustrated by Shawn Harris, is the 2024 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published simultaneously by Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random … Continue reading 2024 Youth Media Award Winners
This precision of language is what has set apart beloved children’s book author and two-time Newbery Medal recipient Kate DiCamillo in her decades-long career. And the speech—which she delivered on January 20 at the American Library Association’s 2024 LibLearnX conference in Baltimore—was one of sorrow but also hope. “Every story is a love story,” she … Continue reading This Is a Love Story
A list of all the 2023 award winners follows: John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: Freewater, written by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is the 2023 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by JIMMY Patterson/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Three Newbery Honor Books also were named: Iveliz Explains It All, written by … Continue reading 2023 Youth Media Award Winners
He began his talk discussing influential books and artists throughout his life. Among them was The Borrowers, by Mary Norton, which he checked out often from the school library. The story—about a family of tiny people who live secretly in floorboards of a kid’s house—was so magical and real for Selznick, that he made little … Continue reading A Page-Turner
Uniting against censorship attempts Organized book challenges continued to proliferate. From January through August, 681 attempts to ban or restrict library materials had been made in the US, with 1,651 unique titles targeted. In response to mounting censorship threats, ALA announced in May its Unite Against Book Bans campaign, a coalition with more than 60 … Continue reading 2022 Year in Review
The library ecosystem encompasses the life cycles of both our users (to provide representation and touchstones at each stage of a person’s life) and library workers (to assist at each stage of our careers). Seasons come and go, but libraries are always present: creating community, ensuring representation, and upholding our values. Here are some roles … Continue reading Representation Matters
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
