Literary journeys expand readers' intellectual and emotional worlds, helping them gain understanding of global situations and insight into the human condition. The "here" they know becomes broader through outstanding international literature. When choosing books for the 2011 United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)…

In this article, the author talks about her past experiences and how she immersed herself in African-American literature. While teaching a journalism class in an after-school program at the Decatur Clearpool Beacon School in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy section, the author realized that most of her students had no sense of African-American history beyond a…

This article presents an interview with Paolo Bacigalupi, a rising sci-fi star who has walked away with the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and, most recently, the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature--the Young Adult Library Services Association's top prize for prose. That's pretty impressive for a guy who's published…

On the "New York Times" Children's Best Sellers list for more than two years, Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" still causes groups of children to enthusiastically exclaim that it's the "best book ever." What is it that kids love about Greg Heffley and his escapades? Why are they overcome with laughter while simply trying to explain his humor?…

This article presents a list of ALSC and YALSA Book Picks 2010. The list includes (1) ALSC Notable Children's Books; (2) YALSA Booklists; (3) Best Books for Young Adults; (4) Great Graphic Novels for Teens; and (5) the Top 10 Quick Picks.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced its 2011 annual lists of Fabulous Films for Young Adults and Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults ages 12 to 18. This article presents the titles which were released in January 2011 during the ALA Midwinter meeting in San Diego,…

This article presents a list of ALSC's notable children's books, YALSA's best books for young adults, YALSA's great graphic novels for teens, and YALSA's quick picks for reluctant young adult readers.

Some of the world's best children's book artists got together to help Amnesty International celebrate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' 60th anniversary in "We Are All Born Free," one of the 42 titles recommended by the fourth annual United States Board on Books for Young People's (USBBY) Outstanding International Books…

According to historian Gary W. Gallagher, "Books about the Civil War have accumulated at the rate of more than a title a day since fighting erupted at Fort Sumter in April 1861." Now, 150 years later, children's authors and illustrators continue to approach this fascinating era in inventive ways. The past decade has brought readers rich portrayals…

When Vaunda Micheaux Nelson donned a black Stetson to become the biographer of Deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, she had no idea that her square-shooting book about an unsung African-American hero of the Old West would win over a posse of fans and earn her the prestigious 2010 Coretta Scott King (CSK) Author Award. "Bad News for Outlaws"…

This article presents a list of ALSC's notable children's books for younger readers, middle readers and older readers. It also presents a list of YALSA 2011 best fiction for young adults. Great graphic novels for Teens are included.

This article presents an interview with Terry Pratchett, one of the world's most beloved storytellers. And with sales of more than 65 million books in 37 languages, he's indisputably one of the most successful. The English novelist's many honors include a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, more than a half dozen honorary doctorates, and the 2008…

When Barry Lyga finished writing his second young adult (YA) novel, he knew there'd be trouble. After all, "Boy Toy" was about a 12-year-old who has sex with a beautiful teacher twice his age, and Lyga expected it to spark letters to local papers, trigger complaints to the school board, and incite some parents to yank it off library shelves. But…

The Notable Children's Videos, Recordings, and Great Interactive Software for Kids lists are compiled annually by committees of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). This article presents the lists for 2010 that were released in January during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in…

The author asks some of the top kids' book creators to choose their favorite children's book about the black experience. The title could be for kids of any age--from a picture book or graphic novel to a chapter book or collection of poems. It could be new or old, fiction or nonfiction. This article presents some of "School Library Journal"'s…