Q: I read your advice on preparing in advance to respond to a concern or complaint. It all makes sense but I feel like I should be doing more, given everything that’s been happening over …
The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
Imagine accepting a job knowing nothing about the work, only to arrive by train at a nondescript location where the first order of business is to sign the Official Secrets Act.
2023 CCBC Diversity Statistics: Press Release and Media Kit
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center has released its 2023 diversity statistics on the number of books it received by and about Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. Check out the press release and media kit, …
Shark Teeth
Recently back home after a stint in foster care, twelve-year-old Sharkita (Black) lives in fear of again being separated from her precocious sister, Lilli, and developmentally disabled brother, Lamar. While Mama goes out—sometimes for days at a time—Kita cooks dinner, pays the bills, cleans the house, and cares for her younger siblings.
A Suffragist’s Guide to the Antarctic
In 1914, 18-year-old Clara Ketterling-Dunbar (white) is the only female (and American) member of a crew of 28 on board the British ship Resolute when it sinks in Antarctic waters, leaving everyone alive but stranded on ice floes.
My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages
“My mother has two tongues. With one tongue, she speaks Malayalam. With the other, she speaks English.” Young Sumi (Indian American) explains that her mother changes the language she speaks depending on who she’s with and what she’s doing.
Restrictions on Books and Access to Materials in the School Library
Q: I’ve seen several news stories recently in which districts have “restricted” some titles and students must get permission to check them out, and/or parents have the option of prohibiting their children from checking anything …
Jimmy’s Rhythm and Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin
“Home is brick brown, / Harlem, uptown, / trains rumbling by.” An exquisitely composed picture book biography of James Baldwin illuminates his interest in the arts and development as a writer from a young age.
Fire from the Sky
Teenage Ánte loves his life in a small northern Swedish town. His Sámi family herds reindeer, although they’re no longer nomadic. Indeed, he’s living a settled, 21st-century life, going to high school, texting with friends, engaging (or not) on social media. Ánte has no desire to go anywhere but wonders if he’ll be able to stay: He doesn’t know anyone else who is gay.
A Few Thoughts on Books Published in 2023
As books came into the library, and as we read throughout the year, we made note of several big-picture observations that struck us.