Leading our most viewed posts of the week, a deeply personal appreciation by SLJ’s Kimberly Fakih of the Sydney Taylor classic.  Meanwhile, our 2023 profile of Mychal Threets made the rounds, as the much-loved ambassador of libraries departed the Fairfield (CA) Civic Center Library March 1.  

The average book prices are produced annually by SLJ in partnership with Follett and Baker & Taylor.

Co-authors Kekla Magoon & Cynthia Leitich Smith in conversation about the inspiration behind The Blue Stars Series: Mission One: The Vice Principal Problem: "When we set out to write a middle grade graphic novel series about cousins who became superheroes to save their school library, we couldn't have imagined how timely our story would become."

District employees drew clothes on Maurice Sendak characters in one Florida district, while students, legislators, and library workers fight back against censorship in Virginia, Oregon, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

Illustrated titles about strong women and self-empowerment for girls from the 2024 Rise Booklist. 

It’s a good moment for new women’s history books—and also a good time for librarians to cull outdated titles. 

The National Council for History Education suggests these resources to help prepare lessons and discussions focusing on the lives and contributions of women throughout history.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal announce the 2024 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience.

In Florida, governor Ron DeSantis is pushing for an adjustment to his law that created a mass of book challenges, as bills on both sides of the fight for intellectual freedom are debated in Oregon and Utah, while West Virginia and Georgia seek to strip librarians' legal protections.