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  • Pottermore unveils new writing by J.K. Rowling about Ilvermorny, the North American School of Magic, in the second instalment of Magic in North America, setting the stage for the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

    Pottermore.com users can now be sorted into Ilvermorny houses London, 28 June, 2016 – ‘Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,’ the second instalment in a collection of new original writing …

  • J.K. Rowling to Attend Special Screening of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, to be Held in New York, to Benefit Lumos Foundation USA

    New York, NY – Author J.K. Rowling’s international non-profit children’s organization–announced today that J.K. Rowling will join Academy Award® winner Eddie Redmayne on stage at the Stern Auditorium / Perelman …

  • Mackin Partners with DOGObooks to Enhance Book Discovery

    Mackin partners with the largest site for kids and teens to safely discover, rate and review books BURNSVILLE, MN (June 23, 2016) Mackin announces a partnership with DOGObooks, the largest …

  • Scholastic & Scottgames, LLC Announce a New Book Series Based on the Bestselling Video Game Franchise Five Nights at Freddy’s

    NEW YORK, NY — Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, and acclaimed game developer Scottgames today announced a collaboration on a multi-book deal based on the popular Five …

  • Introducing BOOKMOM, a New Blog Offering Reading Recommendations from a Publishing Insider

    New York, NY — Simon & Schuster’s Children Publishing is excited to introduce BOOKMOM: Picks from a Publishing Parent, a new blog that offers parents reading recommendations from publishing insider …

  • DOGObooks and OverDrive to Enable Social Discovery of eBooks for Kids and Teens

    Tiburon, CA (June 23, 2016) – DOGObooks, the largest website for book reviews by-and-for kids, and OverDrive, the leading digital books platform in libraries and schools, are collaborating to enable social discovery …

  • #DrawingDiversity: ‘City Shapes’ by Diana Murray, illustrations by Bryan Collier

    City Shapes by Diana Murray, illustrations by Bryan Collier (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, June 2016). All rights reserved.

  • Book Spotlight: ‘This Kid Can Fly: It’s About Ability, Not Disability’ by Aaron Philip with Tonya Bolden

    Contributed by Donna Bray, Vice President, Co-Publisher of Balzer + Bray, HarperCollins Publishers

    “How many people with disabilities work here?”

    This was one of the first questions young author Aaron Philip asked our staff when he and his family arrived at the HarperCollins offices to meet us. We all looked around uncomfortably, because the answer is that we work with few to no disabled employees. Aaron went on to speak passionately about the invisibility he and other people with cerebral palsy – and many wheelchair users – often feel when they rarely see themselves represented in the workplace, in television and films, in books, in the news. Aaron is ambitious – he wants a life and a career in the world. But where are his models? This discussion inspired and has stayed with me, and has made me especially glad to be able to contribute to bringing visibility to disability with the publication of This Kid Can Fly.

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    An article in the New York Times alerted me to Aaron’s story. The piece was about his occupational therapist who’d been suspended without pay for using her school email address to contact other staff about Aaron’s self-published book – a project that the principal was aware of and the whole school community supported. The therapist’s story was frustrating and sad, but I was intrigued by what I learned about Aaron (pronounced AY-ron). An immigrant from Antigua, he had come to this country at great sacrifice to his family to seek medical help for his cerebral palsy. His family had even been homeless for a time, which forced his father to carry Aaron up several flights of stairs every day, as the building was not wheelchair accessible. Yet Aaron was clearly determined to achieve. He was the inspiration for a nonprofit called This Ability Not Disability and had self-published a book with their help, and had started a Tumblr about his life, highlighting the struggles of wheelchair users and other disabled people. I found his Tumblr (which also featured his anime art), and the more I read, the more I realized that Aaron’s was an important story to tell. With an authentic, accessible voice, Aaron talked about the particular challenges of being a wheelchair-using kid and the loneliness he often feels. One of the biggest hurdles for disabled children is social – other kids can be intimidated by or afraid of what they don’t understand. I hoped that by publishing the memoir of this extraordinary yet relatable 13-year-old, I could give young readers who have their mobility a window into the experiences of a wheelchair user that also highlights the commonalities of their lives. I also hoped that other kids with disabilities would read Aaron’s story and feel inspired and less alone.

    Here are a few of my favorite recent books that shine a light on the lives of young people who are wheelchair users and/or have cerebral palsy. Feel free to add yours in the comments!

    Reaching for Sun by Traci Vaughn Zimmer

    Laughing At My Nightmare by Shane Burcaw

    Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

    (Disability in Kidlit is a great resource for reviews of other books about many different disabilities, and every year the Schneider Award honors the best in children’s and teen books that feature disabled characters.)

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    Donna Bray is vice president, co-publisher of Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. As the editor of picture books, middle-grade, and teen books, she is particularly interested in seeking out new voices that reflect diversity of race, ethnicity, class, culture, religion, and ability. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.

  • Indiana and Michigan Libraries Honored

    Washington, D.C. — The National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS), part of the Library of Congress, today recognized two libraries for outstanding service to readers who are …

  • “Reading Without Walls” Display at Wild Rumpus Bookstore

    The display, which will be up through Labor Day, features eye-catching visuals and book recommendations for the Reading Without Walls challenge — to read a book outside one’s comfort zone. The main table will …

  • U.S.A. Gold® Pencils Announces Student Poetry Contest Winners

    Students from Michigan, Mississippi and Colorado Take Home Top Prizes Irvine, CA – June 15, 2016 – U.S.A. Gold®pencils today announced the winners of its first student poetry contest, created …

  • Scholastic to Publish New Edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2017

    New York, NY — Scholastic is pleased to announce the publication of a new edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them in 2017. Publishing on March 14, 2017, …

  • Children’s Book Authors Share Their Love of Summer Reading

    Tips include making frequent trips to the library; providing plenty of options that spark your child’s unique interests; and reading to, with, and in front of kids at home. The …

  • ALA Seeks Nation’s Favorite Librarians For 2016 I Love My Librarian Award

    CHICAGO, IL – The American Library Association (ALA) invites the public to nominate their favorite librarians for its prestigious 2016 I Love My Librarian Award. The award recognizes the public …

  • 39 Gubernatorial Spouses, 3 Governors and 1 Lieutenant Governor Join the 2016 Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge to Get Kids Reading

    43 “Reading Ambassadors” promote summer reading in their states; Scholastic donates books on their behalf NEW YORK – June 20, 2016 – Government officials across America are making a commitment to …

  • Stopping the Summer Slide

    Tips include: Tailoring summer reading programs for different age groups Providing activities in addition to reading and browsing Creating original programming Encouraging kids to write book reviews Visit SLJ.com for …

  • First Book’s Community of Educators Tops 275,000, Provides Growing Insights, Market Power to Further Educational Equity

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – A second grade teacher in Atlanta, the executive director of a literacy program in Nashville, and a school librarian in Lyman, Wyo.  These are just a few of …

  • Remembering Lois Duncan

    By the time she was 13 year old, Duncan had published her first story. After winning the grand prize in a literary contest, Duncan published her first novel, Debutante Hill (1958). She …

  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Kicks Off “Curious World” Summer Tour, Inspiring Playful Learning Nationwide

    BOSTON, MA – Global learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) 17announced today the launch of a new immersive and playful learning experience, Curious World Tour. Kicking off at Brooklyn Bridge Park on …

  • Turns a Page. Touch a Mind.® Celebrates School Readiness

    June 9, 2016 – Lenexa, KS –  The popular statewide early literacy program, Turn a Page. Touch a Mind.® (TAP-TAM) is promoting school readiness this month in the 83 participating practices …

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