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1 month ago | 
hbook.com | Deirdre Baker |Dean Schneider |Patrick Gall
The Curse of Madame Petrova by Marjolijn Hof; illus. by Annette Fienieg; trans. from Dutch by Bill NagelkerkeMiddle School Em Querido/Levine Querido 272 pp. 9/24 9781646144532 $18.99Silke and her twin brother, Janis, are fated to cause each other’s demise, or so predicted Madame Petrova when she read the cards for Papa and Mama before the children’s birth. Now orphaned and afraid their grasping cousins will make them fulfill this terrible destiny, Silke and Janis flee.
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1 month ago | 
hbook.com | Emily Schneider |Emma A. Shacochis |Dean Schneider
When Lore Groszman Segal died at the age of ninety-six in October 2024, the New York Times celebrated her as “a virtuosic and witty author of autobiographical novels,” referring to her fiction for adults. Publishers Weekly’s obituary also acknowledged those works but gave equal weight to her stories for children.
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2 months ago | 
hbook.com | Dean Schneider |Kitty Flynn |Annisha Jeffries |Adrienne L. Pettinelli
Robin Smith was the best teacher I ever knew. A nationally known writer and children’s book committee member, she was committed to books as the heart of her teaching. She read hundreds of picture books every year in her second-grade classroom and always had a novel going, too — The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; The Tale of Despereaux; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Her students memorized great poetry and recited for other classes.
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Dec 10, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz |Dean Schneider |Jennifer M. Brabander |Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres
The Forbidden Book by Sacha LambMiddle School, High School Levine/Levine Querido 256 pp. 10/24 9781646144563 $19.99ebook ed. 9781646144822 $13.99“On a full moon night, after a day of fasting, the young bride Sorel Kalmans leapt from a window and left her life behind.” Seventeen-year-old Sorel is betrothed to the rebbe’s son, a rather milquetoast character, but something compels her to flee.
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Dec 3, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Dean Schneider |Jennifer M. Brabander |Nicholas A. Brown-Cáceres |Julie Hakim Azzam
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve SheinkinMiddle School, High School Viking 400 pp. 10/24 9780593527542 $18.99e-book ed. 9780593527566 $10.99It’s the summer of 1940 in this collaboration between Sepetys (whose historical fiction for older readers includes, recently, I Must Betray You, rev. 5/22) and Sheinkin (primarily nonfiction, recently Impossible Escape, rev. 9/23).
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Nov 11, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Meg Medina |Dean Schneider
Meg Medina holds office hours as the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Photo courtesy of Meg Medina. I have been dedicated to writing for children since about 2006, when I began drafting my first middle-grade novel, Milagros: Girl from Away, which was ultimately published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in 2008. In the sixteen years since, a lot has happened. I’ve written thirteen titles, soon to be fourteen, which have received many kind recognitions.
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Nov 7, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Elisa Gall |Jonathan Hunt |Dean Schneider
Friends, we’ve looked at a number of extraordinary picture books so far, and much as we might enjoy giving each one a prize, Caldecott is looking for “the most distinguished.”It’s time to make some choices. The real Caldecott committee is beginning their nomination process, which you can learn more about in this excellent post Julie Hakim Azzam wrote last year. (Thanks, Julie!) Here, we’ll be doing nominations in two rounds, asking you for four nominations this month and three more in December.
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Nov 5, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Elisa Gall |Jonathan Hunt |Dean Schneider
Today on Calling Caldecott, a conversation between Elisa Gall and Jonathan Hunt about sequels, series, and the Caldecott Award. (This is an entry in their "why-the-hell" Calling Caldecott series.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Dean Schneider |Adrienne L. Pettinelli
I’m a big fan of Matthew Cordell’s work. I was on the 2018 Caldecott committee that chose Wolf in the Snow, and I selected Evergreen last year for the Robin Smith Picture Book Prize. So, what do I like about Cordell’s latest outing, The Ship in the Window written by Travis Jonker? First, I like picture books that tell a good story in full, lively text and engaging illustrations, and this certainly does that.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
hbook.com | Kitty Flynn |Adrienne L. Pettinelli |Dean Schneider
We've been checking religiously for Fuse #8's predictions post, and today is the day! You know things are getting real when Betsy Bird presents her final (after spring and summer) predictions for Newbery and Caldecott winners. Her whole post is definitely worth a look; we will focus our attention on her Caldecott picks. What a great list! There's such a variety of topics, artistic styles and media, moods, and themes. We have two books written and illustrated by Native creators.
