The Horn Book Magazine

The Horn Book Magazine, established in Boston in 1924, holds the title of the oldest bimonthly publication focused on reviewing children's literature. It originated as a "suggestive purchase list" created by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, who were the owners of the first bookstore in the U.S. specifically for children, known as The Bookshop for Boys and Girls. This bookstore opened in 1916 under the auspices of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union and operated until 1936. Despite the closure of the Bookshop, Horn Book has continued its commitment to "blow the horn for fine books for boys and girls," a vision articulated by Mahony in her inaugural editorial.

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Preview July/August 2025 Horn Book Magazine

2 days ago | hbook.com | Shaun Hutchinson |Frances Hardinge

Special Issue: ALA Awards. Original cover art by 2025 Caldecott Medal winner Rebecca Lee Kunz. Carole Boston Weatherford’s Children's Literature Legacy Award acceptance speech. A profile of Carole Boston Weatherford by educator Dawnavyn James. Erin Entrada Kelly’s Newbery Medal acceptance speech. A profile of Erin Entrada Kelly by author Sharon Huss Roat. Rebecca Lee Kunz’s Caldecott Medal acceptance speech. A profile of Rebecca Lee Kunz by poet Kyce Bello.
Reality Reimagined: A Conversation with Reality

3 days ago | hbook.com | Shaun Hutchinson |Frances Hardinge

For as long as I can remember, I’ve made up stories to help me explain the world. That’s not unique to me. People have been creating stories to explain reality for the entirety of human history. Even history itself is basically reality fanfiction that we mostly agree to pretend is definitely one hundred percent real.
While the Climes They Are A-Changin'

1 week ago | hbook.com | Shoshana Flax |Hannah Peterson

Find more great Horn Book content at these links: Interviews with authors and illustrators Recommended books: reviews and themed booklists App and e-book reviews Movie reviews Event news and recaps Events calendar To the tune of “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob Dylan To the tune of “The Times They Are A-Changin’” by Bob DylanCome gather ‘round, people. Come speak and engageon the street, on the screen,on the passed-around page.
Review of Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem

1 week ago | hbook.com | Monique Harris |Danielle Ford |Pauletta Brown Bracy |Sylvia Vardell

Mighty: The Story of an Oak Tree Ecosystem by Henry Cole; illus. by the authorPrimary Peachtree 48 pp. 2/25 9781682637333 $18.99e-book ed. 9781682637708 $11.99The life of an oak tree is beautifully depicted in this engaging informational picture book.
We believe you, SJP!

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz |Hannah Peterson

Find more great Horn Book content at these links: Interviews with authors and illustrators Recommended books: reviews and themed booklists App and e-book reviews Movie reviews Event news and recaps Events calendar As people are questioning whether Sarah Jessica Parker is really reading two books a day as a Booker Prize judge, I am reminded to say: THANK YOU Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Committee! We all know reading is not a competition.
Greater Roxbury Book Fair 2025

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz

Last Saturday I spent the morning at the third annual Greater Roxbury Book Fair: "Springing from the Roxbury community's deep connections to books and reading, the fair features local and aspiring authors — and showcases the creativity of the residents of Greater Roxbury."Kicking off the storytime sessions at the library was Hannah Moushabeck reading her 2023 picture book debut Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine, winner of The New England Book Award and The Arab American Book Award.
FREADOM Town Hall & Rally

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz

Find more great Horn Book content at these links: Interviews with authors and illustrators Recommended books: reviews and themed booklists App and e-book reviews Movie reviews Event news and recaps Events calendar If you're in the DC area, check out FREADOM Town Hall & Rally on May 31 at 5:00 PM ET at the MLK Library (and streaming on YouTube @dcpubliclibrary).
Otherworldly forces

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

These five novels, recommended for middle- and/or high-school readers, blur the lines between the ordinary and the supernatural. See also the Guide/Reviews Database subject tag Supernatural. The Corruption of Hollis Brownby K. AncrumHigh School Harper/HarperCollins 384 pp. 4/25 9780063285835 $19.99e-book ed. 9780063285842 $10.99High school senior Hollis Brown, who is violently bullied at school, believes he will be stuck in his “podunk” rural Midwestern town for his whole adult life.
From the Editor - May 2025

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz |Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

With Mother’s Day (and my birthday!) just past and Father’s Day coming soon, this issue of Notes features books about families in various configurations and with differing experiences…some supernatural! (Librarians with Superpowers, anyone?) Find more at our Family Reading blog, where Summer Reading also lives... Illustration: Liza Woodruff.
Five questions for Rebecca Stead and Gracey Zhang

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Shoshana Flax |Cynthia K. Ritter

Anything (Chronicle, 4–8 years) is an introspective, sensitively conveyed picture book about a dad helping a child through difficult transitions in a new apartment. The ambiguity in Rebecca Stead’s (2010 Newbery Medalist for When You Reach Me) text, accompanied by Gracey Zhang’s spare illustrations, leaves room for readers to imagine what changes the characters might be dealing with. For more books about parents, see also our list "Parents and Children" in this issue of Notes. 1.