Best Books of 2025

March 21, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Announcing the 2026 Blueberry Award Winners!

Announcing the one-of-a-kind Blueberry Award winners of 2025! The only major library-given literary awards for books that inspire a love of nature and action for planet Earth. Do you recognize the winning titles?

February 4, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Avoiding the Purple Beret Conundrum: An Ink Witch Q&A with Steph Cherrywell

Are you curious at all about this clever little Stonewall Honor winner? Then I suspect you're going to truly enjoy my talk with its creator here today.

January 27, 2026 by Betsy Bird

ALA Youth Media Awards: The Interviews, Videos, and Behind-the-Scenes of the Winners

Here's the full roster of the new ALA YMA winners (Newbery, Caldecott, etc.) including a collection of behind-the-scenes info with interviews, videos, and reviews of some of the titles.

More Recent Posts

Fuse 8 n’ Kate: Caldecott Contenders 2026

January 20, 2026 by Betsy Bird

It's our annual consideration of three potential Caldecott winners. I guarantee you'll be shocked by some of these reactions.

Newbery/Caldecott 2026: Final Prediction Edition

January 13, 2026 by Betsy Bird

Am I right? Does it matter? Let's have some fun blindly throwing darts at a wall.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2025 Picture Books

December 31, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Only a small number of all the picture books published in a given year make this list. See what I think stands out as truly unforgettable.

31 Days, 31 Lists: 2025 Middle Grade Fiction

December 30, 2025 by Betsy Bird

Our penultimate post!! These are the books that will worm their ways into the crannies and crevices of your children's gray matter, affecting their thoughts, their brains, their lives. If you're comfortable with that, read on.