ACL Meeting Friday, August 14, 2026: Just a quick reminder for our Bay Area members! Please join us for our ACL Meeting on Friday, August 14, 2026, from 9:00am-Noon, at the Oakland Public Library, 125 [continue reading]
Author Benjamin Alire Saenz Dies
Author Benjamin Alire Saenz Dies: Award-winning author Benjamin Alire Saenz died on July 28, 2026 at age 71. He was the first Latino to receive the PEN/Faulkner Prize for his writing. His is known for [continue reading]
Sky’s End: Above the Black Read-Alike
READ-ALIKES Sky’s End: Above the Black by Marc J. Gregson Barbosa, Tessa. The Moonlight Blade. Berwah, Tanvi. Monsters Born and Made. Berwah, Tanvi. Somewhere In the Deep. Brown, Pierce. Red Rising. Cole, Kamilah. So [continue reading]
Do It Yourself Programming Ideas: Zines
Zines are a popular hands-on program often aimed at teens, but tweens (ages 9-12) would also enjoy a workshop on making zines. Zines are self-published magazine-style books or booklets where the writer/maker can include stories, [continue reading]
I Am Not Boring Review
Podesta, Lena. I Am Not Boring: The True-Life Story of a Log. Lena Podesta, Illus. Ten Speed, 05/2026. [40]pp. Picture Book. Trade $17.99. 978-0-5938-3829-7. GRADES Kindergarten–2. OUTSTANDING. A confident but unreliable narrator and an opinionated [continue reading]
When the Sun Goes Down Review
Pizzoli, Greg. When the Sun Goes Down. Greg Pizzoli, Illus. Penguin Random House, 04/2026. [34]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-593-64980-0. GRADES Kindergarten–1. HIGH ADDITIONAL. A young girl with light skin and brown hair wonders where [continue reading]
Bad Badger: A Family Story Review
Wood, Maryrose. Bad Badger: A Family Story. Giulia Ghigini, Illus. Bad Badger; bk. 2. Union Square, 05/2026. 200pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99. 978-1-45495-348-7. GRADES 3–5. HIGH ADDITIONAL. In this sequel to Bad Badger: A Love Story [continue reading]
Alight: How Urban Parrots Found New Places to Belong Review
Torres, Jennifer. Alight: How Urban Parrots Found New Places to Belong. Molly Magnell, Illus. Atheneum, 06/2026. [36]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-66593-877-8. GRADES Preschool–3. ADDITIONAL. Using crisp, lively text, Torres describes parrots in the Los Angeles [continue reading]