Booklist's Shelf Care

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people. This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Capstone.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Julia Smith talks to debut author V. T. Bidania, author of the Astrid and Apollo series, which kicks off with Astrid and Apollo and the Starry Campout. This title and three others (The Fishing Flop, The Happy New Year, and The Soccer Celebration) will be published simultaneously this August by Capstone.

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people. This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Macmillan.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Maggie Reagan talks to Margaret Owen, author of The Merciful Crow and The Faithless Hawk., which will be released by Henry Holt & Co. on August 18.

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people.

This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Penguin Young Readers.

In today's special Graphic Novels in Libraries Month installment, we have the pleasure of hearing from Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed about their graphic novel When Stars Are Scattered.

Victoria Jamieson is the creator of the graphic novels All’s Faire in Middle School and Newbery Honor winner Roller Girl. She received her BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked as a children's book designer before becoming a freelance illustrator.

Omar Mohamed spent his childhood at the Dadaab camp, after his father was killed and he was separated from his mother in Somalia. He devoted everything to taking care of his younger brother, Hassan, and to pursuing his education. He now lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his wife and five children, and works at a center to help resettle other refugees. He is the founder of Refugee Strong, a nonprofit organization that empowers students living in refugee camps.

Durham County Library’s Patrick Holt talks about how he helps book groups find and discuss great graphic novels; Audio Editor Heather Booth shares her top 5 tips for bringing audio to your book group; and Books for Youth’s Ronny Khuri talks about the underrated art of the picture book and gives a few suggestions. Wow!

Here’s what we talked about: (links on booklistonline.com/shelf-care)

Booklist’s Reading for Change Anti-Racism Reading List

Black Lives Matter Comics Reading List

Encyclopedia of Early Earth. Written and illustrated by Isabel Greenberg

Boxers. Written and Illustrated by Gene Luen Yang

Saints. Written and Illustrated by Gene Luen Yang

Aya of Yop City. Written and illustrated by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Obrerie.

Understanding Comics. Written and illustrated by Scott McCloud.

Scott McCloud’s TED Talk

Patrick also recommends reading "Inventing Comics" by cartoonist Dylan Horrocks, originally published in The Comics Journal, and Lynda Barry’s Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor, which, in addition to being relevant, is also “just real freakin' inspirational.”

March: Book One. Written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin. Illustrated by Nathan Powell.

Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: Using Graphic Novels in Education

Dumb: Living Without a Voice. Written and illustrated by Georgia Webber.

Audiobooks for your book group:

Dominicana. By Angie Cruz. Read by Coral Peña.

Stonewall Reader. Edited by the New York Public Library. Read by a full cast.

The Bishop’s Pawn. By Steve Berry. Read by Scott Brick.

The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. By Joseph Fink and Jeff Cranor. Read by Mara Wilson.

American Manifesto: Saving Democracy from Villains, Vandals, and Ourselves. By Bob Garfield. Read by the author.

The Killer Across the Table. By John E. Douglas. Read by Jonathan Groff.

Ronny Khuri is reading:

Lion Needs a Haircut. Written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum

The Magic Fish. Written and illustrated by Trung Lê Nguyễn

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people.

This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Fabled Films Press.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Julia Smith talks to Tracey Hecht. Hecht is the author of The Nocturnals book series, which includes The Best Burp, published in April, and The Weeping Wombat, scheduled to hit bookshelves this August.

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people.

This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored Boom! Studios.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Ronny Khuri talks to Sabaa Tahir, Nicole Andelfinger, and Sonia Liao.

Sabaa Tahir's New York Times bestselling series An Ember in the Ashes dives into the pasts of fan-favorite characters with an all-new prequel graphic novel series. Sabaa Tahir, writer Nicole Andelfinger, and artist Sonia Liao present an early tale of Elias and Helene at Blackcliff, where they’ll have to confront the painful realities of Martial rule in A Thief Among the Trees, available this July from BOOM! Studios. Visit boom-studios.com to learn more.

Host Susan Maguire talks to her Booklist colleagues about what media is bringing them comfort during COVID-19 self-isolation in an episode that may or may not have been an excuse to talk to her co-workers. (Weeping emoji.)

Here’s what we talked about:

Books:

Blue-Eyed Devil. By Lisa Kleypas.

Choo-Choo School. By Amy Krouse Rosenthal. Illustrated by Mike Yamada.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. By JK Rowling.

My America. Written and illustrated by Karen Katz. (coming June 2021)

Race through the Skies: The Week the World Learned to Fly. By Martin W. Sandler.

Space Opera. By Catherynne M. Valente.

Where the Crawdads Sing. By Delia Owens.

Audiobooks:

Circe. By Madeline Miller, read by Perdita Weeks.

Gingerbread. By Helen Oyeyemi, read by the author.

Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Read by a full cast.

Norse Mythology. By Neil Gaiman, read by the author.

A Tall History of Sugar. By Curdella Forbes, read by Robin Miles.

TV & Movies:

Barry.

Emma (2020) vs. Emma (1996) vs. Emma (1972).

Futurama.

Jo Jo Rabbit.

Love is Blind.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Star Trek Voyager

Valhalla Murders

Etc:

Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch.

Harry Potter exhibits online.

Jigsaw Puzzles! (As of this writing, Ravensburger is out of puzzles online (!!!!!)

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people.

This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Capstone.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Ronny Khuri talks to Susan Muaddi Darraj and Siman Nuurali.

Susan Muaddi Darraj is the award-winning Palestinian American author of more than 10 books including the new Farah Rocks series. She is an associate professor of English at Hartford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, and she teaches creative writing at Johns Hopkins University and Fairfield University.

Siman Nuurali is the author of the Sadiq series, which was named one of Chicago Public Library's 2019 Best of the Best books. She grew up in Kenya but now lives in Minnesota where she works in a children's hospital. Siman and her family are Somali, just like Sadiq and his family.

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people.

This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Little Brown Books for Young Readers.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Maggie Reagan talks to Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds.

Ibram X. Kendi, a professor of history and international relations, is one of America's foremost historians and leading anti-racist voices. He is the New York Times' bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, National Book Award-winning author of Stamped from the Beginning, and the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C.

Jason Reynolds is the New York Times bestselling multi-award winning author of many books for children, including the Track series and the Printz, Newbery, and Coretta Scott King Honor book, Long Way Down. Recently he was appointed the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, Jason's remix for young readers of Ibram X. Kendi's Stamped From the Beginning, comes out in March from Little Brown.

Welcome to the Shelf Care Interview, an occasional conversation series where Booklist talks to book people. This Shelf Care Interview is sponsored by Lerner.

In this episode of the Shelf Care Interview, Maggie Reagan talks to Irene Latham and Charles Waters.

Irene Latham is the author of many books, including two novels for children, Leaving Gee's Bend and Don't Feed the Boy, winner of the 2016 ILA Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet Award. Her poetry books for children include Dear Wandering Wildebeest, When the Sun Shines on Antarctica, and the award-winning, Can I Touch Your Hair? with Charles Waters. Irene lives on a lake in Alabama, where she does her best to live her poem every single day.

Charles Waters is a children's poet, actor, and the aforementioned co-author of Can I Touch Your Hair? His poems have appeared in various anthologies, including One Minute Till Bedtime and The National Geographic Book of Animal Poetry. Charles performs his one-person show as well as conducts poetry performance and writing workshops for elementary and middle-school audiences. He lives in New York City. Their book Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini, released earlier last month from the Lerner imprint Carolrhoda.