In this episode of Booklist’s Shelf Care: The Podcast, we’re coming to you live from ALA’s Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Audio Editor Heather Booth chats with three authors who were excited to share insight into their forthcoming books and what libraries mean to them: Victor Piñeiro (The Island of Forgotten Gods, August 2025, Sourcebooks Young Readers), E. Lockhart (We Fell Apart, November 2025, Delacorte), and Kevin Henkes (Is It Spring?, February 2026, Greenwillow).

Here's what we talked about:

Read n Rave list

The Island of Forgotten Gods, by Victor Piñeiro

Time Villains, by Victor Piñeiro

The Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum

We Fell Apart, by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars, by E. Lockhart

Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller

They Both Die at the End, by Adam Silvera

Family of Liars, by E. Lockhart

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, by E. Lockhart

Is It Spring?, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Sun Flower Lion, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes,

Finding Things, by Kevin Henkes, illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Waiting, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Chrysanthemum, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Garth Williams

American Picture Books from Noah’s Ark to the Beast Within, by Barbara Bader