Booklist Online: More than 130,000 book reviews for librarians, book groups, and book lovers - from the trusted experts at the American Library Association

However a person might feel about the great debate regarding public school reform (vouchers, charters, etc.), the idealism – at least – of Teach for America seems to be broadly admired. It’s regarded as the education equivalent of the Peace Corps. During the holiday season I had the pleasure of meeting one of its members, [...]

It’s been so long since I wrote a Weeklings that this is really a Monthlings–and that’s being charitable. Here are a few of the things I’ve read recently that have lodged in my brain…due to the length of this post, I have introduced subject headings. First Editions Much as I covet first editions, I only [...]

I was thrilled to read the review of This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All by Marilyn Johnson and see how the image of librarians may be shifting into cool. Anybody who loves books and libraries doesn’t need to be convinced that librarians are cool. I particularly hope the news [...]

If you like Christmas, but you’re not so fond of jollity, then here’s a stocking stuffer for you: “The Starving Dogs of Little Croatia,” a heretofore unpublished story by Barry Gifford (The Stars above Veracruz, 2006). ALA’s very own Rob Christopher, who brought the story to Chicagoist, sets the scene: Picture, if you will, a vanished [...]

In case you were unable to attend the first-ever Booklist Online Forum, “Books and Blogs: Made for Each Other?” in Chicago this month, panelist Mary Burkey recorded the proceedings and very generously shared the audio with me. You can listen to it here. Librarian, blogger, and good guy Rick Roche also posted a wrapup on his blog, [...]

Everyone coming to Chicago for ALA’s Annual Conference this week undoubtedly has a full schedule already–but here’s a late-breaking, must-attend event: a launch party, sponsored by Time Out Chicago, for Bill Ott’s brand-new book, The Back Page. Bill, who is of course Editor and Publisher of Booklist, will be interviewed live on stage by Frank Sennett, Editor-in-Chief of Time [...]

I am so sick of “death of publishing” articles, so tired of talking about the ridiculously oversimplified “print versus web” argument that I could spit. (But I won’t, because Mama Graff didn’t raise no spitter.) So what did I do last night? Why, I hied myself down to “The Future of the Book: A Conversation on [...]

When Judith Krug died on April 11, the children’s and young adult literature communities lost both a tireless supporter and a defender. As the director of the Office of Intellectual Freedom and the founder of Banned Books Week, Judith was on the front lines helping libraries keep books in their collections, everything from Harry Potter to [...]

A new, old idea. The old part: books by subscription. The new part: limited editions based on the number of subscribers. Tiny (but scrappy) Chicago publisher featherproof now has its first imprint, paper egg. (Bring back uppercase letters, say I . . . wait a minute . . . bring back copyeditors who enforce consistent [...]

Just asking: when did tome become synonymous with book? I ask because, in a Chicago Tribune article about the Kindle yesterday, the writer stated how many “tomes” the device could carry. Talk about a tin ear for the English language. My trusty Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition (though a print artifact, only marginally a tome) [...]