Did you know every February 27 is Pokémon Day? I didn’t until my library started celebrating it last year. Our Pokémon Day celebration was our last big children’s event before the pandemic sent us all home and pivoting to virtual programs. This year, Pokémon turns 25. I don’t know about your communities, but in mine the Pokémon love is still strong. (I’m also personally and eagerly awaiting the new Switch game in 2022.)
Continue reading “Pokémon Day 2021”
It’s time for the 3rd annual roundup of star-studded LGBTQIA+ titles for kids and teens. While stars aren’t everything (especially not to youth), I think it’s interesting to see the types of books that receive praise. Once I have five years of information, I may even write something a bit more in depth. Until then, here is a list!
A quick comparison from last year’s list shows a decrease in the number of starred reviews: 105 titles received at least 1 star (89 in 2018, 152 in 2019) and 16 titles received 3+ stars (26 in 2018, 38 in 2019). Due to the pandemic, it could be that fewer titles were reviewed or that publication dates were pushed back. Or it could be that, after the boom of LGBTQIA+ publishing in recent years, journals are more reluctant to give stars. For more statistics fun beyond stars and LGBTQIA+ identities, check out the CCBC findings.
Continue reading “2020 LGBTQIA+ Starred Review Roundup”
Last week, I shared something really personal: I came out to my 8-year-old niece. Since then, I’ve received some wonderful words of support and, perhaps more importantly, some really great book recommendations to further my discussions with young people about what it means to be LGBTQ+. All the books I sent my niece were focused on gay (white) men—yikes!—so I’m thrilled to take this opportunity to share more books (with her and with you) to include a broader representation of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Stories Guy 