Publications about books for children and young adults
Martha V. Parravano is executive editor of The Horn Book Magazine.
Fill those earbuds with great adventure books, from a WWII spy thriller to sci-fi dystopias. These four audiobooks will keep teens on the edge of their seats. Elizabeth Wein’s Code Name Verity was among the best of last year’s young adult fiction, and this audio version does it justice. Here is the intimate story of [...]
It’s always disappointing when we miss the opportunity to blow our horn for a really good book — but in this case the ARC arrived too late to review in the Magazine. Fortunately, this year’s Printz committee found it in time to award it an Honor and get it the recognition it deserves. And here’s [...]
Four farm animal–themed picture books for preschool and primary readers.
Four books for primary readers featuring building and architecture.
Greetings, readers! Happy New Year to all! If this sounds like the opening of one of those annual roundup letters tucked inside holiday cards, it kind of is. We’ve got a lot to celebrate at the Horn Book — much of it reflected in this issue, and beyond. The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were presented [...]
Steve Sheinkin, author of the 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Nonfiction Award–winning The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery (12–16 years, Flash Point/Roaring Brook), is fast emerging as one of the most compelling writers of narrative nonfiction for young readers today. His books, packed with action and drama, combine meticulous research [...]
Louise Erdrich’s new book, Chickadee (HarperCollins, 8–12 years), takes place in 1866, a generation after the first three books in her Birchbark House series. Omakayas is now the mother of twin eight-year-old boys, Chickadee and Makoons, but she and her extended Ojibwe family are still living in the Northern Forest and following their traditional, nomadic [...]
These four stories take the stress out of school for early elementary school students. From first-day worries to doubts about the next school year and test anxiety, the topics are covered in fresh and humorous ways. Hyewon Yum’s Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten! turns the usual first-day-of-school anxiety story on its head. Breezy [...]
Tracking an escaped lobster; hiding a dead aunt; investigating a murder; and planning a “stay-cation.” The following four books present some unusual—to say the least—summertime escapades. In Erin E. Moulton’s Tracing Stars, what begins as a typical last day of school for fifth-grader Indie Lee Chickory ends with a high-speed chase through her sleepy coastal [...]
Hi, my name is Martha, and I’m an audiobook addict. I first became hooked early in the new millennium when serving on ALSC’s Notable Children’s Recordings committee (chaired by the inimitable Mary Burkey). Now, audiobooks are a daily presence in my life. I listen to new ones on my commute to work, and some favorites [...]
