Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas High School Swoon/Feiwel 352 pp. g 9/20 978-1-250-25046-9 $17.99 e-book ed. 978-1-250-25051-3 $9.99 Unlike the rest of his family, Yadriel is kept from having a quinces, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony to become a brujo. Yadriel is trans and gay, i.e., “Head Black Sheep among the...
The wait is over! The 2021 Caldecott Awards were announced this morning. The committee chose one winner and four honor books. The winner is: We Are Water Protectors, illustrated by Michaela Goade and written by Carole Lindstrom: The...
On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex; illus. by the author Primary Chronicle 56 pp. g 10/20 978-1-4521-8154-7 $17.99 Shown wordlessly before the title page, our unnamed protagonist is in a sticky situation after falling asleep while chewing gum. Upon awakening, and after that unpleasant discovery, the child’s gum-removal...
We've compiled all of the wonderful acceptance speeches from our 2020 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners, along with reviews of the winning books and some extras (interviews! articles! previous speeches!) on the winners and their work. See the January/February 2021 issue of The Horn Book Magazine and the tag BGHB20...
As I worked on Saturday, it was important to me that every visual decision embodied joy. Throughout the book, there is a steady stream of fluorescent pinks, bold yellows, and electric blues. I designed each page with broad diagonal lines in mind in the hope that they would feel dynamic...
Dear Awards Committee, Staff, Family and Friends of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, I would like to humbly express my gratitude to you for selecting me as the 2020 recipient of this prestigious award for Infinite Hope. As I held up my award, which is a replica of the “Liberty...
We here at Calling Caldecott want to take a moment to thank everyone who voted in this week’s 2021 Calling Caldecott Mock Vote. Here are the results if you missed them yesterday. And if mock-voting is not your thing but you have read along with us for the past five months...
Dreams have always fascinated me. When I was a child, I’d beg my mom to buy every “dreamology” and dream interpretation book I could find. I felt that dreams were, at the very least, my subconscious trying to communicate: reveal feelings I might not have realized I had, or help...
Dear friends: Great day! (I write on Wednesday; those of you unhappy with my remarks about the former president last week can go ahead and hate me all over again, if you’re still reading.) We also announced a new Calling Caldecott mock vote winner on Thursday, but (it being Wednesday)...