Q & A with Martin Lemelman

We spoke with Martin Lemelman, certified Florida Master Gardener, and—importantly—the author of the The Miracle Seed, for Jewish American Heritage Month. 

Do not miss this special blog where we learn more about Martin’s graphic novel, his thoughts on miracles, and how his parents taught him resilience by surviving the Holocaust.  

Q&A with Janice Chiang

To honor literature that is representative of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we chatted with Digital Artist, Janice Chiang about her recent project, Tokyo Rose: Zero Hour.

During our interview, Janice compares herself to the main character in the story, Iva, saying, "Just like Iva, I too have felt divided in half. When I started to search for my identity in this country, I realized I was in a position of strength—not weakness—to have two perspectives in life."

Read on to learn more about Janice Chiang and the different AAPI Month activities that you can get involved in! 

Q & A with Andrew Aydin

To honor the anniversary of Selma’s Bloody Sunday, a nonviolent march during the Civil Rights Movement, we sat down and spoke with JLG author, Andrew Aydin. We first met Aydin at ALA in 2022; he was gregarious, genuine, and found a way to connect with each attendee on a personal and professional level. He spoke openly and humbly, sharing his experiences with Congressman John Lewis, a champion for human rights and one of the “Big Six” leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

Librarian of the Month: March 2020

JLG’s March Librarian of the Month honor goes to Hilliard Weaver Middle School and its dedicated staff of one, Christina Dorr. She has been a JLG member for many of her 30+ years as a school librarian. We had the chance to meet her at a local conference recently, and in our 5-minute interaction we knew we needed to share her story.

Librarian of the Month: February 2020

JLG’s Librarian of the Month honor goes to Rippon Middle School and its dedicated team of Tamara Ingalls, librarian, Debra Gish, librarian, and Denisha Price, library assistant. Read their story!

JLG Selections Take Home 63 ALA Awards & Honors

We are thrilled to announce that 63 of the 112 winners/honorees were JLG selections. We are so proud of our amazing authors and illustrators, as well as our talented editorial team and their history of picking winners.

JLG Selections Shine in the New York Times Best Children's Books of 2019!

JLG Titles Dominate Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards

The 2019 Excellence in Graphic Literature (EGL) Award winners were recently announced at the Denver Pop Culture Con, and the competition was stiff.JLG's Graphic Novel categories are among our most popular—and we are thrilled to see so many JLG selections honored in this year's EGL Awards!

JLG selections shine in 2019 Boston Globe-Horn Book awards

The 52nd-annual Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (BGHB) were announced at the end of May, showcasing nine outstanding books—seven of which are JLG Gold Standard Selections!

Teaching Teachers the Value of the Graphic Novel

“Graphic Novels are just superhero comic books.” “They’re not even real reading.” School librarians hear these types of comments every day. So, how do you explain that Graphic Novels are a valuable part of the reading landscape and that they teach comprehension and literacy? Find out.

Webcast Recap: 12 New Books to Read This Summer

In our webcast today, Kayleigh and I talked about some of our favorite upcoming books you might want to check out this summer. Whether your to-be-read pile grew or it became prioritized, we are sure your readers will get a kick out of future-telling noodleheads and blue librarians. Read More

Webcast Recap: Silly and Somber: Books for Spring 2017 From the JLG Webinar Series

While the rest of the world is wagering guesses on ALA Awards, the JLG Team is busy working on 2017. Today Susan Marston and I talked about some of the titles on deck for spring 2017. With an early trend of silly and somber, we chatted about a modern day Lord of the Flies, a graphic novel memoir, and a wordless book with words. Read More

Webcast Recap: Falling for New Teen Books 2016

On today's webcast Leslie Bermel and I talked about the some of the fall forthcoming books for teen readers. From three magical children and their holy dog to a laugh out loud retelling of the story of Jane Grey, you'll find the new releases to be worth the wait. Read More

New Highly Starred Books for 2016

Now that we approaching the end of the 2016 season, you may be like me and starting to make your Best Lists. I know the journals are putting in the hours and whittling down their lists. Our own Jeanette is constantly adding new stars, lists, and awards of our own titles. You can keep track of JLG title selections at Awards & Lists/Lists & Reviews. If you've been keeping tabs, the following are the most highly starred titles of 2016--so far. Read More

PPP- Books We Love National Webcast

On today's webcast Leslie Bermel and I talked about 20 of the JLG selections that are we just love. These were books we haven't talked about in past webcasts, with many of the titles shipping out this summer. From a YA author-turned picture book author to what some are calling his best book yet, your readers will love these hot-off-the-press titles! Read More