Teacher’s Guide: A Box of Bones

In A Box of Bones by Marina Cohen, twelve-year-old Kallie despises nonsense. She believes there’s a rational explanation for everything, despite the good-natured prodding of her Grandpa Jess, who takes her to frivolous wastes of time like their town’s local Festival of Fools.

There, Kallie meets a faceless man (must be some kind of mask) who gives her a strange wooden puzzle box (must be some kind of gimmick). Intrigued despite herself, Kallie sets to work on unlocking its secrets and…lets something out. From here Kallie’s life begins to entangle with another world, a world where Liah, a young bone carver, journeys with her master to sell wares to a wicked Queen.

The sights, sounds, smells, and spells of Liah’s world are beginning to leak into Kallie’s, and if Kallie can’t decipher the meaning of her own story, “the end” might be far from happy.

Download the teacher’s guide here →

Meet the Creator: Jen Wang

Creator Jen Wang spoke with TeachingBooks.Net about the creation process and backstory of her Asian Pacific American Literature Children’s Literature Award winner, Stargazing. Click here to listen to Jen’s interview!

2020 School & Library Webinars & Digital Events

We may be sheltering at home, but we’re still ready and eager to spread the word on what we’re excited about this summer and fall, from our computers to yours. See below for a webinar or event for whichever type of book you’re looking for, and be sure to watch this space as more info and events are added! Scroll to the bottom for archived videos and recordings of past events you can watch on demand!

Upcoming Events:

July 7: TLA Summer of Learning
New live events & author programs available, including panels with Echo Brown, Anna-Marie McLemore, and Karen Blumenthal.

July 21: Booklist’s Fall Young Adult Preview Webinar, 2PM ET (FREE!)
Already breezed through your TBRs? Why don’t you try some YA?! We have the scoop on some show stopping titles coming to a bookshelf near you! Join us to get the dets on these fab books! Moderated by Books for Youth senior editor Maggie Reagan.

July 24: Booklist’s Graphic Novel Panel, 2PM ET (FREE) Join Booklist editor Sarah Hunter as she talks with four graphic novelists, including Displacement creator Kiku Hughes and Flamer creator Mike Curato, about their current works and inspirations. More info and details to come!

August 4: Booklist’s Graphic Novel Webinar (FREE!) Join us for this hour-long presentation to see what graphic novels are headed your way this fall. More info and details to come!

August 4: TLA Summer of Learning
New live events & author programs available!

August 5: School Library Journal’s SLJ Teen Live, All Day (FREE) Join us and SLJ for this day-long event featuring YA authors talking about their latest titles for teens. Librarians and educators also have the chance to get advice from innovative librarians tackling timely issues relevant to their teen readers.

Watch archived videos from past events →

Stories to share with your community on Juneteenth and beyond

On June 19, 1865 in Galveston, TX, African American slaves were finally informed of their freedom, despite the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation two years prior. Juneteenth is also referred to as “Freedom Day”, “Emancipation Day”, and “Juneteenth Independence Day.” The first celebrations of Juneteenth was about honoring former enslaved people. Today celebrations of Juneteenth consist of gathering with family, BBQs, parades, festivals, beauty contests, and other celebratory events to remember the lives of African American slave ancestors.

For those who would like to learn more, we recommend reading “Juneteenth: The Growth of an African-American Holiday” and “So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth?”

Tune in to The Juneteenth Book Festival, created by author L.L. McKinney and co-organized by Saraciea Fennell, and featuring authors Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, Dhonielle Clayton, Alicia D. Williams, Mikki Kendall, Lamar Giles, Leah Johnson, Jay Coles, Kwame Mbalia, Justin A. Reynolds, Bethany C. Morrow, Ashley Woodfolk, Julian Winters, Tracey Deonn, Rebekah Weatherspoon, Kaylnn Bayron, Karama Horne, Karen Strong, Alyssa Cole, Eboni J. Dunbar, Patrice Caldwell, L.D. Lewis, Brent Lambert, Nivia Evans, Nichole Perkins, Farrah Rochon, Beverly Jenkins, Danny Lore, DaVaun Sanders, Roya Marsh, Zakiya Jamal, Claire Kann, and Candice Iloh.

Learn more about these books →