Storytime: Jonathan Stutzman and illustrator Heather Fox read Santa Baby + download the activity kit!

Download the Santa Baby activity kit here!

Santa Baby by Jonathan Stutzman; illustrated by Heather Fox
Ages 4-8
On Sale Now!

Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox, the duo behind Llama Destroys the World, take their trademark hijinks up to the North Pole in this laugh-out-loud, heartfelt Christmas-themed picture book.

Santa is feeling old, and being in the business of Christmas for centuries is . . . well, it isn’t all milk and cookies. In hopes of regaining some of his pep, Santa asks the spirit of Christmas to give him something for a change: skim off a couple of years and make him younger.

But Christmas magic is powerful, and Santa gets more than he wished for. Instead of a fresh new outlook and boundless energy, he needs diapers and a nap—stat. With Christmas only a few days away, the elves rush to teach Santa Baby the basics. But will there be enough time to prepare their new bundle of holiday joy for the job?

Funny and spirited, bright and inspiring, and with an unforgettable title, Santa Baby is destined to be a yuletide read families revisit every year.

“Plenty of laughs…playfully complemented by Fox’s child-friendly illustrations,” says Horn Book!

Teacher’s Guide: Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy by Dr. Crystal M. Fleming

Rise Up!: How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy
Ages 12-18
On Sale Now!

This urgent book explores the roots of racism and its legacy in modern day, all while empowering young people with actionable ways they can help foster a better world and become antiracists.

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Why are white supremacists still openly marching in the United States? Why are undocumented children of color separated from their families and housed in cages? Where did racism come from? Why hasn’t it already disappeared? And what can young people do about it?

Rise Up! breaks down the origins of racial injustice and its continued impact today, connecting dots between the past and present. By including contemporary examples ripped from headlines and actionable ways young people can help create a more inclusive world, sociologist Crystal Marie Fleming shares the knowledge and values that unite all antiracists: compassion, solidarity, respect, and courage in the face of adversity. Perfect for fans of Stamped: Remix, This Book is Antiracist, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Boy, and The Black Friend.

Download the Rise Up! discussion guide here!
Learn more about RISE UP! here →

MacKids Spotlight: Julian Randall

Julian Randall is the debut author of the blockbuster middle grade fantasy, Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa. The Land of Stories meets Dominican myths and legends in a new duology for fans of Tristan Strong and The Storm Runner.

Julian shares more about his inspiration for the story and his advice for young writers here! Plus, request a digital review copy of Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa on NetGalley!

Read our Q&A with Julian Randall here →

Graphic Novel Preview: Surviving the Wild Series

Our new Graphic Novel Preview series invites readers to look inside graphic novels. This month, we’re highlighting Surviving the Wild, a new graphic novel series by Remy Lai coming to bookshelves near you in 2022. This heartfelt, funny, and suspenseful young reader graphic novel adventure series stars heroic animals surviving against the odds! Every book includes nonfiction content about wildlife and information on how kids can help protect the environment.

Look inside the Surviving the Wild series here →

Read and Share Banned Books

Share these remarkable books from the ALA’s Top 100 Most Challenged Books 2010-2019.
Find ALA’s 10 Most Challenged Books from 2020 here.

Find more ideas to fight censorship at your school or library
on ALA’s Banned Books Week website.

Report censorship with the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom.

Want to read and share frequently challenged books?

Read on for more resources to use in your library or classroom!
Click the tabs below to view more books in each age category.

Picture BooksMiddle Grade BooksYoung Adult Books

We are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom; illustrated by Michaela Goade

Inspired by the many Indigenous-led movements across North America, We Are Water Protectors issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth’s water from harm and corruption.

Download the Activity Kit
Watch the Snack Time with MacKids story time with Carole Lindstrom
Take the pledge to be a water protector
Download We Are Water Protectors graphics to share on social media

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard; illustrated by Juana Martinez Neal

Winner of the 2020 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
A 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor Winner

Share the Discussion Guide
Watch a story time with Kevin Noble Maillard
Follow Kevin Noble Maillard on Twitter
Follow Juana Martinez-Neal on Twitter
Listen to the NPR Interview

It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn; illustrations by Noah Grigni

A picture book that introduces the concept of gender identity to the youngest reader from writer Theresa Thorn and illustrator Noah Grigni.

Watch a story time
Share these discussion questions from The Tiny Activist
Follow Theresa Thorn on Twitter

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh

Kat Leyh’s Snapdragon is a magical realist graphic novel about a young girl who befriends her town’s witch and discovers the strange magic within herself.

Download the Discussion Guide
Take the Virtual Book Tour
Add Snapdragon to your Goodreads Shelf
Follow Kat Leyh on Twitter

Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel

Download the Activity Kit
Watch the Story Time
Watch Bad Kitty interview Nick Bruel
Add Bad Kitty to your Goodreads Shelf
Follow Nick Bruel on Twitter

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese is the winner of the 2007 Michael L. Printz Award, a 2006 National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature, the winner of the 2007 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New, an Eisner Award nominee for Best Coloring, a 2007 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, and a New York Times bestseller.

Download the Discussion Guide
Share a video of Gene Luen Yang
Read an interview celebrating the 10 year anniversary

This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki; illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

A New York Times bestseller
A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An Eisner Award Winner

Download the Discussion Guide and Reading Group Guide
Watch an interview with Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki
Add This One Summer to your GoodReads shelf

All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George Matthew Johnson

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. 

Share an interview with George Matthew Johnson
Use these discussion questions to start a conversation
Watch the short film trailer
Read the MacKids Spotlight
Follow George Matthew Johnson on Twitter

Flamer by Mike Curato

Award-winning author and artist Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in Flamer, his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.

Read the MacKids Spotlight
Download the Discussion Guide
Read about the inspiration
Share the Writing Queer Comics for Teens video
Follow Mike Curato on Twitter

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

In this powerful novel, a teenage heroine delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school.

Watch this video of Laurie Halse Anderson
Download the Discussion Guide
Visit RAINN online to learn more
Follow Laurie Halse Anderson on Twitter
Add Speak to your Goodreads Shelf

Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu

An unlikely teenager starts a feminist revolution at a small-town Texas high school in this novel from Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Truth About Alice.

Read an interview with Jennifer Mathieu
Share the trailer for the Moxie Netflix movie
Check out the Moxie Tumblr
Add Moxie to your Goodreads Shelf
Follow Jennifer Mathieu on Twitter

Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu

A tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness from the author of The Truth About Alice.

Share the Horn Book interview
Add Afterward to your Goodreads Shelf
Follow Jennifer Mathieu on Twitter

Visit our NCTE 2021 Virtual Booth!

While we’ll missing seeing you in person at NCTE this year, you don’t have to miss out on our virtual author programs or digital resources!

What’s inside our NCTE Booth:
  • Meet our team!
  • Find a full schedule of our NCTE author programs!
  • Download our Winter 2022 Catalog and watch our Winter 2022 preview!
  • Enter for your chance to win books from our new imprint Neon Squid!
  • Browse our top books of 2021!
  • Request digital review copies of upcoming releases!
  • Download educator resources!
  • And more!
Visit our NCTE Virtual Booth →

Discussion Guide: Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani

Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani
Ages 10-14
On Sale Now!

Grab some coins for the jukebox, and get ready for a colorful, time-traveling, musical tale about family and courage.

A mysterious jukebox, old vinyl records, and cryptic notes on music history, are Shaheen’s only clues to her father’s abrupt disappearance. She looks to her cousin, Tannaz, who seems just as perplexed, before they both turn to the jukebox which starts…glowing?

Suddenly, the girls are pulled from their era and transported to another time! Keyed to the music on the record, the jukebox sends them through decade after decade of music history, from political marches, to landmark concerts. But can they find Shaheen’s dad before the music stops? This time-bending magical mystery tour invites readers to take the ride of their lives for a coming-of-age adventure.

Download the JUKEBOX discussion guide here!

Learn more about JUKEBOX here →