Blogs, Vlogs, and Podcasts
October 2021 – these pages, blogs and vlog links all were working as of this date, though a couple of them are no longer being updated. Please let me know about any dead links and I will re-evaulate them. CINDY
Reader Advisory Ideas
The Interview – very informative slides
Tami Austin – Reader’s Advisory for Children
What Should I Read Next : By Anne Bogel. Each week she recommends three books to someone as the next books for them to read. I won’t spoil the formula for you. While they rarely discuss a children’s book, the conversations are well-worth listening to, and the pattern is very compelling when it comes to reader advisory.
A Book Interview: Google Form Questions (Who I Am Book Version)
Booklists
Choose a Book – South Jordan Middle School – 7th – 9th grade
Destiny Discover Version – South Jordan Middle School
Adlit.org – Themed Book lists for older students
Epic Reads : Book lists from Harper Collins
Growing Book by Book – up to 7 years
Imagination Soup – Mostly picture books, but up to 7th grade
Los Angeles Public Library – 0-11 years old
Los Angeles Public Library – Teens
Reading Rockets – Picture books mainly
What We Do All Day – Babies to Middle Grade
Blogs
Kiss the Book : By librarians for librarians – Middle grade to Young Adult, with some picture books thrown in
Kiss the Book Jr : For Pre-K to middle grade
The One and Only Marfala : – Martha is a Youth Services Librarian, She does the occasional book review and some very quirky crafts, usually using found objects. She has a fun rating system for her book reviews and her crafts show a large amount of creativity. Most of them would be easily replicated.
Sal’s Fiction Addiction : Started in 2009 by Sal, who is now a retired teacher-librarian. Sal reviews about a book a day, mostly picture books, but a sprinkle of other age levels are included.
Ms. Yingling Reads : A middle school librarian, Karen concentrates on middle grade books on her blog. About a book a day and a review a day. Insightful information about what’s new in middle grade.
A Kids Book a Day : An elementary librarian from MA with 20 years experience. Mostly summary with a little bit of review.
Diverse Book Lists
The Brown Bookshelf : Run by a group of author and illustrators in 2007 to highlight brown voices in kid lit. Beyond the author interviews and book highlights, I love the essay posts – the posts that make me think about my personal approach to literature and what I promote.
Latinxs in Kid Lit : If you want an overview of some K-12 Latinx books, check out the REVIEWED BOOKS pages. A simple way to update your Latinx offerings, especially if you only carry Gary Soto – nothing wrong with Gary, there is just plenty of company for him out there.
Rich in Color : A small blog started in 2013 to highlight YA books by about or by people of color and First Nations. There are about 15 posts a month, so it is easy to keep current and to catch up. Check out the Author Interviews!
South Asian KidLit : Darshana started the blog in 2010 and does just about one post a month. A great way to keep up on South Asian voices in KidLit. On this page, scroll down until you see her lists to past blog posts on the left hand side.
Kibooka : A site that highlights authors and illustrators of Korean ancestry with books available in English. The brainchild of Linda Sue Park.
Author Collectives
Smack Dab in the Middle : Another group of middle grade authors who have banded together to write a blog. Posts come out about every other day. Lots of author interviews, suggested book lists, and musings – professional, personal, and random. There is so much info it can be hard to catch up with , but subscribe to get their new content.
Middle Grade Minded : Since 2013, this group of middle grade authors has been collectively blogging about books and writing. So much great information about writing for middle grade, and lots of links to other interesting websites. It’s hard not to get sucked in. Definitely a blog to follow!
Let’s Talk Picture Books/Illustrators : Mel Schuit is a picture book author/illustrator and she interviews her fellow authors and illustrators about the books and their creative processes. The list of interviews is long and will keep you busy for a long time.
Middle Grade Authorcade: a new (2022) group of middle grade authors promoting the love of reading
Vlogs (video blogs)
Epic Reads : Sponsored by HarperCollins, Epic Reads specializes in YA books – content is uploaded daily. Author interviews, funny stuff, and lots of information about new and upcoming books.
Adlit.org : Started by WETA, the PBS affiliate in Washington, DC, this is a serious fact-filled site to help anyone working with reluctant adolescent readers. The Books and Authors tab is chockfull of lists, interviews, and discussion guides. Start there and be prepared for many pleasant hours of browsing.
Publisher Websites:
So many great publishers websites available! While you have to read between the lines about the age levels and content of books, there is no better way to what to have on your TBR (to be read) radar.
I especially love publisher blogs for author interviews , activities, downloadables, and curriculum. Check for links to their YouTube pages and sign-up for newsletters for the best way access their content.
Simon & Schuster – The Book Pantry
Penguin Random House Elementary
Penguin Random House Secondary
Podcasts:
Don’t want to watch while you are listening? Then try out these podcasts instead. Download them and listen on your drive to work or while you’re running errands
Dream Gardens : Once a month or so, Jody Lee Mott interviews someone in the book community about their favorite middle grade book. Great resource for in depth information about one person’s take on a classic or new book.
Curious City : Started Kirsten Cappy, she presents usually weekly on a public radio station and then stores that as a podcast on the blog. Each episode revolves around a theme. Closed in 2019.
Picturebooking : Nick is an artist illustrator and interviews picture book illustrators about their work. A great way to get background info on picture books and their illustrators to add a fillip to any story time.
The Yarn : A podcast from School Library Journal that focuses on an author interview. No more than 4 a month.
Scholastic Reads : Wide ranging discussions and introductions to Scholastic’s titles. Each episode is about 20 minutes – great to listen on a morning drive.
Book Club for Kids : Kitty Fiedle has been interviewing kids about the books they read since 2003 on public radio. A short, but rich list of back episodes for this podcast.
Publisher’s Weekly KidsCast : 150+ interviews with authors and illustrators from the whole range of K-12 literature. Great archive so that you can zoom in on the people you want to hear from.
Kiss the Book 