R.L. Stine on Writing, MacArthur Fellows, Book Bans, & More Children’s Book News
It’s hard to keep up with all the latest news and discussions about children’s books and publishing, so I’m helping out by doing it for you. Here are a few articles that caught my attention recently, from a profile on R.L. Stine to new MacArthur Fellows.
Jason Reynolds Wins MacArthur Fellowship
I’m thrilled that children’s book author Jason Reynolds won a MacArthur Fellowship, more popularly known as the MacArthur Genius Grant, for “Depicting the rich inner lives of kids of color and ensuring that they see themselves and their communities in literature.” I highly recommend listening to the beautiful reel the MacArthur Foundation made of him talking about his work. The fellowship comes with a no-strings-attached $800,000 grant over five years.
I was curious what other children’s authors have been awarded the fellowship, so I did a little digging. The fellowship has been awarded to 75 authors from 1981 to today. In children’s books, Virginia Hamilton won in 1995, Karen Hesse in 2002, David Macaulay in 2006, and Jacqueline Woodson in 2020. Several winners won for separate genres but have since published children’s books, like 2017 winner Rhiannon Giddens, who won for her music but has since written several lovely picture books, like We Could Fly.
R.L. Stine’s Joy in Writing
Like many kids who grew up in the ’90s, the Goosebumps and Fear Street series inspired my love of reading, writing, and storytelling. Todd Petty at PBS did a wonderful profile of R.L. Stine, and it comes as no surprise to me that he loves writing, and that it gives him great joy. While he didn’t set out to write horror, when his friend, a publisher, proposed he write a teen horror novel, he jumped on the chance and wrote Blind Date, an instant best seller. He never looked back. If you’re a Stine fan, I recommend reading this entire profile.
Orca Book Publishers Turns 40
Canadian publisher Orca Book Publishers is celebrating its 40th year. I’ve always admired this publisher’s commitment to publishing Indigenous children’s books as well as other books by diverse authors, and its sustainability goals. Orca publishes around 85 books a year. Some of my favorite Orca books are Be a Good Ancestor, My Heart Fills with Happiness, and Pride Puppy!
Book Challenges & Bans
When people think of book bans, what most commonly comes to mind is when a book is challenged for so-called inappropriateness, but there are many ways books can be banned in addition to this scenario. Here where I live in Tennessee, more than a thousand books have quietly disappeared from children’s libraries without challenges in response to a vague obscenity law. Now in South Carolina, the York County Library has decided to simply not buy any more children’s books until they get some clarity on another vaguely worded law aimed at eliminating LGBTQ+ children’s books.
Folks, remember to vote down the ballot in every election, attend school board meetings if you can, and write to school board members and library boards about how much you love libraries and having diverse books for kids.
2024 National Book Awards Finalists for Young People’s Literature
The 75th Annual National Book Awards Finalists for Young People’s Literature include three middle grade titles: Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan, The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly, and Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. I read and loved Kareem Between, which is about a Muslim tween who longs to be a football player, and whose mom and grandparents get stuck in Syria during Trump’s Muslim ban. I have Buffalo Dreamer up next on my TBR pile! And I’ve heard such good things about The First State of Being.
