Good morning, Jenn! Do you have any insights on why some (amazing) books get selected for the Junior Library Guild gold sticker while other equally wonderful and amazing books don't? I'm trying to find a pattern among the books selected, but I remain a bit baffled. Many thanks!

So for those who don't know, the Junior Library Guild is, basically, a library subscription company focusing on Pre-K-12th grade. They read forthcoming books and select what they consider to be the "Gold Standard" books, "must-haves" if you will -- those books get a (virtual) nifty golden seal and they buy a certain number of them from the publishers and subscribing libraries get them as part of their subscription.

This, I imagine, saves the participating libraries, a good deal of work -- of course, they can always buy ANY book they want, and I'm pretty sure few libraries would rely ONLY on the JLG box, but they do tend to choose Very Good Books, so at least if they got that, they'd know they were "covered" for the books that are likely to come up as Must-Haves. (Though as I understand it, every library doesn't get every book, the boxes they get are tailored to THAT libraries needs/age range/whatever -- not being a member myself, I don't know exactly how that works, but I assume that members can ask for specific books from the collection, or opt in or out of certain categories according to their needs and budget.)

But HOW do they choose? Well, I googled it, and found this article from a few years ago. If you don't feel like clicking, basically, they read A LOT of books (5000+ per year according to this article) -- this is BEFORE reviews are out and awards are given, so it's basically their best judgement of Books That Are Likely To Get Great Reviews and/or Win Awards, Books That Feel Important, and Books That Fit Certain Categories. They do have to PURCHASE the books in order for their members to receive them, so they can't willy-nilly order every book in creation -- and the point is that they are curating, right? So... it's books they like the best, and books they think librarians will like the best. At the end of the day, it's as simple as that: They can only select X number of books, they make a judgement call. If they already have 12 new terrific picture book biographies, for example, they might not be able to add a 13th or 14th, even if they are also great.

Being a JLG selection FEELS very fancy, because hey, you get the nifty gold thing, and "GOLD STANDARD SELECTION" sounds important as heck -- but really, it doesn't mean that your book is ACTUALLY better than any other book, nor does it mean that books that don't get that are any "worse" -- it's just a subjective thing. And "regular" readers have zero idea what things are chosen or what that means, at all.

(This would potentially make a really interesting podcast episode actually -- I'm going to ask around and see if I know anyone who knows anyone there and if they'll talk to me. If a Junior Library Guild person is reading this and wants to be a guest, email me!)

Hello and Updates!

Hello friends. It has been a MINUTE since I posted here. For as long and exhausting as 2021 was, how are we nearly halfway through 2022?? I just checked the calendar and This Appearing House comes out in THREE months??? What even is time? So let’s recap! Some fun things happened this year so far. I went to my first con down in Virginia. It was AuthorCon, hosted by Scares that Care. I was super…

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THE SHELTERLINGS is a Junior Library Guild selection!!!

Exciting news! I'm so very, very thrilled to share that my new book for kids, THE SHELTERLINGS, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! Thank you so much, Junior Library Guild, for this wonderful honor!

I am thrilled to learn that DEEPHAVEN has been chosen by the Junior Library Guild as a Gold Standard Selection! Thanks to JLG for the honor and the support!

James Hong, The Main Man

Chances are, if you've watched movies in the last seven decades, you’ve seen or heard Minneapolis native James Hong. With over 650 film and television credits, he is one of the most prolific actors of all time. His latest accomplishment is a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, which was released on March 25, 2022. The film also garnered 7 Oscars from 11 nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, which Hong attended wearing a bowtie with googly eyes—a nod to the film. In 2022, at age 93, he became the oldest person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

James Hong was born in Minneapolis to Chinese immigrants in February, 1929. His father, Frank W. Hong, managed the Golden Pheasant, one of the first Chinese restaurants in the city (it opened in 1919 next to the more famous Nankin, which opened the same year). The Hong family later owned a business in what some considered to be Minneapolis’s Chinatown. Sent away to Hong Kong for elementary school, James returned to Minneapolis for middle school, where he had to re-learn English. He attended the old Bryant Junior High and then Central High School, where he graduated in 1947.

Learn more about the Hong family and Minneapolis’s Chinatown in this MinnPost article from 2015.

If you enjoyed Everything Everywhere All at Once, or are waiting in the queue for the DVD, check out more books and films featuring the writers, actors, and directors of this Oscar-winning film.

Images of James Hong from the 1946 and 1947 Minneapolis Central High School yearbooks. See more yearbooks and restaurant menus in the Hennepin County Library Digital Collections.

A bit of good news to start the morning: KINDLING is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! 🔥 Thanks so much to Junior Library Guild for this amazing recognition. Can't wait to share this story with you all. 🔥

[Video Description: charcoal-to-red gradient background overlaid with bolts of red fire; at the top, text reading "A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD GOLD STANDARD SELECTION"; a cover of the book KINDLING by Traci Chee side by side with a gold medal reading "JLG Gold Standard"]

Baby Teeth

From the multi-award winning author of The Deepest Breath (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021), a Junior Library Guild Selection, comes a YA verse novel about LGBTQ+ desire, identity — and vampires.

The blood

Feeds the hunger

That threatens everything

It starts when Claudia offers her a yellow rose.

Immy has been in love before – many times, across many lifetimes. But never as deeply, as intensely as this. Claudia smells like paint and peppermint tea. She wears her hair in a plait, and has a green thumb, and Immy is utterly besotted. Claudia has never been in love like this either. But then, this is her first time with a vampire. But a love like this can't last. The forbidden thirst for blood runs deep in Immy. And within her mind clamour the voices, of all the others she has been, their desires, and their wrongs.

For fans of Elizabeth Acevdeo and Dean Atta

https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Teeth-Meg-Grehan/dp/1915071011

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: A standalone high-stakes middle grade fantasy by Alysa Wishingrad, author of the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection The Verdigris Pawn. 

Monsters are still lurking on Barrow’s Bay. Dare Coates is sure of it. No drifter or ruffian could have killed her father, the Captain of the Guard, while he was on patrol. But everyone insists that monsters have been gone for years now. Dare’s mother. Her classmates. Even the governor, who swiftly marries her mother just months after her father’s death.Dare’s suspicions grow even stronger when the governor suddenly ships her off to the mainland, away from any hope of uncovering the truth about her father’s death.Or so she thinks. Soon Dare finds solid proof that monsters still exist and she starts to question everything she’s always known. Was her father who she thought he was? Who can she trust? Where is the line between good and evil?The truth hides behind danger and deception. But with the help of an unlikely crew of cohorts and a stray beastie, nothing can stop Dare from finding out what happened to her father and exposing who the real monsters are.

Perfect for fans of Ellen Oh’s Spirit Hunters and Lauren Oliver’s The Magnificent Monsters of Cedar Street.

Review:

Dare Coastes is an outcast, she’s everything that Barrow Bay doesn’t like but she’s fine with that because her father is the Captain of the Guard who protects the town against monsters..... but when he is killed while on patrol and the governor makes up a story, Dare is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to her father. With her mother being more concerned about getting remarried to the governor and the whole town just pretending that monsters don’t exist, Dare knows its up to only her to discover what truly happened, but then the governor sends her off to the mainland, away from any hope of discovering the truth... or so she thinks. Dare soon discovers that everything she thought she knew about monsters was wrong. Soon she finds herself making unlikely friends, uncovering conspiracies and secrets, and possibly befriending a monster of her own all the while discovering who her father really was and who the real monsters are. I thought that this was a really interesting and fun story about a girl who is determined to do anything to find out the truth about what happened to her father. She tries her hardest and does whatever it takes to get what she wants. The mystery was interesting and she really does go through so much. Overall, it’s a fun read that keeps you interested all the way until the end!

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperCollins for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Ruby Finley is a JLG Gold Standard Selection!

My upcoming middle grade novel Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion is a @JrLibraryGuild Gold Standard Selection! #JLGSelection

This news made my day explode with glitter! Ruby Finley vs. the Interstellar Invasion is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. *confetti!* For those who don’t know, the JLG sends curated book boxes to librarians who then use those selections to inform which books they’ll buy for their libraries. So this is a big win! The guild also claims that they have “A Sixth Sense for Choosing…

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How big a deal is it, in terms of sales, if your book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection? An author I follow was pleased her book was selected. I'm unfamiliar with the honor.

The Junior Library Guild selectons are basically a curated selection of books that librarians across the country can subscribe to so they get monthly shipments of "the best of the best" books that meet the needs of their patrons.

The JLG buys copies (mid-hundreds to low thousands, usually) from the publisher at a bulk rate for inclusion in their program, and a portion of that sale goes toward earning out your advance or is applied to royalties if you have already earned out. So it's not like -- A MILLION copies or anything, but it's nice!

They tend to pick books that they consider the cream of the crop -- and lots of librarians and whatnot value that designation. So it's certainly a nice thing when your book is selected. Does it make any difference to like, random book purchasers out in the wild? Not at all. Will it put you on the bestseller list or anything? Nope. But it is an ego-boost and has a shiny gold emblem that looks good on social media, so. . . . that's cool!

Blog Tour: Top 5 Reasons to Read THESE BODIES BETWEEN US by Sarah Van Name! #tbrbeyondtours

Welcome to Book-Keeping and my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours blog tour for These Bodies Between Us by Sarah Van Name! I've got all the details on the book below, plus my top 5 reasons to read this YA magical realism novel. Read on!

About the Book

title: These Bodies Between Us author: Sarah Van Name publisher: Delacorte release date: 12 March 2024

Four girls. Four girls skating home, both sides of the road, fearless. Four girls at the mouth of an infinite ocean, sugared and salted with sand and seawater, the tide licking their sunburned feet. This summer, they’re going to disappear. For seventeen-year-old Callie and her best friends Talia and Cleo, every summer in their small North Carolina beach town is as steady as the tides. But this year, Cleo has invited enigmatic new girl Polly to join them, creating waves in their familiar friendship. And Cleo has an idea, gleaned from private YouTube videos and hidden message boards: they’re going to learn how to make themselves invisible. Callie thinks it’s a ridiculous, impossible plan. But the other girls are intoxicated by the thought of disappearing, even temporarily—from bad boyfriends, from overbearing families, from the confusing, uncomfortable reality of having a body altogether. And, miraculously, it works. Yet as the girls revel in their reckless new freedom, they realize it’s getting harder to come back to themselves… and do they even want to? Content Warning: eating disorder, death, abusive relationship

Add to Goodreads: These Bodies Between Us Purchase the Book: Amazon | B&N | Bookshop

About the Author

Sarah Van Name grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and now lives and works in Durham with her family and dog. She is the author of two young adult novels, The Goodbye Summer (2019, a Junior Library Guild pick) and Any Place But Here (2021).

Connect with Sarah: Website | Instagram | Goodreads

Top 5 Reasons to Read

She's a hometown author! I was so excited to see a book from an author who actually lives in my town (Durham, NC).

The book explores the unique pressures of being a teenage girl through the use of magical realism, with the girls learning how to turn themselves invisible.

There is an unflinching look at an abusive teen relationship, one that's important for teens to read about because it doesn't involve (*yet*) being physically abusive. It's important for teen girls especially to recognize the signs of a toxic relationship and to have the strength to get out.

There is also a sensitive look at eating disorders, and how being invisible would appeal to a girl who hated her body and had body dysmorphia.

While a lot of YA (and adult) fiction often involves toxic female friendships (which, don't get me wrong, I also love reading about!), I love the fact that this book focuses on the purity and strength that actually exist in most friendships between girls and women. These girls would do absolutely anything for each other, and in the end that is truly put to the test.

I encourage you to read this, and to put it in the hands of the teen girls you know. I think it will speak to them, as it has done for me even at my way-past-teen-years age!

Rating: 5 stars!

**Disclosure: I received an early e-copy of this book for purposes of this blog tour. This review is voluntary on my part and reflects my honest rating and review of the book.

Make sure you check out the Instagram tour too! You can find the full schedule here, and my post can be found here.

Before She Was Harriet by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Genre:

This is a picture book biography (Coretta Scott King winner category).

Target Age Group:

Before She Was Harriet is written for elementary aged children, usually ages 5-11.

Summary:

Before She Was Harriet tells the life story of Harriet Tubman. The events of her life are told in reverse order, with each phase being described through the many roles she inhabited, including suffragist, spy, nurse, rescuer, and enslaved person.

Justification:

Besides winning the Coretta Scott King award, this book is also a Jane Addams Children's Honor book, a Junior Library Guild selection, and received starred reviews in Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Booklist.

Evaluation:

For this book I will be reviewing the illustrations, style & language, and content.

Illustrations

James E. Ransome's watercolor illustrations fill every page with rich color. The most prominent colors are yellow and blue. Yellow draws attention to challenges and hardships, such as the fiery torches and yellow dirt road pictured with the confederate army, the yellow walls of the makeshift hospital, and the yellow banner of the suffragists. A contrasting deep blue is used to show the night skies and water surrounding the boats for scenes depicting escape and freedom or peaceful reflection. Harriet is shown wearing blue in every illustration. While this specific symbolism might not be apparent to children, the distinction of the colors used adds to the mood of each scene.

Style and Language:

Before She Was Harriet is written in free verse. The writing has a lyrical quality to it, and lends itself well to being read aloud, perfect for the target audience. The phrase, "Before she was. . ." repeats throughout the story, highlighting the many roles Tubman filled in her life. There is no punctuation in the text, which adds to the feeling of flow and connection from one line to the next. While many words are used to describe Tubman, the very last word in the book is "free", emphasizing the value that she dedicated her life to.

Content

This book does not shy away from or sugarcoat the difficult subject matter of slavery and war. It uses simple and straightforward phrases such as "hatred and fear" and "bloodied dirt" and speaks of "slave owner(s)" who "punished her with lashes". This frankness shows respect readers of all ages and for the subject of the book. Before She Was Harriet begins with Harriet as an old woman, and works its way backward chronologically through her life. This reversed timeline serves to make her story all the more inspiring as the reader is led from her great accomplishments to her challenging first circumstances.

Before She Was Harriet is a simple and quick read, and could be a good introduction for young children to the topics of slavery and the Civil War. The beautiful illustrations and text in verse are sophisticated enough to hold the attention of older students as well, and might be a good component for related history lessons. For this reason it would be a valuable addition to classroom or home libraries.

References

Cline-Ransome, L. (2017). Before She Was Harriet (J. E. Ransome, Illus.). Holiday House.

Finished this yesterday

From Susan Dennard, the New York Times bestselling author of the Witchlands series, comes a haunting and high-octane contemporary fantasy about the magic it takes to face your fears in a nightmare-filled forest and the mettle required to face the secrets hiding in the dark corners of your own family.

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

A Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick

An Indigo Best Teen Book of 2022

A Junior Library Guild Pick

An Indie Next Pick

A Goodreads Most Anticipated YA Book

Hemlock Falls isn't like other towns. You won't find it on a map, your phone won't work here, and the forest outside town might just kill you.

Winnie Wednesday wants nothing more than to join the Luminaries, the ancient order that protects Winnie's town—and the rest of humanity—from the monsters and nightmares that rise in the forest of Hemlock Falls every night.

Ever since her father was exposed as a witch and a traitor, Winnie and her family have been shunned. But on her sixteenth birthday, she can take the deadly Luminary hunter trials and prove herself true and loyal—and restore her family's good name. Or die trying.

But in order to survive, Winnie enlists the help of the one person who can help her train: Jay Friday, resident bad boy and Winnie’s ex-best friend. While Jay might be the most promising new hunter in Hemlock Falls, he also seems to know more about the nightmares of the forest than he should. Together, he and Winnie will discover a danger lurking in the forest no one in Hemlock Falls is prepared for.

Not all monsters can be slain, and not all nightmares are confined to the dark.

🎀✨Thanks to Allida and LindaSue Park for the gorgeous Allida scarf and mug! Here I am today channeling my character, Natalie Nakahara, who loves boba, cosplay, and Kiki’s Delivery Service! 🐈‍⬛🧹 Come meet her in YOU ARE HERE: CONNECTING FLIGHTS!

An incident at a TSA security check point sows chaos and rumors, creating a chain of events that impacts twelve young Asian Americans in a crowded and restless airport. As their disrupted journeys crisscross and collide, they encounter fellow travelers—some helpful, some hostile—as they discover the challenges of friendship, the power of courage, the importance of the right word at the right time, and the unexpected significance of a blue Stratocaster electric guitar.

Twelve powerhouse Asian American authors explore themes of identity and belonging in the entwined experiences of young people whose family roots may extend to East and Southeast Asia, but who are themselves distinctly American.

Written by Linda Sue Park, Erin Entrada Kelly, Grace Lin, Traci Chee, Mike Chen, Meredith Ireland, Mike Jung, Minh Lê, Ellen Oh, Randy Ribay, Christina Soontornvat, and Susan Tan, and edited by Ellen Oh.

YOU ARE HERE is a Junior Library Guild selection with FIVE starred reviews to date! Check it out here!

THE LAKE HOUSE is a Junior Library Guild selection!!!

Very, very thrilled to share the news that THE LAKE HOUSE, my upcoming YA survival thriller, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! Thank you so much, Junior Library Guild, for this wonderful honor!!

Rating: 4/5

Book Blurb: A magical middle grade debut, inspired by Filipino folklore, about a ten-year-old girl who embarks on a quest in the world of gods and spirits to save her and her family from a sinister shadow god. Perfect for fans of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and When You Trap a Tiger. A Junior Library Guild Selection

Marikit is used to wearing recycled clothes. Her mother, the best seamstress in the barrio, has become an expert at making do ever since Marikit’s father and brother were lost at sea. But for her tenth birthday, all Marikit wants is something new. So when her mother gifts her a patchwork dress stitched together with leftover scraps from her workshop, Marikit vows to never wear it. That is, until the eve of her birthday, when shadow creatures creep into their home, attempt to take Marikit away, and upend the very life she knew.

When she’s swept away from the human world, Marikit discovers that her dress is a map, one lovingly crafted to lead her to safety in the magical lands of the Engkantos. She trudges through the enchanted lands of mythical creatures, making friends out of monsters and challenging gods. With the help of her friends, including an exuberant firefly and a cursed boy, Marikit journeys through the land of the Engkantos to find the key to saving her family, all without being eaten alive.

Review:

A young girl goes on an adventure unlike any other when her birthday goes awry. Marikit has always worn recycled clothes, her mother is a talented seamstress and has always had a talent for upcycling clothes and making them something new. After Marikit’s brother and father were lost at sea, it’s just been Marikit and her mother. After a birthday party leaves Marikit wishing for more, she makes her mother promise to make her a special dress for her tenth birthday, something new. Yet when her birthday arrives her mother gives Marikit a dress made of patchwork stitched together with leftover scraps from her workshop. Marikit is beyond upset and lashes out at her mother, she vows to never wear it, but on the eve of her birthday shadow creatures come after her and try to take her away but her mother tells her that the dress is a magical dress that will help her on the journey and find her way home. Now Marikit is transported into a new world, one far away from the human world where she discovers that her dres sis a map. Now Marikit must navigate enchanted lands, make new friends and meet magical creatures and gods. She’ll have to find the courage to survive and find a way to save her family and return home. This is a story about finding yourself and growing up, about the love of family and what the word home means. This was a pretty sweet story and magical adventure that is inspired by Filipino stories. which is amazing. 

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*