under the stars
Fun Guaranteed: 16 Books We Love for Young Readers
You know what they say: Nothing softens the blow of back-to-school season like a new book. Read the rest of this entry »
A Dozen Magnificent Books for Young Readers (Plus a Scavenger Hunt for Waldo Fans)
What to do on a rainy summer day? Read! What about when it’s too hot to play outside? Read! During rest time at camp? On road trips? At grandma’s house? Read, read, read! Read the rest of this entry »
22 New Favorites for Young Readers: From Picture Books to YA
Summer’s here, and you know what that means: time to read whatever you want! We’re happy to help kids gather all their school-required books — and our kid-lit experts can show you lots of new and exciting just-for-fun reads, too. We’d love to recommend a stack tailored specifically to your young reader’s taste. Read the rest of this entry »
How SCBWI Helps Launch Careers: A Conversation with Four Authors
Audiences at our author events are often made up of not only avid readers but also aspiring writers and illustrators. When those folks raise their hands to ask the inevitable questions — “Where did you get your start? What should I do next?” — the answer is commonly a tongue-twisting abbreviation: SCBWI. It stands for the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, an international organization with regional chapters offering conferences, education, and networking for people at all levels of experience in making books for young people. Some of our favorite Nashville writers and illustrators, including Ruta Sepetys, David Arnold, Susan Eaddy, and Jessica Young, credit SCBWI with playing an integral role in their creative development and success. Read the rest of this entry »
18 Lovable New Books for Young Readers
Novels are fun
Short stories are, too
Candy rots your teeth
So these books are for you
❤️📚
Read the rest of this entry »
14 Picture Books for Raising Kind Young Citizens
This time last year, my friend Jane and I were warming our hands around some mugs of Fido’s life-giving Firepot Chai. Jane is both a librarian and a mom of two young girls. She and I gather about once a month with other friends whose passions or professions involve young readers and their books to unleash our inner nerds and geek out about books even more than we do in our admittedly already very nerdy daily lives. This time, however, Jane had me — and everyone at our table — stumped. Read the rest of this entry »
The BIG 2017 Gift List (Part II: Tots, Big Kids, and Teens!)
Nieces and nephews coming to visit for the holidays? New baby joining the family just in time for all the festivity? Voracious book-eating teenager in the house? Keep everyone happy with a book to unwrap! Our booksellers name their go-to gift suggestions for all ages, from classic favorites to new releases: Read the rest of this entry »
What We’re Thankful for: 19 Fantastic Books for Young Readers
With Thanksgiving on the calendar this month, we’re feeling grateful for all our blessings — including bold heroes and heroines, out-of-this-world settings, hilarious dialogue, and heart-wrenching relationships between characters we can’t help but fall in love with on the page. These are the books for young readers, from tots to teens, that we’re especially excited about right now: Read the rest of this entry »
From Toddlers to Teens: Favorites for Everyone!
If the young readers in your house need something new to read, we’ve got them covered. Check out our back issues of staff favorites or come look at the newest selections on our shelves. Here are a few our booksellers are especially loving right now: Read the rest of this entry »
Required Reading, Part Two: Must-Reads for Tots, Kids, and Teens
For kids, August means it’s time to hurry up and finish all that mandatory summer reading. (Everybody did the reading, right?) While reminiscing over back-to-school memories, our specialists in books for young readers started talking about their old favorites, their new favorites, and what they’d assign on a must-read list if they could. Read the rest of this entry »
musing 