Missed Booklist’s very own Susan Maguire, Senior Editor of Collection Management and Library Outreach, on PBS Books last night? Worry not; you can catch her discussion with Heather-Marie Montilla, Director of PBS Books, about beach reads and summer reading by playing the video below!

Your Freedom, Your Power: A Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment
by Allison Matulli and Clelia Castro-Malaspina, illustrated by Carmelle Kendall

Manageable paragraphs, accessible text, lists, charts, and insets help explain, citing court cases that directly affect students: evolution in science courses, religion-related clothing, the effect of school bathroom policies on transgender kids. Every chapter offers fresh perspectives and interactive activities, including tips on how to petition for change.

10 Questions for Lucy Vine
By John Charles

Lucy Vine is a writer, editor, and the best-selling author of Hot Mess, What Fresh Hell, Are We Nearly There Yet? and Bad Choices. Her books have been translated into sixteen languages around the world, with Hot Mess optioned for a TV series.

Booklist Backlist: In Case of Emergency
by Kit Ballenger

​Life throws curveballs to even our youngest readers, and it’s important that kids with adverse childhood experiences still see themselves in stories. Think of this as your “In Case of Emergency” reading list—I hope you never need these books, but you’ll be grateful to have them, if you do.

Top 10 Reference: 2023
by Susan Maguire

​These top 10 reference books were reviewed in Booklist between May 15, 2022, and May 1, 2023, and represent useful resources for libraries of all sizes.

Top 10 Historical Fiction on Audio: 2023
by Heather Booth

This year’s list—from Booklist starred reviews published between April 1, 2021 and April 15, 2023—highlights the best in narration of historical fiction for adult listeners.

The Essentials: Surveillance States
By Sarah Hunter

Many late-twentieth-century dictatorships, some only a generation or two old, were marked by a tight grip on news media and widespread surveillance that often violently discouraged the spread of information, so it’s no wonder that documented facts about these regions can be hard to come by.

The Essentials: Jewish American Historical Fiction
by Donna Seaman

Historical fiction of the highest caliber offers a window onto the Jewish American experience, spotlighting actual events and individuals; articulating emotions, thoughts, and moral and spiritual dilemmas; and tracing the endless ripple effects of the past through vividly realized settings, engrossing plots, and many-faceted characters.