- The 2009 Rainbow List of Outstanding Literature with significant GLBTQ content is out! I seriously love the Rainbow List.
- The always-educational In the Library with the Lead Pipe has a detailed breakdown of what librarians need to know about the Google books settlement.
- Sherri Smith, author of Flygirl, gave a very insightful interview on race, identity, and passing at Finding Wonderland.
- Great discussion on John Green’s blog about quantifying what teens are reading (and liking). He suggests using Goodreads as a metric. I agree that it can add to what we know, but as many people point out in the comments, there are some serious flaws with extrapolating from what you find on a site like Goodreads.
- Open Wide, Look Inside links to some useful resources from the Department of Education publications site. Great for sharing with parents and teachers in your community.
- February’s edition of School Library Journal has a fantastic article on self-censorship as practiced by librarians, authors, and publishers. This is a must-read. Justine Larbalestier’s thoughtful reaction to the article is here.
- I can’t get enough heartwarming stories of kids who decide to help their communities by starting book donation drives. Love it. (Hat tip to The Reading Tub)
- Last week I mentioned President Obama’s surprise visit to read a book at a local school. Now SLJ reports that the President has excellent taste in children’s books.
- EBay as an author’s best friend? Sue Macy says so over at I.N.K.
- YPulse has another great list of youth activism sites.
- Want to know what NOT to write in your novel? Coe Booth has been reading manuscripts by the ton, and she has some suggestions.
- Maggie Steifvater shares some great thoughts about characters in fantasy novels and the need for them to move past disbelief in a hurry.
- At Wild Rose Reader they’ve compiled a very thorough list of reviews, resources, and booklists for Black History Month.
- Librarilly Blonde shares a wonderful story about paying attention to what is important to a book instead of getting bogged down in the details.