The Morning RSS for 4 March 2025
A collection of share-worthy items from our morning blog scroll.
Anyone else ready for spring? ✋ Don’t you hate it when Phil is right? ✋Oof! It has been “A Winter.” and since it’s not over yet, we thought we’d create a Norman Rockwell-ish image:
You. Sitting in front of the fire, yarncraft tools in hand, listening to an audio book.
Sounds cozy, yes? Well Rachel Brittain’s post with suggestions for bookish crochet and knitting patterns is both cozy AND fun! [via Book Riot]
Okay. Time to March 4th (get it?)
For Writers & Creators & Readers, too
Suffering from the picture book fizzle [it’s not a thing, we totally made that up]? Helen Stephens has some fun ideas to help you.
In an interview at Teen Librarian Toolbox, MGLit author Barbara Dee talks about how to write a book that is both timely and timeless.
Because I write contemporary realistic fiction for middle schoolers, this is a question I worry about a lot … But because I [know] new that I had to factor in something like two years until pub date, I couldn’t assume that any particular event or decision would remain current and relatable. ~ Barbara Dee
Spotted in a skeet by Jaymie Heilman: Rebecca Makkai's essay "How to Write While Deeply Distracted” at Submakk [Rebecca’s substack].
This one is for the MGLit lovers … Andrea Pyros asks “Will ‘Young Teen Lit’ catch on?" in this post at the Mixed Up Files of Middle-Grade Authors
Making more room for upper middle grade, young teen lit, or whatever else publishers, educators, librarians, writers, and the readers themselves call it is something we’d love to see.
New Books & Book Lists
Every time I ask kids what they like to read, a TON says the I Survived books. ~ Victoria J. Coe
If you have one of these kiddos - or are an I Survived fan yourself check this out: 10 books like I Survived that they’ll love. [Via Bluesky]
Book Bans & Censorship
Starting in 2024, we flipped the perspective on book bans and censorship. Instead of sharing the head-shaking news, we shared head-nodding ideas! Unfortunately, this is not our reality in 2025, so we’re going with a mantra:
Just. Keep. Fighting.
Let’s start here: Libraries need us. ALL of us. This is a consumer-friendly edition of the ALA’s campaign Show Up For Our Libraries. It’s easy to do. [Source: ALSC blog]
Hey Illinois residents … time to House representatives to support HB 1589 which requires anyone running for a library board position to hold a library card. Get all the deets in Kelly Jensen’s Well Sourced newsletter. Learn how you can file a Witness Slip to support the bill as it moves forward.
Other Bookish Stuff
Oh! And in case you missed it, we announced the winners of the 2024 CYBILS Awards on 14 February. Discover the books and see why our judges loved them here. We think they’ll pair really well with that super-cute bookish crochet thing you’re working on!
~ Team CYBILS