Take a cooking competition in graphic novel format and mix in zany illustrations, alien species and an intergalactic empire. Blend in a reluctant, kindhearted female heroine, top it all off with eco-, exoplanetary, and class politics, and you get The Big Tournament, the first book in the fabulous upper middle grade/YA sci-fi series, Magda: Intergalactic … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Big Tournament
Welcome back to #WorldKidLit Month 2025. Today's post comes to us from Angie Erickson. Some books feel heavy because of what they hold. Mishka (2022), written by Edward van de Vendel and Anoush Elman, illustrated by Annet Schaap, and translated by Nancy Forest-Flier, feels light, even though it is about one of the heaviest things … Continue reading #WORLDKIDLIT MONTH 2025: HOPE HOPS IN ‘MISHKA’
Twelve-year-old Movits “Mo” Lind is the antithesis of cool. He plays chess, trains his guinea pig, cooks for his younger sister, and mortifies his popular older sister with his geeky interests. His life changes, though, when he agrees to travel with his best friend, Ruben, from their quiet suburb to downtown Stockholm to see Ruben’s … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Biggest Fake in the Universe
Written by Kelsey Hedrick It’s always my goal as a librarian to have books and stories that reflect the experiences, people, and history of those who are in the school. Having lived in Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Thailand, and now Indonesia) for the majority of my career, I’m finally starting to see books that are set … Continue reading #INTYALITMONTH: Literature Set in Southeast Asia – Where Can I Find More?
A sweet, otherworldly tale that’s billed as “the fantastic adventure that first inspired Hayao Miyazaki’s beloved film, Spirited Away,” The Village Beyond the Mist is sure to charm. Set in a magical town hidden in a mysterious forest clearing, The Village Beyond the Mist is a delightful, multigenerational fantasy for middle grade readers about service. Is that … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: The Village Beyond the Mist
Arranged and forced marriages are the reality for many young teenage girls around the world. But does it really have to be this way? This middle grade illustrated novel is based on the true story of Adi, as told to renowned Cameroonian author and poet Alain Serge Dzotap. Adidjatou, or Adi for short, is a … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Adi of Boutanga: A Story from Cameroon
For September we have four countries to celebrate. How sad is it that all the books we have about Armenia are about the genocide? For further reading please refer to the GLLI blogs on Brazil, Mexico Armenia and Saudi Arabia. By Nadine Bailey – middle school teacher librarian, currently living and working in Dubai, formerly … Continue reading #DecDisplays – September Celebrations
Our Grade 7 students do a dystopian unit in their English Language Arts (ELA) class, and I came across this nifty categorisation in a poster by Jeri Hurd (sans the sub-pages / images). Since I find our students are increasingly stimulated by imagery, rather than just text, I adapted the poster to include 7 sub-posters … Continue reading #DecDisplays – Dystopian sense-making
This post originally appeared in my blog - Informative Flights on the 17th of November, 2024 For a while now I've been wanting to highlight the curation of books related to the countries and cultures of our students, and finally this year I got around to creating posters "Celebrating xxx" which I post to our … Continue reading #Dec Displays – Celebrating Germany – By what are we known
It’s not easy moving to a new place away from family and friends and trying to settle into a new home and school. The middle grade graphic novel Ellie in First Position tackles all this, and more. The story opens with 10-year-old Electra, or Ellie for short, relocating to a new city with her mother … Continue reading #WorldKidLit Wednesday: Ellie in First Position
Global Literature in Libraries Initiative 