Gilcy Aquino

The Fierce Reads tour, Macmillan’s twice-yearly series of YA author events, was back in-person for the first time since the pandemic began. The tour featured authors Aminah Mae Safi (Travelers Along the Way, Feiwel and Friends), Axie Oh (The Girl Who…

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, YALLFest was held November 11–12 in Charleston, S.C. After going virtual due to the pandemic in 2020, the festival returned in person this year, drawing 4,000 avid readers and 60 authors. YALLFest directors Melissa…

AnimeNYC 2021, an annual event celebrating Asian popular culture, returned after a year’s hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic to the Javits Convention Center, November 19-21. The show attracted more than 53,000 attendees, according to Peter Tatara,…

In a restructure, Lisa Moraleda has been promoted to executive director of children’s publicity at Simon & Schuster, and will serve as head of the department, across all imprints. As of spring 2022, all publicists in the department will now work on…

Stacy Lellos has been named publisher of Workman Children’s Books, and will join the company on October 18. Lellos is a 28-year veteran of book publishing and children’s retail, and was most recently president of Klutz. “Getting to work with this…

After a month of voting by kids on nominated titles for the all-new awards categories, the finalists have been selected, and voting for this year’s winners is now open for the Kids’ Book Choice Awards (formerly known as the Children’s and Teen Choice…

The Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education has announced the creation of the Margaret Wise Brown Board Book Award for excellence in literature for the youngest readers, named after former Bank Street pioneer and author Margaret…

Penguin Random House has announced its partnership with Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, to launch the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, a new creative writing award focused on poetry for public high school students. With a…

Former Georgia House minority leader, bestselling author, and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams is set to publish her first picture book, Stacey’s Extraordinary Words, on December 28 with HarperCollins Children’s Books imprint Balzer + Bray. Based…

On May 26, the second day of the U.S. Book Show, author and co-curator of the HarperCollins Heartdrum imprint Cynthia Leitich Smith (member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation) led a sponsored panel highlighting Indigenous voices in children’s and YA,…

The final event of the U.S. Book Show on May 27 was a sponsored panel led by PW reviewer Idris Grey, featuring Dhonielle Clayton, Shattered Midnight (Disney-Hyperion); Crystal Fleming, Rise Up! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy…

The final Editors’ Picks panel for the U.S. Book Show on May 27 spotlighted big YA titles coming out this fall, moderated by PW reviewer Sanina Clark. Joining Clark were the eight editors of the books discussed: Tor Teen editor Ali Fisher presenting…

The final day of the U.S. Book Show, May 27, PW freelance editor Natasha Gilmore moderated a sponsored author panel highlighting forthcoming picture books, including Ryan Higgins’s Norman Didn’t Do It! (Yes He Did) (Disney-Hyperion); Pat Zietlow…

Zando, a new independent publishing house founded by former Crown publisher Molly Stern, has hired Tiffany Liao as executive editor to lead the company’s Young Readers initiative, effective June 9. Currently senior editor at Henry Holt Books for…

Stacey Barney will take on the role of associate publisher of Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, effective June 1. Currently executive editor at G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Barney will work closely with Nancy Paulsen to expand the…

NYCC sells 210,000 tickets as graphic novel sales continue to grow New York Comic Con 2019, held October 3–6 at the Javits Center in New York City, sold upwards of 210,000 tickets this year, according to show organizer ReedPop. Against that backdrop,…

The Rabbit Listened, written and illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld (Dial), has won the third annual Anna Dewdney Read Together Award, given by Penguin Young Readers, the Children’s Book Council, and Every Child a Reader. Named after the late…

One intrepid reporter found out for us at New York Comic Con. The author, avec burger. With Comic-con comes all the best things about being a huge nerd: the cosplays ,the merch, the people to nerd out with (away from your other friends who think…