Do you remember, back in November, when we told you we were preparing a new kind of Loan Stars list for Juvenile and Young Adult titles? Well it's ready! And we're back to announce our first-ever Loan Stars Jr. list!
Up until this point, Loan Stars only allowed library staff to recommend forthcoming adult Fiction and Non-Fiction titles for inclusion in the top 10 lists. But we opened up voting for the Loan Stars Jr. list in November, which allowed library staff to recommend forthcoming picture books, middle-grade, and YA titles. Any book publishing in March or April 2019 was eligible for our inaugural list.
And now, without further ado, here are the 10 top picks from our first Loan Stars Jr. list, as chosen by Canadian library staff:
A Quick & Easy Guide to Queer & Trans Identities by Mady G. & J.R. Zuckerberg (Young Adult, April 23, 2019)
Most Marshmallows by Rowboat Watkins (Juvenile, April 30, 2019)
The Tallest Tree House by Elly MacKay (Juvenile, April 23, 2019)
Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan (Young Adult, April 30, 2019)
Papergirl by Melinda McCracken 🇨🇦 with Penelope Jackson 🇨🇦 (Juvenile, April 1, 2019)
When You're Scared by Andrée Poulin🇨🇦 and illustrated by Véronique Joffre (Juvenile, March 15, 2019)
Pilu of the Woods by Mai K. Nguyen (Juvenile, April 15, 2019)
I Will Be Fierce by Bea Birdsong and illustrated by Nidhi Chanani (Juvenile, April 23, 2019)
Carl and the Meaning of Life by Deborah Freedman (Juvenile, April 2, 2019)
Mya's Strategy to Save the World by Tanya Lloyd Kyi 🇨🇦 (Juvenile, April 30, 2019)
The first list comprises two YA titles, five picture books, and three middle-grade books.
Are you super excited and want to get involved with the Loan Stars Jr. lists, either by recommending titles (library staff) or by helping library staff find books to endorse (publishers)? Or are you a reader/parent who wants to know which new books professionals are endorsing? Read on and we'll tell you how you can make that dream a reality.
Library staff
Have you fallen for a book lately? Are you searching for the one...right now? Sign up for a free CataList account, browse for upcoming titles in our Loan Stars monthly catalogues, and recommend the books you believe should be in Canadian libraries. Here are more details on each step.
In the meantime, you can get downloadable, printable posters for each list that you can display at your library branch. You can also sign up for the newsletter and follow us on your favourite social media platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook) for the latest Loan Stars news.
And, as always, you can get in touch if you have a specific question that we haven't answered above (or in our FAQs).
Publishers
If you're new to Loan Stars, we want to help you get started! Already set up for the adult Loan Stars lists? Here's what you need to know about sharing your Loan Stars endorsements.
But one of the more important things you can do to get your Juvenile and YA titles noticed by library staff is to include interior images in CataList.
To collaborate on ways to promote your titles to libraries, just send us a message.
Parents/Readers
Want to see which Juvenile and YA books Canadian library staff are endorsing? Follow us on your favourite social media platforms (Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook) for the latest Loan Stars news. Or check the Loan Stars website for a new Loan Stars Jr. list every other month.
You can also visit your local library and ask them if they know about the Loan Stars program and whether they have the printed poster on display so you can peruse the recommendations.
5 questions with Brad Green and Petra Thoms, the owners of World of Maps.