Month: November 2025

Posted in Fiction, Middle Grade, Middle School, Realistic Fiction, Tween Reads

On the Block: A middle grade anthology set in one building

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

On the Block: Stories of Immigrant Families, edited by Ellen Oh, (Oct. 2025, Penguin Random House), $8.99, ISBN: 9780593648476

Ages 8-13

Published in partnership with We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) and edited by award-winning author Ellen Oh – a founding member of WNDB – this can’t-miss anthology’s stories bring together the lives of a group of families living in the Entrada apartment building in New York City (if my reading of a few landmarks serves me right). The author’s list is a who’s-who of kidlit, including Tracey Baptiste, Adam Gidwitz, Sayantani Dasgupta, and Debbi Michiko Florence. Chapters are named for apartments where each family lives, giving readers a glimpse into different cultures and lived experiences. Characters from one story will pop up in another, providing a fun sense of continuity.

Who lives in the Entrada? There’s Lila Sooklal in Apartment 5B. Newly arrived from Trinidad, Lila explores the building and meets her neighbors while her family wanders flea markets in search of furnishings for their new apartment. Tumpa Ray in Apartment 4C is almost 12 years old and hasn’t learned to ride a bike yet; when her grandmother arrives from Bengal, she’s determined to change that. Yaniel Fernandez in Apartment 6C is eating popsicles until he’s sick to his stomach in order to make a bridge for class… and learns that there is much more to his grandmother than he ever imagined.

Living and working in an urban area of Queens, these are my library kids’ stories. Readers will laugh and cheer with these characters; they’ll identify with them, and they’ll feel seen. If you didn’t catch the hardcover release of On the Block (then subtitled Stories of Home) last year, put it in your cart for this year.

On the Block has starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Booklist.

Posted in Uncategorized

Rock Star: A salute to geologist Ursula Marvin

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

How Ursula Marvin Mapped Moon Rocks and Meteorites, by Sandra Neil Wallace/Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter, (Oct. 2025, Simon & Schuster), $19.99, ISBN: 9781534493339

Ages 7-12

While women were being told to stay home and learn to cook, Ursula Marvin was breaking barriers in science. The future geologist was told exactly that by a male professor when she attended college in the early 1940s; luckily for all of us, she disregarded the “advice” and went on to pursue a degree in geology, eventually earning a master’s and Ph.D. in the field. She believed that meteorites were the key to unlocking the solar system’s origins; it was a belief that “revolutionized how scientists saw the solar system”. She travelled to Antarctica to continue her research, facing bitter temperatures and project setbacks to become the first woman to search for meteorites at the bottom of the world, where Antarctica’s mountains held rocks “blasted from asteroids and maybe even the moon”. She fought sexism and broke barriers throughout her career and was responsible for forming foundational theories in planet geology. Wallace’s writing is informative and accessible, concentrating on details for readers to increase their interest: the process of setting up camp on the “oldest ice in the world”; the 50 pounds of clothing Marvin had to pack to keep warm; the moments of self-doubt, and the excitement of studying the first lunar meteorite, located in Antarctica while she was recovering from an injury back at home. Rock Star has a starred review from Kirkus.

See scans of Marvin’s journal from Antarctica at the Smithsonian’s website.

 

Posted in Conferences & Events, gaming

Conferencing!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Hi all, it’s been a busy Fall, between Nana fun, work, and conference season. I just got back from my state library conference (and brought con crud with me), where I gave one presentation and guested on two additional panels. It was exciting and so much fun, and I’m reminded yet again how lucky I am do be doing things I love for a living.

I gave a presentation on Tabletop Games to Try Before You Buy for the second year running. It’s part presentation, part gaming speed dating: after a quick presentation on suggested games, resources, and where to find games for libraries, we play! The panel took place in a large ballroom, so we were able to put games on multiple tables and teach folks a quick game; they moved on after a round or two. Here I am, teaching folks to play a round of King of Tokyo. (Photo credit: Clarisa Rosario-DeGroat)

The breakout success for this year was Mantis, from The Oatmeal! Everyone enjoyed the quick gameplay and easy-to-learn mechanics. Sushi Go received a lot of praise, as did Villainous.

I was part of a panel called Gone Clubbin’, where we talked about game clubs at the library. My colleague Barron Angell talked about his video game club; colleague Clarisa Rosario-DeGroat talked about her Pokemon club (and great extension activities), and I talked up Magic: The Gathering. Folks seemed really engaged and excited, and since Pokemon and Magic have been around for a while, that was great to see!

Finally, I spoke on a panel with Dr. Rajesh Singh called Beyond Cultural Competence: Actionable Advocacy for Inclusive Library Services. I met some wonderful librarians who are giving their all for their library communities, and made some good connections. All in all, it was another great year for our state library convention. I’m happy to share slides if anyone would like.

And now, back to books! (And games!)