Books

An excerpt of Sophie Blackall's Caldecott-winning Hello Lighthouse.

Books
Arts

'Merci Suárez' Wins Newbery Medal, and 'Hello Lighthouse' Draws Caldecott

4:33pm January 28, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The world of children's books gave out its most prestigious prizes Monday at the American Library Association's conference in Seattle. Works by Meg Medina and Sophie Blackall won the headline honors.

Books

How I Made It: Yesika Salgado's Love Poem to Los Angeles

3:40pm January 28, 2019

Yesika Salgado has been writing and living in Los Angeles for her whole life.

Books
Arts

'The Falconer' Is A Vivid Tale Of Adolescence And Athleticism

2:01pm January 28, 2019

by Maureen Corrigan

Seventeen-year-old Lucy Adler loves basketball but struggles to fit in with her peers. Critic Maureen Corrigan says Dana Czapnik's protagonist reminded her of Francie from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

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"There's just so much beneath the streets of New York City that people walking around on the surface don't ever think about," journalist Will Hunt says. His new book is Underground.

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Arts

'Underground' Digs Up The Secrets Of Hidden Communities Around The World

1:58pm January 28, 2019

by Dave Davies

Journalist Will Hunt is fascinated with the world below us: "Every manhole, every doorway, every stairway going down into the dark [feels] like a potential portal into this like separate world."

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Books

Don't Judge 'The Plotters' By Its Cover ... Blurb

7:00am January 28, 2019

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Un-Su Kim's novel about competing guilds of assassins in Seoul, South Korea, is billed as a mashup of Tarantino and Camus, but our reviewer says the reality is somewhat more Camus and less compelling.

'Team Human' Stresses That The Future Lies In Connection And Cooperation

5:01am January 28, 2019

by Adam Frank

Douglas Rushkoff's knowledge of digital technology shines in his new book, horrifying us with the capacities of the machines we've built — and the ways they have been used against us.

Henry Winkler, who has dyslexia, has spent his life struggling to read books. "It never dawned on me that I would have my name on a book," Winkler tells NPR's Michel Martin.

Books

Dyslexia Made Henry Winkler Feel 'Stupid' For Years. Now, He's A Best-Selling Author

6:05pm January 27, 2019

by Emma Bowman

The Emmy-winning actor is lesser known for his work writing for children. But he calls his book series, about the adventures and struggles of a dyslexic child, his proudest accomplishment.

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Books
Arts

'99 Nights In Logar' Is An Afghan Adventure Told In Nested Stories

7:57am January 27, 2019

by Lulu Garcia-Navarro

The novel is a coming-of-age journey, about a young boy chasing after a runaway dog. Author Jamil Jan Kochai says he hopes the book will counter some American misconceptions about Afghanistan.

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All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries #1, by Martha Wells

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Arts

Sulky, Cynical 'Murderbot' Is One Of Sci-Fi's Most Human Characters

7:00am January 27, 2019

by Jason Sheehan

In All Systems Red, Martha Wells hides a delicate, nuanced, character-driven story under a veneer of robot fights and space murder — and the titular Murderbot is the character doing the driving.

Books
Arts

Too Many Threads Tangle 'The Suspect'

10:00am January 26, 2019

by Bethanne Patrick

Fiona Barton's third Kate Waters mystery finds our reporter on the trail of two young girls who've gone missing while backpacking in Thailand — but the case is overcomplicated by its many characters.