Boost Your Summer READing!

Summer READing programs are in full swing, but there’s no rest for the fearless folks of Youth Services! Here to keep those fires burning and your marshmallows roasting is a smorgasbord of HOT news, and cool free stuff. Dive in, enjoy and catch the wave!

All Things Comics!

Celebrate the Fourth by Watching Batman Punch NazisComics published during WWII sure are full of flag waving and fascist bashing. They’re far from perfect, but Batman punching Nazis is swell.

New Ms. Marvel Author Samira Ahmed Discusses Her Plans for Kamala Khan — the first female South Asian writer to tackle the Muslim superhero comic book character Kamala Khan. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the author discussed her plans for the character. Ahmed says that Ms. Marvel “looms large in my familial culture.” In fact, in her group chat with her South Asian cousins, they often use the acronym WWMMD: What would Ms. Marvel do? Ms. Marvel will be Ahmed’s first comic, and it should be hitting stands in September.

A Lord of the Rings anime movie is in the works: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

Jameela Jamil has joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ She-Hulk series as Titania, a Marvel supervillain with limitless strength. The series will star Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, a young lawyer who becomes She-Hulk after receiving a blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner, a man with gamma-radiation-infected blood.

This Week’s Digital ARC — Dinosaur Explorers Volume 9

Written by Redcode & Illustrated by Albbie and Air Team — Pub Date: September 7th, 2021 — Click Here To Get Your Digital ARC

TEACHERS GUIDES to new comics — Click here to find the latest teachers guides, as well as posters and other giveaways such as Free Comic Book Day issues for your comic conventions!

Art Projects!

At the Movies!

Check out the new trailer for Clifford the Big Red Dog. coming to theaters September 17 of this year. For every like and share the trailer receives, the film will donate $1 to Best Friends Animal Society, up to $20,000.

West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler has been cast as Snow White in Disney’s upcoming remake of the fairy tale. Production is set to begin on the new film sometime in 2022.

Because You are You-th!

Alexandra Huynh has been announced as Amanda Gorman’s California successor for youth poet laureate. Learn more about the newest youth poet laureate!

Jason Reynolds Wins Carnegie Medal for Story Collection Look Both Ways — Poet and author Jason Reynolds has won the Carnegie medal, the UK’s most prestigious prize for children’s books, for his short story collection Look Both Ways.

Social Justice Children’s Bookstore Opened in West Palm Beach — A new social justice-driven children’s bookstore is opening at Rosemary Square in West Palm Beach. It’s called Rohi’s Readery, and the bookstore will focus on stories featuring children and families from diverse backgrounds. Pranoo Kumar, the founder of the store, explained that the bookstore is actually named in honor of her grandmother: “Rohi is actually short for Rohini. Rohini in India, my grandmother, was a steadfast advocate for educational rights for children especially during the caste system and colonized India.”

19 Cheap (or Free!) Sidewalk Activities to Keep the Kids Busy
Be an LGBTQ+ Ally: 10 Phrases to Stop Using Today
Kid del Toro, a new bilingual children’s book “inspired by Guillermo del Toro’s love for monsters” is coming in August.
Random House has partnered with Funko Pop! and Universal for Little Golden Books.

Improvised Library Brings Joy Of Books To Kids Living In Gang Territory — NPR highlighted the HotSpot Library, a library that has been built around shipping containers in Cape Town, South Africa. The library was founded in 2017 in response to worrying statistics for literacy rates in South Africa, and sits in a neighborhood where gang violence is prevalent. It’s become a refuge for kids and adults, and organizers are hoping to open a second location soon.

Children’s illustrator Robert M. Quackenbush passed away.
Robin from Stranger Things is getting a prequel podcast series and a YA novel.

The Horn Book Magazine announced in a news release the winners of the 2021 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards

Get A First Look At John Cho’s Debut Middle Grade Novel Troublemaker — the book will release in March 2022. But right now, you can get an exclusive first peek at the book’s cover and first chapter at Entertainment Weekly.

Sad news–YA author Cindy Anstey has passed away after a long fight against cancer. She is the author of many YA Regency romances, including Love, Lies, and Spies.

LeVar Burton Wants to Help You Become a Better Storyteller — MasterClass has announced that LeVar Burton will be teaching a class on the power of storytelling.

Just for YA!

Justina Ireland and Tessa Gratton Co-Writing YA Fantasy Duology Chaos & Flame — Ruta Rimas at Razorbill has acquired the rights to a new YA fantasy duology from Justina Ireland (Dread Nation) and Tessa Gratton (The Queens of Innis Lear). The books will follow two scions from two rival houses who get swept up in the dangerous game the prince regent is playing, and the only way they will be able to survive is by trusting each other. Publication is set for spring 2023.

Penguin Teen announced Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto.

MacLib’s Fall 2021 Adult + YA book buzzes
2021 YA Starred Reviews Round-Up
This teen activist sows seed libraries across the US.
TikTok is driving a surge in demand for YA fiction.

Victoria Schwab’s New YA Novel is Crimson Peak Meets The Secret Garden — her latest YA novel Gallant comes out March 2022, and Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive look at the upcoming book, which is being described as a cross between Crimson Peak and The Secret Garden. Victoria Schwab’s new YA novel has a cover reveal!

Speaking of cover reveals, the cover of Kosoko Jackson’s I’m So (Not) Over You is gorgeous!
The six authors of Blackout discuss their new book!
All of the Twilight movies are headed to Netflix, if you want to plan a watch party!
Want to know where to find the best BookTok recommendations? Meet some of the biggest teen influencers.
The Locus Awards were announced—see which YA novel took the prize!

Kid Stuff!

38 Silly Summer Jokes for Kids

Completing this simple summer-themed poetry pattern gives students a great grammar review! [READ MORE]
Want more summer activities? [READ MORE]
Online Games to Combat Summer Boredom
9 Fun & Easy Typing Games Kids Actually Enjoy
15 Cool Coloring Pages & Worksheets for Kids

Peppa the Popstar has done it again! Peppa released her brand-new music single, “Peppa’s Adventures”! This hit track is sure to have the whole family moving and grooving all weekend long. Download and stream it!

Download part two of **Peppa’s US Adventure Activity Pack** for a fun *ABCs of America* activity where your little one can color in the patriotic item for each letter of the alphabet. You can also pack your very own suitcase for your

Laugh, snort, and dance with Peppa and her family as she travels across the US for the very first time. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the 4th of July weekend! Tune into the **Peppa Pig Visits America Playlist** on YouTube.

Summer Activities For The Very Hungry Caterpillar — After reading the book, try out one of these at-home The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities for toddlers and older kids alike!

Must See Streaming!

The Ivy and Bean series is getting a Netflix adaptation.
17 Shows & Movies for Kids (& Families) Coming to Netflix in July
Netflix is adapting Maureen Goo’s YA novel Somewhere Only We Know.
Netflix has also just revealed new official photos for the second season of Locke & Key.
The trailer for Netflix’s adaptation of R.L. Stine’s Fear Street has dropped!

Beauty and the Beast Prequel Series Coming to Disney Plus — The Disney Plus Beauty and the Beast prequel has officially been ordered to series. The prequel is a live-action musical series that features 2017’s Beauty and the Beast stars Luke Evans and Josh Gad reprising the roles of Gaston and LeFou. Additionally, it has been announced that newcomer Briana Middleton is joining the show as Tilly, LeFou’s stepsister. The series has been given an eight-episode order. Production will begin in spring 2022.

Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo is getting a series adaptation – set in the world of K-pop, Goo’s book is getting a feature film adaptation on Netflix. Lana Cho (Four Weddings and a Funeral) has signed on to adapt the story, which follows a K-pop star and a tabloid photographer as they explore the streets of Hong Kong together, finding adventure and, of course, romance.

This is My America by Kim Johnson has been optioned for a TV adaptation at HBO Max!

Share With Parents!

31 Creative Ways Families Can Spend Time Together in July

Apparate into the Wizarding World with This Fun New Summer Program
Effective Workout Moves You Can Do at the Playground
The Ultimate List of Alexa Skills for Kids
20 Classic Pool Games That Don’t Require Any Gear
9 Great Storage Solutions for ALL the LEGO Bricks
Get Your Vitamins: 13 Recipes for Kid-Friendly (& Healthy!) Popsicles
24 Car Games to Play on Your Next Road Trip
Campfire Recipes Everyone Will Love
15 Tasty (& Unconventional) S’mores Recipes
23 Simple Picnic Snacks for Kids

STEM/STEAM!

💻 Code at Home Activity: Learning how to code doesn’t have to be difficult. With our simple, fun PDFs, you can code at the click of a button.

—> Solar Oven Challenge
—> Ice Cream in a Bag
—> Build a Water Wheel
—> DIY Water Wall
Summer 🌞 STEM
Outdoor Activities
Ocean 🌊 Projects
Scavenger Hunts
Moon 🌙 or Space Activities
Nature 🌳 Adventures
Ice cream in a bag is a fan favorite and it can be done inside or out…
Build a Smore’s solar oven for a toasty-tasty treat on a hot weekend day…
Turn a watermelon rind into a mega volcano activity…
Stir up fizzy lemonade…
Make edible rock cycle snack bars

Things That Make Me Go Squee! — mostly stuff for grown ups

The winners of the Indigenous Voices Awards have been announced.

The Navajo students at Tse’Bii’Nidzisgai Elementary School and Monument Valley High School have written a book filled with oral histories and drawings that capture what life is like in Monument Valley. For the book, entitled Hózhó, A Walk in Beauty, the students in Monument Valley interviewed their grandparents and other relatives about what life used to be like on the Navajo Nation. All proceeds go towards scholarships for students looking to attend college or other forms of higher education.

John Lithgow will return for the Dexter revival.
A Frankenstein television series adaptation is in the works.

Harry Melling Stars Opposite Christian Bale in Netflix Film About Young Edgar Allan Poe — The film is based on Louis Bayard’s novel The Pale Blue Eyes, which imagines a young Poe who solves crimes. Melling will play the young Edgar Allan Poe alongside Christian Bale, who plays a detective tasked with solving a murder at West Point.

Jack Huston signed on for the new Count of Monte Cristo adaptation.
The release date of the new Dune movie has been moved again.
Stephen King’s ‘Salem’s Lot series, Chapelwaite, has a release date.

cover of interview with the vampire by anne rice

After years of development, the television adaptation of Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire is finally debuting on AMC and AMC+ in 2022.

Netflix released a Geralt teaser for the new season of The Witcher.

Good Omens is getting a second season

Bryan Fuller will be adapting a remake of Stephen King’s novel Christine and I am HERE FOR IT!

Liam Neeson is starring in an adaptation of The Black Eyed Blonde, a Philip Marlowe novel written by Benjamin Black.

Apple’s Foundation Gets A Release Date and New Trailer — AppleTV+ has announced that its upcoming adaption of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation will premiere on September 24, and they’ve released a new trailer for the series too. The show will star Chernobyl’s Jared Harris as Hari Seldon, a mathematician who can predict the future using the law of mass action and statistical mechanics. He foresees the collapse of the galactic empire, and so he gathers a following of those determined to preserve humanity’s “legacy.”

A new Exorcist sequel is in the works.

And these are funny:

You’ve been struck by a smooth criminal.
TOO SOON.
That’s one strong duck.
You know they put that sign there because it’s happened.

Groan-worthy joke of the week:

Why is Peter Pan always flying? Because he Neverlands.