This year, I am traveling with my nine-year-old reader at ALA annual, so on conference day one I picked up my badge and purchased a child’s pass at the registration desk (only available in person), and additional tickets for her to attend some of the events on my schedule. I opted to find a local babysitter for the first day, to give myself time to settle into the conference, and so my daughter could explore the city.
Conferencing with my daughter offered a few challenges (yes, there were moments during events when she whispered “Is it over yet?”), but it also gave me a chance to view the titles and events through a new lens. When purchasing books for our collections, we often don’t have a chance to get the perspective of a child or teen until those books are available on our library shelves. It was fascinating to see which titles my daughter gravitated towards. I am a big fan of Caldecott Medal winner Dan Santat’s work, but I definitely wouldn’t have expected a child to be so excited about fish-faced character named Sashimi. The guy knows how to market his books though! Talking it up to us as a “reverse-mermaid” was a smart move (also smart: giving the kid a Sashimi figurine for “being such a great listener” during the Magical Comics Tea).
If you ask my nine-year old which books she’s most excited about after ALA annual in Chicago, she’ll tell you:
- Sashimi and the Field Trip of Doom (volume 2) (available in September 2026) and Sashimi: Double Trouble (volume 3) by Dan Santat (available in April 2027)
- Opting Out by Maia Kobabe and Lucky Srikumar
- The True Story of Edith Leapyear, Child Outlaw: As Told by Herself by Kate DiCamillo (available in April 2027)
We’ll surely find more favorites in the pile of ARCs and gift books we picked up on the floor, but the titles above are the ones my reader keeps talking about.
Thanks to all of the authors, illustrators and publishers who graciously greeted my young reader during #alaannual26, with an especially big thanks to Dan Santat, for her favorite new figurine, and to Kate DiCamillo for answering her questions about Beverly, Raymie, and Louisiana.
Originally from Salinas, California, Celeste Rhoads (she, her, hers) lives in Paris, France where she manages the operations and collections for children and young adults at the American Library in Paris. She is dedicated to fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning in children and teens and enjoys connecting people of all ages with great reads—especially contemporary titles. Celeste has a master’s degree in Library Science from Rutgers University and is currently serving on YALSA’s Morris Award Committee.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
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