Pennsylvania Center for the Book

Emmie builds things. Apparently, including award recognition. "Emmie Builds Something New" just landed on the @pacftb.bsky.social 2026 Baker's Dozen — 13 standout picks for family literacy chosen from nearly 900 books. We're so proud of this one!

So honored that Lilac and the Switchback was chosen by @pacftb.bsky.social to represent PA as a 2026 Great Reads! I can’t wait for the National Book Festival in August!

Great news from our members this month! Check it out! easternpennpoints.wordpress.com/2026/04/30/m... @brianbiggsstudio.bsky.social @jessyoonwrites.bsky.social @annettewhipple.bsky.social @heatherstigall7.bsky.social @berrietr.bsky.social @lauraparnum.bsky.social

Bookish friends in Pennsylvania! This Saturday there is a FREE bookish event with 30+ authors called the Romance, Mystery & Magic Book Fair! 🌟March 21, 10-3 pm at Sly Fox Taphouse, Wyomissing, PA!

🙉 We never monkey around when it comes to our favorite Pennsylvania authors and books!

📚 On Thursday, March 26th at 6:00pm, join Spotlight PA ( @spotlightpa.org ) and author Jeannine Cook for a virtual Q&A about Cook's new memoir, Shut Up and Read. To learn more and register for the free event: www.spotlightpa.org/news/2026/02...

📚 We recently visited the Schlow Centre Region Library in State College to see the new Library of Congress Information Kiosk! Thank you to the Library of Congress for helping connect Pennsylvanians with our national library!

There are people walking around right now saying “I should get a library card.” And then just… not doing it. What are you waiting for? We want you here. 📚

🎉 Congratulations to Raina J. León for being selected as the 2026-2027 Philadelphia Poet Laureate!

📚 We recently hosted our second jury meeting for the 2026 Baker’s Dozen booklist! The Baker's Dozen jury is tasked with identifying the top 13 books that support family literacy. During our February meeting, the jury reviewed 211 children's books! The 2026 booklist will be available this spring.

⛸️ Missing the Winter Olympics? Check out these sports romances from Pennsylvania authors: 🏒 It's a Love/Skate Relationship by @icarli.bsky.social 🏸 Pick Me by Victoria Schade @victoriaschade.bsky.social 🏈 Claiming Carter by Jennifer Bonds 🏀 A Sharp Endless Need by @mcrane12.bsky.social

No Pennsylvanian should go hungry. If you are struggling, don't hesitate to get help. Find resources: 🥗 dhs.pa.gov/SNAP 🤝 www.pa-navigate.org 🥫 feedingpa.org 🍎 dhs.pa.gov/Ending-Hunger 🍼 pawic.com

🎉 Happy 171th birthday, Penn State! We are proud to call the University Libraries our home! Celebrate with books by alumni: 📘 Take Care of Them Like My Own by Ala Stanford 📘 Mind and Matter by John Urschel and Louisa Thomas 📘 Spoil by Alyse Bensel 📘 Pennsylvania Furnace by Julie Swarstad Johnson

📚 Celebrate African American Read-In Month with these Pennsylvania based stories for adults following African Americans: 📗 Discipline by Marc Avery 📗 It's Me They Follow by Jeannine A. Cook 📗 The Beauty in Breaking by Michele Harper 📗 I: New & Selected Poems by Toi Derricotte

📚 Earlier this month, we attended the State College Area School District's SCASD Reads: Building Stories Family Fun Night! It was wonderful meeting so many families and helping them 'build' their young reader’s bookshelf with award-winning titles from the Center!

Dear young readers, Sorry not sorry for all the extra reading, but you aren't going to want to miss any of these winning YMA titles. Check out the full list and max out your library holds. Sincerely, ALA ilovelibraries.org/article/2026... #ALAyma 📚💙

🐦‍⬛ Looking for a book to start off the new year? We recommend the 2026 Centre County Reads selection, Crow Talk by Eileen Garvin! It is an achingly beautiful story of love, grief, and friendship. Eileen Garvin will also be participating in a virtual author visit on Wednesday, April 1st!

⭐ Applications for the 2026 Library of Congress Literacy Awards are now open! The program recognizes U.S. and international organizations with innovative strategies to promote literacy. Applications close Tuesday, February 17 at 11:59pm EST. For more information:

Nominate the educators who make a difference in your life for America's Favorite Teacher! The winner will receive $25,000, a trip to Hawaii, an appearance in Reader's Digest, and a school assembly with Bill Nye. americasfavteacher.org #AmericasFavoriteTeacher #billnyethescienceguy #ColossalImpact

🎉 Happy book birthday to Better the Devil by @erikjbrown.bsky.social from @epicreads.bsky.social! This young adult psychological thriller follows a runaway teen who assumes the identity of a boy who went missing ten years ago, but soon learns his new home is anything but a safe haven.

📚 We asked our staff for their favorite books of 2025! Our intern Abby's picks were: 📕 The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides 📕 The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden 📕 Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand 📕 Ward D by Freida McFadden What were your favorite books of 2025?

It can get very cold, very fast in PA. If you or someone you know needs help keeping your home warm and safe this winter, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help. 🏠 Learn more: dhs.pa.gov/LIHEAP Apply: dhs.pa.gov/COMPASS

🎉 Celebrate the start of 2026 with a book from one of these (potentially) new to you Pennsylvania authors: 📙 Cordelia Allen Jensen ( @cordeliajensen.bsky.social ) 📙 Terry LaBan 📙 Jeff Bogle 📙 Xio Axelrod ( @xioaxelrod.bsky.social )

🎊 Celebrate Public Domain Day with us online January 21! Our virtual event brings together artists, librarians, scholars, & creators to explore what happens when culture becomes free again. Revisit iconic characters & stories from 1930 now in the #publicdomain. 🎟️ www.eventbrite.com/e/1977502652...

🎉 Happy book birthday to Hattie Mae Begins Again by Sharon G. Flake! Hattie Mae sticks out like a sore thumb at her elite girls boarding school in Philadelphia, but she knows that she belongs. She just has to prove it to the rest of the girls—and maybe even to herself.

📚 We asked our staff for their favorite books of 2025! Casey's picks were: 📕 Kissing Girls on Shabbat by Sara Glass 📕 Weirdo by Tony Weaver, Jr. and illustrated by Cin Wibowo and Jes Wibowo 📕 You Should Be So Lucky by Cat Sebastian 📕 The Prospects by K.T. Hoffman What were your favorite books?

📣 Help spread awareness of the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) this month! LAMP is challenging community and school libraries in Pennsylvania to create a display promoting LAMP services for Braille Literacy Month in January! For more information:

📣 New from Pennsylvania author Jim Daniels! 📖 Late Invocation for Magic In his new poetry collection, Daniels focuses on issues of class, race, and justice in Rust Belt cities. He examines cultural and economic divides, often focusing on those who can’t afford or have access to “magic.”

📚 Last month, we hosted our first jury meeting for the 2026 Baker’s Dozen: 13 Best Books for Family Literacy booklist! Jurors reviewed an initial 250 children's books published in 2025. The 2026 booklist will be available this spring!

👽 Celebrate National Science Fiction Day with one of these sci-fi books from Pennsylvania authors: 📘 The Star of Moon Village by @jenniferannrichter.bsky.social 📘 The Mighty Odds by Amy Ignatow 📘 Proxy by @alexlondon.bsky.social 📘 Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore

📣 New from Pennsylvania author Quiara Alegría Hudes! 📖 The White Hot April finds herself spiraling one day and decides to walk away from her family. In The White Hot, a letter from April to her daughter, she explains why she left, but does not apologize.

📖 We are currently searching for books to represent Pennsylvania in the Library of Congress' 2026 Great Reads from Great Places program! The books must have some relevancy to Pennsylvania and be published in either 2024 or 2025. Submit your nomination to pacftb@psu.edu by Wednesday!

🎉 We are celebrating Kwanzaa with A Kwanzaa Keepsake and Cookbook by Jessica B. Harris from @scribnerbooks.bsky.social! A Kwanzaa Keepsake provides a themed feast for all seven days of Kwanzaa that reflects the principle of each day. Happy Kwanzaa!

🎄 We are celebrating Christmas with An Anishinaabe Christmas by Wab Kinew and illustrated by Erin Hill! This festive picture book explores both Christmas traditions and Anishinaabe culture. Merry Christmas!

📣 New from Pennsylvania author Stewart O’Nan! 📖 Evensong from @groveatlantic.bsky.social The novel follows members of the Humpty Dumpty Club, a group of older women living in Pittsburgh, as they support one another through life's challenges.

❄️ Celebrate the start of winter with one of these winter inspired books from Pennsylvania authors: 📘 A Snow Day for Plum! by Matt Phelan 📘 The Haunting of Bellington Cottage by @lauraparnum.bsky.social 📘 The Judgment of Yoyo Gold by Isaac Blum 📘 It's a Love/Skate Relationship by @icarli.bsky.social

📚 We asked our staff for their favorite books of 2025! Our director Ellysa's picks were: 📗 Sandwich by Catherine Newman 📗 The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan 📗 Tender by Beth Hetland 📗 Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner What were your favorite books of 2025?

🦁 The New York Public Library announced their best books of 2025! Their teen list includes the following books from Pennsylvania authors: 📙 They Bloom at Night by @nvtran.bsky.social 📙 Ban This! by Christina Ellis et al. 📙 Fight AIDS! by Michael G. Long 📙 Loudmouth by @dheiligman.bsky.social

See more ways libraries made our lives better in 2025 🩵 https://bit.ly/4sjygrE #Bookish #LibraryLove #LibraryLife #CheckOutYourLibrary #LibbyApp #Booksky

📣 New from Pennsylvania author Ally Russell! 📖 Down Came the Spiders 🕷️ Twelve-year-old Andi loves everything about spiders! She is super excited to find a new spider species until they begin acting strange. It is up to Andi and her friends to take on the spiders before it's too late!

🕎 We are celebrating Hanukkah with You're My Little Latke by Nicola Edwards and illustrated by Natalie Marshall! Part of the You’re My Little series, this festive board book allows children to interact with the story and join the Hanukkah celebration. Happy Hanukkah!

📚 We asked our staff for their favorite books of 2025! Our intern Erin's picks were: 📕 The Spellshop by @sarahbethdurst.bsky.social 📕 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 📕 The Thursday Murder Club by @richardosman1.bsky.social What were your favorite books of 2025?

📚 TIME recently announced their 100 Must-Read Books of 2025! The list includes the following books from Pennsylvania authors: 📕 Black in Blues by @imaniperry.bsky.social 📕 Strangers in the Land by @michaelluo.bsky.social 📕 Stay Dead by Natalie Shapero

📣 New from Pennsylvania author @jewellparkerrhodes.bsky.social! 📖 Ghost Boys: The Graphic Novel (illustrated by Setor Fiadzigbey) from @littlebrownyr.bsky.social The New York Times bestselling novel Ghost Boys is now a graphic novel!

📖 We are currently searching for books to represent Pennsylvania in the Library of Congress' 2026 Great Reads from Great Places program! The books must have some relevancy to Pennsylvania and be published in either 2024 or 2025. Submit your nomination to pacftb@psu.edu by Wednesday, December 31st!

🦁 The New York Public Library announced their best books of 2025! Their adult list includes these books from Pennsylvania authors: 📙 Fresh, Green Life by Sebastian Castillo 📙 Heartwood by Amity Gaige 📙 The Afterlife of Malcolm X by Mark Whitaker 📙 Black Arms to Hold You Up by Ben Passmore

#Booksy #Bookish #LibraryLove #LibraryLife #LibbyApp #CheckOutYourLibrary

🎉 Happy book birthday to BLACKPINK: A Little Golden Book Biography by @jessyoonwrites.bsky.social and illustrated by @honeej.bsky.social! Since their debut in 2016, BLACKPINK has taken the world by storm! This Little Golden Book provides biographies for each member and is perfect for all ages.

🕯️On World AIDS Day, we remember the more than 32 million people who have died from AIDS-related illness and the continued fight against HIV. We are commemorating the day with Fight AIDS! by Pennsylvania author Michael G. Long. Fight AIDS! is designed to introduce the AIDS crisis to young readers.

📚 Celebrate Nonfiction November with one of these memoirs written by a Pennsylvania author: 📖 Sink by Joseph Earl Thomas 📖 Sign, Gone by Phuc Tran 📖 The Shoemaker by Mark Saba 📖 Cinderland by Amy Jo Burns