October delivers three big news stories to share in the world of middle grade books. We have Banned Books Week, a Reading Rainbow Revival, and the announcement of National Book Award finalists. Read on for details.
Big Story #1
What: Banned Books Week
When: October 5-11, 2025
This year, the theme is “Censorship is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.” The American Library Association and the Banned Books Week Coalition are drawing attention to the dangers of restricting access to books by tying the theme to George Orwell’s classic cautionary tale. Pioneering actor, author, and activist George Takei will be the Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week. Check out the ALA website to learn about book ban data, the Top 10 Most Banned Books, and ways you can get involved.
Big Story #2
What: Reading Rainbow Returns
When: Saturday, October 4
The Reading Rainbow we know and love will be back on PBS beginning October 4 at 7:00 a.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. ET. The series will also be presented digitally on the Reading Rainbow website and the children’s YouTube channel KidZuko. The original show, with host Levar Burton, launched in 1983 and aired its last episode in 2006. Now, nearly 20 years later, the show returns to PBS with its new host, Mychal Threets. Four Saturday morning episodes will air during the month of October.
Big Story #3
What: National Book Award Finalists
When: Tuesday, October 7
The prestigious National Book Award is given annually to one book in each of five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature. The process begins with the announcement of the long list, identifying 10 books in each category that are being considered for the award. In October, each list is narrowed to five. Would you like to make your predictions for the five books that will be named as finalists? This year’s long list for Young People’s Literature includes the following books and authors:
- María Dolores Águila, A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez
(Roaring Brook / Macmillan) - Ancrum, The Corruption of Hollis Brown (HarperCollins)
- Derrick Barnes, The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze (Viking / Penguin Random House)
- Mahogany L. Browne, A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
(Crown / Penguin Random House) - Kyle Lukoff, A World Worth Saving (Dial / Penguin Random House)
- Amber McBride, The Leaving Room (Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan)
- Daniel Nayeri, The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story
(Levine Querido) - Hannah V. Sawyerr, Truth Is (Amulet / Abrams)
- Maria van Lieshout, Song of a Blackbird (First Second / Macmillan)
- Ibi Zoboi, (S)Kin (Versify / HarperCollins)
After the announcement of finalists in October, there is a short wait and a lot of anticipation to find out who wins the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. The announcement of the winner takes place at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony & Benefit Dinner on Wednesday, November 19, 2025. Last year’s winner was Kareem Between by Shifa Saltagi Safadi. This year’s winner? Stay tuned for finalists on October 7 and the announcement in November.
Students will gather twice a year at the University of San Francisco campus, and otherwise will work remotely. The program is for any and all kidlit authors, whether you write fiction or nonfiction, graphic novels, poetry, and starting with picture book all the way through YA. Every six months 20 more students will join the program.
