This collection of titles from Astra Books for Young Readers will help kids understand Martin Luther King Jr., an impactful figure... Read More

Meet Gary Golio, the author of Everywhere Beauty is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava, illustrated by E. B. Lewis. Gary Golio is a visual artist, musician, a psychotherapist, and the New York Times-bestselling and award-winning author of various picture books, including Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, which received the 2011 Coretta Scott King... Read More

“Debut,” a short story from CONVERGENCE PROBLEMS by Wole Talabi The first piece of art that Blombos 7090 and 4020 made together was destroyed by a system reboot. It didn’t find its audience. At 16:17 West African Time, the biodiesel generator at Terra Kulture Arts Studio Arena stopped and restarted seven times. In doing so,... Read More

Multi-award winning author Gail Jarrow’s newest YA nonfiction book will be released on September 10, 2024. Gail Jarrow’s books for young readers have been recognized as Winner of the Excellence in Nonfiction Award from YALSA/ALA; the Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Award; the Children’s Book Guild Nonfiction Award; the Jefferson Cup; the Charlotte Award; the... Read More

Explore and download the reading group guide. Praise for My Men by Victoria Kielland Based on the true story of Norwegian maid turned Midwestern farmwife Belle Gunness, the first female serial killer in American history. My Men is a fictional account of one broken woman’s descent into inescapable madness. More about author Victoria Kielland Victoria Kielland’s first... Read More

Explore and download the reading group guide. Praise for The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela More about author Alejandro Varela Alejandro Varela (he/him) is a writer based in New York. His debut novel, The Town of Babylon (2022), was published by Astra House and was a finalist for the National Book Award. His work has appeared in the Point Magazine, Georgia... Read More

A peek at a sublime weekday lunch gathering of Hippo Park friends with editorial director Jill Davis, in honor of our one-year mark and Hippo Park‘s first book of 2024, Pepper and Me. It’s been just a bit over a year since we launched Hippo Park. Ta-da! What a joyful time it’s been. Our very... Read More

Hippo Park believes in stories that reflect the joyful, surprising, and endlessly fascinating world that kids live in. Our discovery wish list for when children look inside our picture books? Ideas that are funny, silly and often true, and illustrations that convey emotion when words might not. It’s this spirit that inspired us to craft our... Read More

As the year comes to a close, we’re celebrating Astra Books for Young Readers’ Best Of 2023 books as voted on by readers! 🏅 A 2023 Horn Book Fanfare Book Who was Coretta Scott King? Her black-veiled image at the funeral of her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was moving and iconic. This book introduces readers to... Read More

Wrap up your holiday shopping for the kids on your list with a little help from the stars. Minerva‘s editorial director Maria Russo has rounded up a list of recommended titles based on every child’s Zodiac sign. ARIES (March 21–April 19): Pangolina It’s no surprise that the legendary Dr. Jane Goodall is herself an Aries.... Read More