Publishers, authors, and others with a stake in how the new Common Core State Standards will shape our country’s educational system gathered on the morning of Wednesday, April 10, at the Random House offices in New York City for an open-ended panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges for the trade book market.

The number one choice of booksellers for this spring’s Kids’ Indie Next List is Stephan Pastis’ Timmy Failure, a chronicle of one the world’s most unfortunate — and funniest — kid detectives. Here, Pastis talks about what it’s like to write humor and prose for kids as well as how he crafts his comedic commentary.

The 2013 New Voices Committee has selected 10 noteworthy and exciting debuts publishing between January 1 and June 30, 2013, in two categories: Ages 8 – 12 and Teen.

Tickets for the annual Children’s Book Art Silent Auction & Reception at BookExpo America are on sale now. In addition to remarkable art from new books, this year’s auction will feature pieces created in honor of Maurice Sendak, who mentored and inspired so many artists and fought vigorously against efforts to censor In the Night Kitchen.

To help ensure booksellers have voted on all ballots, registered for all programs, and reserved tickets for all events they want to attend in the upcoming months, here is a list of eight important deadlines.

The ABC Children’s Group at ABA is once again partnering with the Children’s Book Council to host several events at BookExpo America that are open exclusively to ABC Group member booksellers. Designed to promote networking and education, the events all have a special focus on children’s books and bookselling.

The Annual Children’s Book Art Auction and Reception at BEA to benefit ABFFE will be hosted by Newbery Medal-winner Jack Gantos and Lauren Myracle, whose books top the list of the country’s most challenged titles. Tickets for the event are on sale now.

The Children’s Book Council and the ABC Children’s Group at ABA are inviting booksellers on a tour of children’s illustrators’ studios to give them a behind-the-scenes peek during BEA into the creative lives of today’s top talent. Registration is free and open to ABC Group at ABA bookstore members only.

Egmont USA is handing the reins to independent booksellers to decide which of two cover designs will be featured on The Scar Boys, the upcoming young adult novel by Len Vlahos, ABA’s former COO and current head of the Book Industry Study Group.

The National Coalition Against Censorship, on behalf of the Kids’ Right to Read Project, has come out in strong opposition to the Chicago Public School system’s decision to remove the graphic novel Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi from certain district classrooms.