Around the Web: Read On Canada! Baby-Sitters Club, Fashion Disasters, and Best New Libraries

Hello and welcome to our weekly roundup of bookish content from around the internet! This week, we’ve got a story on Read On Canada!’s plan to distribute free books, a podcast on the legacy of The Baby-Sitters Club, an essay on fashion disasters in fiction, and a look at the world’s best new libraries.

Read On Canada!

Last year, when libraries and schools across Canada were closed, a coalition of sixteen non-profit organizations—including First Book Canada, the Canadian Children’s Literacy Foundation, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library—wixformed to support children’s literacy during the pandemic. They distributed 140,000 books last summer and are back again with plans to send out another 150,000 this year! CBC has the full story.

The Influence of The Babysitter’s Club

In a recent episode of the podcast Book Dreams, hosts Julie Sternberg and Eve Yohalem discussed The Baby-Sitters Club and it’s influence on a generation of writers with editor David Levithan. Listen or read their thought on LitHub.

Fashion Disasters in Fiction

Many of us in Canada and the US are adjusting to seeing people in person again, and with that comes the pressure to put effort into our attire instead of relying on sweatpants and loungewear. Hopefully, you won’t encounter any fashion fails like the characters discussed in this essay on fictitious fashion disasters.

The Best New Public Libraries

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions recently announced the five finalists for the annual Public Library of the Year award. If you’re a library or architecture fan, you might like the photos of the finalists in the Guardian.