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The article present an interview with longtime editors in chief of the periodical Anita Silvey and Roger Sutton. Topics discussed include their career paths; experiences at the magazine; mentoring new talent in children's literature; navigating industry changes like the impact of Harry Potter on publishing; and the reflections on the magazine's hundred-year legacy in promoting quality children's books.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of writing, pontificating, and spending time with some of the dearest friends.

An interview with Dr. Carla Hayden is presented. She mentions that an important book for her is "Bright April" by Marguerite de Angeli which told her about library fines. She states that she was into her research on African Americans representation in children's literature and "Bright April" appeared on a list with stereotypes. She says that she was an accidental librarian in Chicago about becoming a librarian.

An interview is presented with author Jon Scieszka. Scieszka discusses the enjoyment he found in reading "MAD" magazine as a child, his childhood obsession with comic books, and his opinion on the difference between what a girl considers to be a good book and what a boy considers to be entertaining reading.

The article considers the effect of a starred review. Authors, publishers, bookstores, readers and the magazine itself all like and benefit from starred reviews, but few people are sure what they mean. Stars tend to confuse and conflate good as in "a good book" and good as in "a good buy" for a library or bookstore.

The author relates his own version of the Anthony Browne story that Cathie Mercier tells within the issue to commemorate her colleague and friend Susan P. Bloom, an educator who died on June 7, 2019. He recounts his experience with Susan and Cathie during the summer of 1989 while he was at Boston's Logan Airport, having to come to teach at the Center for the Study of Children's Literature. He mentions that he saw Susan holding a candle during the 1993 Simons summer institute "Acts of Light."

An interview with children's book author Russell Freedman is presented. In response to a question about historical issues which bother him, Freedman responds that he would most like to know what Eleanor Roosevelt's regrets were and would also like to ask James Madison about the United States Bill of Rights. Freedman also discusses writing biographies for children, the definition of history, and how children relate to biographical subjects.

An introduction is presented to a section of the periodical's Publishers' Previews on topics including interview with Jon Scieszka; children's literature and novelists.

The author discusses the We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) campaign in the U.S. to promote books by authors and illustrators of color. Topics addressed include a call for libraries to support the effort, the spread of the campaign via the microblogging site Twitter with the hashtag #WNDB, and the need for libraries to make available all kinds of books for all kinds of readers. Also mentioned are "The Horn Book Magazine" selections for the best children's and young adult books of 2014.

The author shares his thoughts on self-publishing. He mentions a discussion of self-publishing books for children at the website of the periodical "The Horn Book" in October 2014. He observes the changes in the production values, quality of writing and market sense of self-publishing books for children.

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses themes, characters, and significant contributions of the novel "Harriet the Spy" to children's literature.

The author comments on developments in the publishing of picture books. He asserts that the definition of a picture book has expanded with the acceptance of comics and graphic novels as children's books and the resurgence of illustrations in middle-grade fiction. The author believes that the children's book community has had a far greater impact on picture books than technical advances in the creation of illustrations.

The editor focuses on several events related to the field of children's librarianship and in celebration of children's books. He discusses the inauguration party for organization Children's Books Boston (CBB) held at Simmons College on September 12, 2013, the 11th anniversary party for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art held in New York City on September 26, 2013, and the exhibition titled "The ABC of It: Why Children's Books Matter" at the New York Public Library (NYPL), which runs until March 2014.

The article discusses a number of books, including "Handbook of Research on Children's and Young Adult Literature," by Shelby A. Wolf, Karen Coats, Patricia Enciso, and Christine Jenkins and "From Romance to Realism: 50 Years of Growth and Change in Young Adult Literature," by Michael Cart.

The author introduces several articles within the issue, including reviews of books related to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

The article comments on a number of issue surrounding reader response. The editor assures readers that the magazine takes their opinions seriously. It also notes a number of troubling developments that are the results of book discussions on listservs, namely the lack of in depth analysis and a rejection of printed materials on children's literature.

The article considers the right of the press to ask book award committees about their evaluation procedure. The criteria for prize selection for the Caldecott, Newbery and Sibert awards are ambiguous; many books qualify for multiple awards. The article praises the overlap in prize nominees, saying it helps to establish quality in books.

An editorial related to the semantics of review writing is presented. The author discusses determining the audience for particular children's books. The gap between children's book reviewers and readers of children's literature is considered. The objective nature of determining a book's worth is discussed. The process of book selection is also discussed.

The author discusses the intricacies of book merchandising and publishing programs. Article topics include author Beatrix Potter, the importance of a publishing program of children's books, and the book industry. The author also discusses the choice market for children's books and offers her opinion on product tie-ins for popular literary characters.

The author reflects upon the Newbery awards. He discusses the phrase "most distinguished" and believes the phrase is biased at best. The author ponders the impact of a Newbery award on the book and its author. Details are given for the criticism editors face from the Newbery committee if they offer their opinions in their respective magazines and journals about what book titles they would like to see win.

The article examines what makes a good gift book. The article recommends that parents should avoid buying sparkly fairy books and mushy stories about grandparents and grandchildren. Instead, according to the author, the best way to give a book is to have the gift-giver and child go to the bookstore, ask a bookseller for a tour of the possible books, and then let the child pick out their gift.

The article considers reading alone, reading for fun, and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." The latest installment in J. K. Rowling's wildly popular series has attracted adults and children alike, with executives reading it on the train, adults discussing it on listservs and children burying their heads in the books for marathon reading sessions. The article argues that Harry Potter books encourage communal discussion, but the act of reading them is very private.

The article is written in memory of Zena Sutherland, a notable scholar of children's literature and library studies. She wrote for the "Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books" and was a friendly rival of this magazine's editor, Ethel Heins. The author recalls taking a class from Sutherland and being inspired to study children's literature. Paul O. Zelinsky's Zena Sutherland Lecture is published in this issue of the magazine.