McLinn as a new librarian circa 1985. Photo courtesy of Claudette S. McLinn.

The Horn Book Magazine was my guiding light when I became a teacher-librarian. There is so much you can learn in library school, and after graduation, I felt it was my responsibility to keep learning and to be knowledgeable about youth literature. I wanted to know the great writers, movers and shakers in the profession, and experts in the field of children’s literature. With the exception of one professor, my education had been focused on the white world of youth literature. Newly out of library school, I sought out various resources to assist me in my work, and I recognized the Horn Book as a leader in acknowledging the talents of multicultural authors and illustrators.

After moving back to ­California from Michigan, I embraced the ­multicultural environment of the Los Angeles area because it was my familiar, happy place. My first library was at a junior high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District in a neighborhood that was predominantly white. The majority of the faculty were white and worried that they didn’t have the ­multicultural resources to serve this changing school population. Students of color of predominantly Asian and Latine descent, as well as a small population of African American and Indigenous students, were enrolling, and the school’s books did not reflect these demographics. I became immersed in the work of providing multicultural books for all students. I knew that young people needed to see themselves in books.

After staying at the school for ten years, I was promoted to a position “downtown,” working in the district’s library media administrative offices. There I discovered many wonderful journals. However, the Horn Book still stood above the others. It met my needs as an important reference for diverse and multicultural voices and resources. So, I was hooked. Although there were fewer authors and illustrators of color featured at the time, the Magazine introduced me to the works of Virginia Hamilton, the writings of Rudine Sims Bishop, and the work of other prominent people of color who wrote articles and opinion pieces.

When I was first asked to write reviews for the Horn Book, I was honored and delighted to do so. I ­remember seeing Dr. Henrietta M. Smith’s work in the Magazine and saying to myself, “I would love to write for this prestigious journal.” As a school librarian, then supervisor/administrator in library services, and as an adjunct professor at California State University, Long Beach, my goal was to be an expert, and this was one of my top reads. My school district had a subscription, and I was always the first to read the articles, book reviews, editorials, award announcements, and even the obituaries. Now I was a contributor!

McLinn receiving the CSK–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.
With Award Chair Carolyn Garnes, left, and with Lettycia Terrones, left, and Dr. Sujin B.E. Huggins, right.
Left photo: American Library Association; right photo courtesy of Claudette S. McLinn.

Later, as chair of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee, 2017–2019, and chair of the Coretta Scott King Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration Task Force, 2016–2019, I was further honored to write the introduction to the May/June 2019 special issue of the Horn Book celebrating that milestone. Several years later, when I received the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, Elissa Gershowitz contacted me to ask that my CSK–Virginia Hamilton Award acceptance speech be published in the Magazine. Wow!

In sharing my reminiscences with the Horn Book now, I am experiencing a full circle-moment. I am honored to be a part of the Magazine’s history, and I am honored to write these special words to celebrate its centennial.

From the September/October 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. For more Horn Book centennial coverage, click here.

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