About the Journal

The mission of Research on Diversity in Youth Literature (RDYL) is to publish scholarship attending to issues of diversity, equity, social justice, inclusion, and intersectionality in youth literature, culture, and media.

Research on Diversity in Youth Literature is a peer-reviewed, online, open-access journal hosted by The Center for Children's Books, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. RDYL is published twice a year.

See our latest CFP - a special issue on representations of adoption and fostering! Scheduled to publish in Summer 2025, RDYL 7.1 will be guest edited by Dr. Kimberly D. McKee (Grand Valley State University) and Shannon Gibney (Minneapolis College).

NEWS (2024 summer): We are in the process of migrating the previous 4 volumes from their original home at the St. Catherine University RDYL website.

Current Issue

Vol. 6 No. 1 (2024): Special Issue: Book Challenges
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Book Reviews

RDYL’s Book Review Editors oversee the publication of 2-3 book reviews per issue. If you are interested in having RDYL review your book or writing reviews for RDYL, or if you have a suggestion for a book to be reviewed, email rdyljournal@illinois.edu.

Year Round Submissions

  • We are now accepting essays for consideration year-round for our unthemed issues.
  • Questions? Email rdyljournal@illinois.edu