Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews: Children's Choice Book Awards

Welcome!

Dear Book Lovers, Welcome! I am delighted that you have found The Through the Looking Glass blog. For over twenty years I reviewed children's literature titles for my online journal, which came out six times a year. Every book review written for that publication can be found on the Through the Looking Glass website (the link is below). I am now moving in a different direction, though the columns that I write are still book-centric. Instead of writing reviews, I'm offering you columns on topics that have been inspired by wonderful books that I have read. I tell you about the books in question, and describe how they have have impacted me. This may sound peculiar to some of you, but the books that I tend to choose are ones that resonate with me on some level. Therefore, when I read the last page and close the covers, I am not quite the same person that I was when first I started reading the book. The shift in my perspective might be miniscule, but it is still there. The books I am looking are both about adult and children's titles. Some of the children's titles will appeal to adults, while others will not. Some of the adult titles will appeal to younger readers, particularly those who are eager to expand their horizons.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Don't Forget! Voting for the Children's Choice Book Award is still open

I just want to remind those of you who have children that voting for the Children's Choice Book Award is still open and will end on May 3rd. The complete lists of finalists can be viewed here, and you can cast your vote here. Give the children in your life the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful bookish event.

Here is a little information about the award:

The Children's Choice Book Awards initiative is the only national child-chosen book awards program. The Awards are administered by the Children's Book Council.

Voting will be open from March 15 to May 3, 2010. The winners will be announced live at the Children's Choice Book Awards gala on May 11 in New York City. The results will be online the following morning, so be sure to come see if your favorites won!

The finalists for Book of the Year in the Kindergarten to Second Grade, Third Grade to Fourth Grade, and Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade categories are the books that received the highest number of votes in the IRA-CBC Children’s Choices program. This joint project of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the CBC began in 1975. Publishers submit hundreds of titles, all published in the previous calendar year, to be evaluated and voted on by 12,500 children.

For the Teen Choice Book Award, the CBC and the CBC Foundation enlist the help of TeenReads.com (part of The Book Report Network) to select the finalists. The five books that receive the highest number of online votes are finalists for the Teen Choice Book Award.

The Author and Illustrator of the Year finalists are selected by the CBC from a review of bestseller lists. Only authors and illustrators associated with books published in the previous calendar year are considered.

The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was launched in 2008; the Teen Choice Book Award was added in 2009. The Children’s Choice Book Awards program was created to provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them and to help develop a reading list that will motivate children to read more and cultivate a love of reading.

Monday, May 18, 2009

The 2009 Children's Choice Book Awards

For those of you have have not heard the buzz, this year's Children's Choice Book Award winners are as follows:

Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! written and illustrated by Mo Willems (Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group)

Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year: Spooky Cemeteries by Dinah Williams (Bearport Publishing)

Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year: Thirteen by Lauren Myracle (Dutton/Penguin Young Readers Group)

Teen Choice Book of the Year: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Little, Brown and Company)

Author of the Year: Stephenie Meyer, for Breaking Dawn (Little, Brown and Company)

Illustrator of the Year: Jon J Muth, for Zen Ties (Scholastic Press)

The Children's Choice Book Awards are special because young people are the ones who decide who the winners are. You can find out more about these awards and this year's winners here.