2012 Children's Choice Book Awards - VOTE!

 

It is time to vote for the Children's Choice Book Awards! You can do this online on the Children's Book Week Voting Page. There are six categories: Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year; Third to Fourth Grade Book of the Year; Fifth to Sixth Grade Book of the Year; Teen Book of the Year; Author of the Year; Illustrator of the Year. You can find out more about the finalists here.

"The Children's Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages.

Launched in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child A Reader (The CBC Foundation), 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.

Voting will open March 14, 2012. The winners will be announced live at the Children's Choice Book Awards gala in New York City.

Finalist Selection ProcessThe 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.

Children's Choices, a joint project of the International Reading Association (IRA) and the CBC, began in 1974. Teams of IRA-affiliated educators in five geographic regions receive copies of each submitted title to provide to students to read and rate in classrooms across their region. The votes from the five regions (from approximately 12,500 children) are compiled and the five titles with the highest number of votes in each category (K-2, 3-4, 5-6) become the finalists for the Children's Choice Book Awards.

The Teen Choice Book Award was added in 2009. The Teen Choice finalists are determined with the help ofTeenreads.com (part of The Book Report Network). The website compiles a list of all the books they have reviewed over the year and encourages readers to write in their own picks if they aren't listed. Teens vote for their favorite book and the top five vote-getters become the finalists for the Teen Choice Book of the Year. This year, over 4,000 teens determined the finalists.

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

Out of Shadows wins the Costa Children's Book Award

OUT OF SHADOWS by Jason Wallace

wins the Costa Children's Book Award*

one of the UK's most prestigious national literary awards!

OUT OF SHADOWS by debut author Jason Wallace has been awarded the prestigious Costa Children's Book Award (previously known as the Whitbread Literary Award) and will be published in the United States by Holiday House this spring. The judges declared the book an "extraordinary debut novel" and "unanimous winner," saying: "This compelling portrayal of a nation in crisis gripped us from start to finish and has stayed with us since."

OUT OF SHADOWS will hit the ground running when it is published in the United States after also being nominated for the Booktrust Teenage Prize and the Carnegie Medal and receiving many rave reviews in the UK. The Telegraph called it "a powerful coming of age story," and Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, said: "Sometimes a book takes you somewhere and keeps you there. Honest, brave, and devastating-OUT OF SHADOWS is more than just memorable. It's impossible to look away."

Set in 1980s newly independent Zimbabwe, under the rule of Robert Mugabe, OUT OF SHADOWS tells the powerful and compelling story of twelve-year-old Robert Jacklin, who comes face-to-face with bigotry, racism, and brutality when he is uprooted from England and moves to Zimbabwe with his family during the aftermath of Zimbabwe's war for independence. Robert, enrolled in one of the country's most elite boarding schools, must make careful alliances in a newly integrated school that has become a microcosm of the horrible problems the country now faces.

In this extraordinary first novel, Jason Wallace takes a recent period in history and opens a window into a gut-wrenching, firsthand experience that will be illuminating both for those who are just learning about the repercussions of the war in Zimbabwe and for those others who knew of the events but could not comprehend their magnitude until taking this closer look at the devastation and heartbreak of the time. 

* From the Costa website: "The Costa Book Awards is one of the most prestigious and popular literary prizes in the UK and recognizes some of the most enjoyable books of the year by writers based in the UK and Ireland." "Previous winners of [this award] include J. K. Rowling in 1999 for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Philip Pullman for The Amber Spyglass in 2001." (The Independent) For more information, go to www.costabookawards.com.

Hans Christian Andersen Award Shortlist is announced

The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury of the International Board on

Books for Young People (IBBY) announces the 2010 Shortlist

Five authors and five illustrators have been selected from 55 candidates submitted by 32 national sections of IBBY for the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The award, considered the most prestigious in international children’s literature, is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 23^rd at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The five short-listed authors in alphabetical order are:

-       Ahmad Reza Ahmadi from Iran

-       David Almond from the United Kingdom

-       Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros from Brazil

-       Lennart Hellsing from Sweden

-       Louis Jensen from Denmark

Ahmad Reza Ahmadi's fascinating short stories speak poetically about humanity, love, nature and peace for children and young adults.  David Almond's works are deeply philosophical novels that appeal to children and adults alike, and encourage readers by his use of magic realism. Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros as an author of poetic prose and playful poetry is highly admired for his commitment to beauty and art.  Lennart Hellsing is an outstanding poet, who shares the pleasure of language through his mastery of rhythm, word games and invented words.  Louis Jensen is a powerful storyteller and entertainer who combines magic and reality.

The five short-listed illustrators in alphabetical order are:

-       Jutta Bauer from Germany

-       Carll Cneut from Belgium

-       Etienne Delessert from Switzerland

-       Svjetlan Junakovic from Croatia

-       Roger Mello from Brazil

Jutta Bauer creates a harmony between the verbal and visual language, using a philosophical approach in her originality and creativity.  Carll Cneut's amazing works powerfully narrate stories in his highly recognizable visual language. As a pioneer of modern picture books, Etienne Delessert's impact on many great illustrators around the world can be recognized.  His blending of magic and realism, grotesque and close-ups, has created a distinctive style. Svjetlan Junakovic presents beautiful compositions that are expressive and emotional, while at the same time playful, imaginative and evocative. Roger Mello's world is a rich spectrum of techniques, imagination, colour and inspiration that is considered innovative, fascinating and intriguing.

A full list of candidates can be found at www.ibby.org.

The ten members of the 2010 Jury were led by Jury President Zohreh Ghaeni from Iran. They are: Ernest Bond (USA), Karen Coeman (Mexico), Nadia El Kholy (Egypt), Maria Jesus Gil (Spain), Jan Hansson (Sweden), Annemie Leysen (Belgium), Darja Mezi-Leskovar (Slovenia), Alicia Salvi (Argentina), Helene Schar (Switzerland) and Regina Zilberman (Brazil). Elda Nogueira from Brazil represented IBBY and Liz Page acted as Jury Secretary.