Wednesday 18 February 2015

2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List

Annually, the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association's Social Responsibility Round Table announces the best feminist books for young readers in their Amelia Bloomer Project.  Named for Amelia Bloomer, the  pioneering 19th century newpaper editor, feminist and suffragist, the Project recommends titles of fiction and non-fiction for early readers, middle grades and young adults.  

This year, forty-five titles were honoured with inclusion on the Amelia Bloomer Project, of which only a handful were listed as the Top 10 List of recommended reads.  

Recognized for their positive messages, three #youngCanLit books have been included in the Amelia Bloomer Project and two of these were selected for the Amelia Bloomer Top 10 List!  


EARLY READERS:   Non-Fiction
Every Day is Malala Day
Rosemary McCarney with Plan International
Second Story Press
 (978-1-927583-31-9)
K- Gr. 3
2014 

 Also an Amelia Bloomer Top 10 List selection



MIDDLE GRADE:  Non-Fiction
Because I Am A Girl: I Can Change the World
Rosemary McCarney with Jen Albaugh and Plan International
Second Story Press 
(978-1-927583-44-9)
Gr. 4-8
2014

 Also an Amelia Bloomer Top 10 List selection



YOUNG ADULT:  Fiction
Moon at Nine
Deborah Ellis 
Pajama Press
(978-1-927-48557-6)
Gr. 8+
2014




The complete 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List is available here.

2015 Rocky Mountain Book Award nominees

The following 20 books, for readers in Grades 4 through 7, are the basis for Alberta's readers' choice program.  The books, which must have been published in the last two years in Canada, include both fiction and non-fiction titles which "portray a broad range of family, social, and cultural backgrounds." (Retrieved from http://rmba.lethsd.ab.ca/FAQ.html on March 27, 2012)

Reading has been taking place since November, and voting by young readers will occur from mid-March to mid-April.  The winner of this readers' choice award will be announced April 22, 2015.

    The 2015 nominees are:


    Sneaky Art: Crafty Surprises to Hide in Plain Sight
    by Marthe Jocelyn
    Candlewick


    Pedal It! How Bicycles are Changing the World
    by Michelle Mulder
    Orca Book Publishers


    Pandemic Survival: It’s Why You’re Alive
    by Ann Love & Jane Drake
    Tundra


    Our Rights: How Kids are Changing the World
    by Janet Wilson
    Second Story Press


    The Last Train: A Holocaust Story
    by Rona Arato
    Owlkids Books


    Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball
    by John Coy
    Illustrated by Joe Morse
    Lerner Publishing Group


    Buzz About Bees
    by Kari-Lynn Winters
    Fitzhenry & Whiteside


    Bones Never Lie: How Forensics Helps Solve History’s Mysteries
    by Elizabeth MacLeod
    Annick Press


    Before the World Was Ready
    by Claire Eamer
    Illustrated by Sa Boothroyd
    Annick Press


    The Spotted Dog Last Seen
    by Jessica Scott Kerrin
    Groundwood Books


    The Road to Afghanistan
    by Linda Granfield
    Illustrated by Brian Deines
    Scholastic Canada


    The Metro Dogs of Moscow
    by Rachelle Delaney
    Puffin Canada


    Kid Soldier
    by Jennifer Maruno
    Dundurn


    Jane, the Fox and Me
    by Fanny Britt
    Illus. by Isabelle Arsenault
    Groundwood Books
     
     
    The Hidden Agenda of Sigrid Sugden
    by Jill MacLean
    Fitzhenry & Whiteside
     
     
    The Great Bike Rescue
    by Hazel Hutchins
    Orca Book Publishers


    Driftwood
    by Valerie Sherrard
    Fitzhenry & Whiteside

     
    Curse of the Dream Witch
    by Allan Stratton
    Scholastic Canada


    The Creature Department
    by Robert Paul Weston
    Razorbill



    All Fall Down: The Landslide Diary of Abby Roberts
    by Jean Little
    Scholastic Canada







    2015 shortlists for Saskatchewan Book Awards announced

    On February 13, 2015, the shortlists for the annual Saskatchewan Book Awards were announced at the University of Regina.

    Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that has a provincially-focused book award program i.e., one representing Saskatchewan's writing and publishing contributions. With an impressive community of over 300 authors and 75 book publishers, Saskatchewan has much to celebrate and promote.

    Established in 1993 by the joint efforts of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the Saskatchewan Publishers Group and the Saskatchewan Library Association, the Awards have grown from four to fourteen, although the specific awards vary year to year.

    This year, the Saskatchewan Book Awards announced its short lists in fourteen award categories:

    • University of Regina Book of the Year
    • City of Regina Fiction Award
    • University of Saskatchewan President's Office Non-Fiction Award
    • Rasmussen, Rasmussen & Charowsky Aboriginal Peoples' Writing Award
    • O'Reilly Insurance Ltd., The Co-operators' First Book Award
    • Saskatchewan Arts Board Poetry Award
    • SaskEnergy Young Adult Literature Award
    • City of Saskatoon and Public Library Saskatoon Book Award
    • Drs. Morris and Jacqui Shumiatcher Regina Book Award
    • Luther College and University of Regina Arts Award for Scholarly Writing
    • Prix du livre français
    • Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport Publishing Award
    • University of Regina Faculty of Education and Campion College Award for Publishing in Education
    • First Nations University of Canada Aboriginal Peoples' Publishing Award
    Congratulations to all nominees.  As we are CanLit for LittleCanadians, we'd like to honour those youngCanLit titles nominated.


    City of Regina Book Award


    Camp Outlook
    by Brenda Baker
    Second Story Press









    SaskEnergy Young Adult Literature Award

    Camp Outlook
    by Brenda Baker
    Second Story Press


    Masks
    by E. C. Blake
    DAW Books


    Living with the Hawk
    by Robert Currie
    Thistledown


    The Death of Us
    by Alice Kuipers
    HarperCollins










    Drs. Morris and Jacqui Shumiatcher Regina Book Award

    Masks
    by E. C. Blake
    DAW Books





     


    University of Regina Faculty of Education and Campion College Award for Publishing in Education

    Coteau Books
    The Comic Book War
    by Jacqueline Guest


    Gabriel Dumont Institute
    My First Métis Lobstick
    by Leah Marie Dorion

    Manny's Memories
    by Ken Caron with Angela Caron








    First Nations University of Canada Aboriginal Peoples' Publishing Award

    Gabriel Dumont Institute
    My First Métis Lobstick
    by Leah Marie Dorion





    The awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the Conexus Arts Centre, 200 Lakeshore Drive in Regina.  Tickets will be on sale until noon on Wednesday, April 22, 2015.

    CBC Bookie Awards 2015: Votes in by Feb. 23!


    Well, the CBC Bookies are in a hurry this year, and I'm behind in letting readers of youngCanLit know of the opportunity to vote.  But there's still time!

    In 2011, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) introduced the CBC Bookie Awards as an opportunity for readers to choose their favourite Canadian reads published the previous year.  Based on the selections of the well-read  CBC personnel from CBC BooksCanada ReadsWriters & CompanyThe Next Chapter, as well as recommendations from the public, five titles in each of eleven categories are nominated.  Readers may cast their votes online (only once per category per day). 

    The eleven categories, which include two international ones, for which books are nominated are:
    1. Literary Fiction
    2. Non-Fiction
    3. Poetry
    4. Thriller, Horror, Mystery or Crime
    5. Science Fiction, Fantasy or Speculative Fiction
    6. Young Adult
    7. Short Story Collection
    8. Children's Illustrated Book
    9. Graphic Novel or Memoir
    10. International Fiction
    11. International Non-Fiction
    This year's CBC Bookies Awards nominees were announced February 12, 2015 with voting taking place online before 11:59 p.m. ET of Monday, February 23, 2015

    The two categories relevant to CanLit for LittleCanadians are the Young Adult and Children's Picture Book categories.  The finalists for this category are:

    YOUNG ADULT



    CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK


    Use this CBC Bookies link to cast your vote(s) for your favourites but only until the end of February 23, 2015.

    Monday 9 February 2015

    ALSC 2015 Notables: youngCanLit selections

    The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division within the American Library Association, announced its 2015 Notable Children's Books, Recordings and Videos at the ALA's Midwinter Meeting.

    The lists for all notables are posted at the ALSC website.  However, I would like to note those Canadian books that made the list, bolding the Canadian author or illustrator. 

    Congratulations 
    to all of you 
    for creating outstanding work 
    for our children.




    NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOKS

    YOUNGER READERS (Preschool to Grade 2)

    The Most Magnificent Thing
    by Ashley Spires
    Kids Can Press



    Naptime 
    by Iris De Moüy
    Translated by Shelley Tanaka
    Groundwood Books/House of Anansi Press

    Weeds Find a Way
    by Cindy Jensen-Elliott
    Illustrated by Carolyn Fisher
    Beach Land Books

    Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
    by Marc Barnett
    Illustrated by Jon Klassen
    Candlewick Press











    MIDDLE READERS (Grades 3-5)


    The Boundless
    by Kenneth Oppel
    HarperCollins Canada










    OLDER READERS (Grades 6-8)


    The Night Gardener
    by Jonathan Auxier
    Puffin


    This One Summer
    by Mariko Tamaki
    Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
    Groundwood Books










    NOTABLE CHILDREN'S RECORDINGS


    The Boundless. Brilliance Audio, CD. 616.846.5256. Ages 9-14
    for book:

    The Boundless
    by Kenneth Oppel
    HarperCollins Canada







    The Madman of Piney Woods. Listening Library, CD.  212.782.9463. Ages 10-14

    for book:

    The Madman of Piney Woods
    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    Scholastic Canada






    NOTABLE CHILDREN'S VIDEOS


    I Want My Hat Back, 9 min., Weston Woods, DVD, Ages 4-8 

    from book:
    I Want My Hat Back
    by Jon Klassen
    Candlewick Press




    A Sea Turtle Story, 10 min., National Film Board of Canada, DVD, 1-800-542-2164, Grades 5 and up