2015 Saskatchewan Book Award winners announced

Of the nine Saskatchewan Book Awards (SBA) for Writing, only the SaskEnergy award is specific to children's literature.  As such, I'd like to announce that award winner here.

The winner of 

 the 2015 SaskEnergy Young Adult Literature Award 

is  

Camp Outlook 

by Brenda Baker

 Kids Can Press
32 pp.
Ages 4-8
2012 

2015 Sunburst Awards for Can Lit of the Fantastic: Shortlists announced

Two days ago, the Sunburst Award Society announced the shortlists for its two categories of Sunburst Awards for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. (Shortlists published at http://www.sunburstaward.org/2015-sunburst-shortlists)

These awards, presented annually in the categories of Adult and Young Adult speculative fiction, aim to recognize the novels or book-length collections of Canadian writers (citizens or landed immigrants) of fantasy, with a cash award and a Sunburst medallion. Winners will be announced in September.

Here are this year's nominees in the Young Adult category:

The Night Gardener
by Jonathan Auxier
Puffin

Tin Star
by Cecil Castellucci
Roaring Brook Press

A Breath of Frost
by Alyxandra Harvey
Bloomsbury Press

Sophie, In Shadow
by Eileen Kernaghan
Thistledown Press

The Door in the Mountain
by Caitlin Sweet
ChiTeen

Congratulations to all nominees!

Nominated titles for 2015/2016 Chocolate Lily Awards

The shortlists of nominated titles for the 2015/6 Chocolate Lily Awards, books by British Columbia authors and/or illustrators for young readers in Kindergarten to Grades 8, were announced at the beginning of June.  These are the titles for which young readers will vote in three categories next spring.

In the Picture Book Category:

Norman, Speak!
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Groundwood Books

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
Tundra

The Yoga Game by the Sea
by Kathy Beliveau
Illustrated by Denise Holmes
Simply Read

Not My Girl
by Christy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
Illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
Annick

A Giraffe Called Geranium
by Ainslie Manson
Illustrated by Mary Baker
Red Diamond

Dipnetting with Dad
by Willie Sellars
Illustrated by Kevin Easthope
Caitlin Press

The Most Magnificent Thing
by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press

Cloudwalker
by Roy Henry Vickers & Robert Budd
Harbour

Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin
by Chieri Uegaki
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Kids Can Press










In the Chapter Book/Easy Reader Category:

Jasper John Dooley, Not in Love
by Caroline Adderson
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Kids Can Press

Misty
by Christine Dencer
Illustrated by Jessica Meserve
Simply Read

The Elevator Ghost
by Glen Huser
Groundwood Books

Kung Pow Chicken: Let’s Get Cracking!
by Cyndi Marko
Scholastic Canada

Not Just Another Princess Story
by Sheri Radford
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Simply Read

Bagels Come Home!
by Joan Stuchner
Illustrated by Dave Whamond
Orca Book Publishers













In the Novel Category:

Shack Island Summer
by Penny Chamberlain
Sono Nis Press

Finding Grace
by Becky Citra
Second Story Press

Red River Raging
by Penny Draper
Coteau Books

Outside In
by Sarah Ellis
Groundwood Books

The Moment
by Kristie Hammond
Sono Nis Press

A Year in the Life of a Total and Complete Genius
by Stacey Matson
Scholastic

Finding Ruby Starling
by Karen Rivers
Scholastic

The Lost Diary
by Julie White
Sono Nis Press










We'll be checking back on these short lists when young readers in B.C. begin their reading and voting and ultimately when the winners are announced in May, 2016.

2015 Chocolate Lily Book Awards: Winners

Unlike the British Columbia book awards of Red Cedar and the Stellar Award programs, the Chocolate Lily Book Awards promote children's fiction by B. C. authors and B. C. illustrators. The three award categories for 2014/2015 were:

• Picture Books
• Chapter Books/Easy Readers
• Novels

Winners were recently announced.

______________________________________________

In the Picture Book Category 

the winner is. . .

Not Your Typical Dragon

by Dan Bar-El

Illustrated by Tim Bowers

Viking

______________________________________________________

In the Chapter Book/Easy Reader Category 

the winner is. . .

The Metro Dogs of Moscow

by Rachelle Delaney

Penguin

______________________________________________________

In the Novels Category 

the winners who tied for first place are . . .

A Taste of Heaven

by Meg Tilley

Penguin Canada

and

A Path of Names

by Ari Goelman

Scholastic

____________________________________________

 Congratulations 

authors, illustrators and publishers 

on your nominations and wins

2014 Willow Awards: Winners announced

The winners of the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, were announced on May 14, 2015 in Weyburn, Saskatchewan.  From the nominees announced last March, young readers have voted for their favourites and the results tallied.

Congratulations 

to the 

winners 

of  2014 Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards,

the Willow Awards!

___________________________________________

The winner of this year's

for those books written for youngest readers (K to Grade 3)

is

When I Get Older: The Story behind "Wavin' Flag" 

by K'NAAN and Sol Guy 

Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez 

Tundra Books 

2013

___________________________________________

The winner of this year's

for those books written for readers of Grades 4 to 6

is

Ultra

by David Carroll 

Scholastic Canada

2013

Reviewed here

___________________________________________

The winner of this year's

for those books written for readers in Grades 7 to 9

is

Live to Tell

by Lisa Harrington

Dancing Cat Books

2012

Reviewed here

___________________________________________

Well done, young readers of Saskatchewan, 

on your wonderful selections!