Tuesday 11 March 2014

2014 ALA (YALSA) Best Fiction for Young Adults

Each year, YALSA presents the Best Fiction for Young Adults list after American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting. This year’s list of 102 books was drawn from 200 official nominations. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse.

The following titles (with descriptions provided on the YALSA site) are youngCanLit included in the list for


The White Bicycle
by Beverley Brenna
 Red Deer Press
2012
Taylor is spending a summer in France, hoping to prove that she has the wherewithal to live a life independent from her mother but things take an unexpected turn.

Lily and Taylor
by Elise Moser
Groundwood Books
2013
Taylor thought she could put the violence of her old life behind her by starting over in a new place. Her boyfriend, however, has different plans.

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen 
by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
2012
Forced by his therapist to keep a journal, 13-year-old Henry shares humorous insights as he navigates a new school and struggles to reconcile his love for his older brother, who murdered another student before turning the gun on himself.

Falling Kingdoms
by Morgan Rhodes
 Penguin/Razorbill
2012
After peace is disrupted, three kingdoms fight for power and four teens find their lives forever intertwined.


The full list is available at http://www.ala.org/yalsa/2014-best-fiction-young-adults

Sunday 9 March 2014

2014/2015 Willow Awards Nominees announced

Established in 2001, the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, encourage reading by nominating a variety of Canadian titles in three categories.  Young readers can participate in the reading programs through their schools and public libraries, selecting their favourite from one list.  The Willow Awards are truly conferred according the choices of Saskatchewan's young readers.

Just to make things complicated, these nominees are called the 2014 Willow Awards nominees because they are announced in 2014.  However, young readers will actually be participating in 2014 and 2015 and voting for their favourites in February 2015. So I call them the 2014/2015 awards since that designation covers the whole time from nomination to award. 

The nominated titles for the three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below.

For those books written for youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Gr. 3

The 2014/2015 Shining Willow nominees are:
 
In The Tree House
Written by Andrew Larsen
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Kids Can Press
2013

Kamik an Inuit Puppy Story
by Donald Uluadluak
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Inhabit Media
2012

Kenta and the Big Wave
by Ruth Ohi
Annick Press
2013


Larf
by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
2012 


The Man with the Violin
by Kathy Stinson
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Annick Press
2013


Mr. King's Castle
by Geneviève Côté  
Kids Can Press
2013



Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That
by Victoria Allenby
Illustrated by Tara Anderson
Pajama Press
2013

On a Snowy Night
by Jean Little
Illustrated by Brian Deines
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
2013  

The Road to Afghanistan
by Linda Granfield
Illustrated by Brian Deines
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
2013   

When I Get Older: The Story behind "Wavin' Flag"
by K'NAAN and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Tundra Books
2013
 





For those books written for readers of Gr. 4 to 6


The 2014/2015 Diamond Willow nominees are:

Day of the Cyclone
by Penny Draper
Coteau Books
2012

Earth Friendly Buildings, Bridges and More: The Eco Journal of Corry Lapont
by Etta Kaner
Illustrated by Stephen MacEachern
Kids Can Press
2012





The Further Adventures of Jack Lime
by James Leck
Kids Can Press
2013


The Grave Robber's Apprentice
by Allan Stratton
HarperCollins Canada
2012



Mimi Power and the I-Don't-Know-What
by Victoria Miles
Tradewind Books
2012





Molly's Promise
by Sylvia Olsen
Orca Book Publishers
2013


The Path of Names
by Ari Goelman
Scholastic Canada
2013


Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948
by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
2013


A Taste of Heaven
by Meg Tilly
Puffin / Penguin Canada
2013


Ultra
by David Carroll
Scholastic Canada
2013



For those books written for readers in Gr. 7 to 9


The 2014/2015 Snow Willow nominees are:


Behind Enemy Lines: World War II, Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944
by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
2012


Counting Back from Nine
by Valerie Sherrard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2013


The Gypsy King
by Maureen Fergus
Razorbill
2012


Home Ice Advantage
by Tom Earle
HarperCollins Canada

2013 


An Infidel in Paradise
by S. J. Laidlaw
Tundra Books
2013


Live to Tell
by Lisa Harrington
Dancing Cat Books
2012
Night Terrors
by Sean Rodman
Orca Book Publishers
2013


Nix Minus One
by Jill MacLean
Pajama Press
2013


The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
by Teresa Toten
Doubleday Canada
2013


Yesterday's Dead
by Pat Bourke
Second Story Press
2012






 It may be a long...g...g...g way off, and we still have to see who wins this year's 2013 Willow Awards but we do look forward to the announcement of the winners at the end of next April (2015) at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala 2015.  Good luck to all nominees!

Wednesday 5 March 2014

2014 Canadian Library Association Book Awards: Short-lists announced

On March 1st, the Canadian Library Association announced via press release the shortlists for each of its annual book awards which are generously sponsored by Library Services Centre. Here are the lists of nominees for each of those awards: 

This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2013, that appeals to children up to the age of 12 years.


A Long Way Away 
by Frank Viva
(HarperCollins)

Francis the Little Fox 
Illustrated by Katty Maurey
Text by Véronique Boisjoly
(Kids Can Press)

Jane, the Fox and Me
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Text by Fanny Britt
(Groundwood Books)

Little You 
Illustrated by Julie Flett
Text by Richard Van Camp
(Orca Book Publishers)

Loula is Leaving for Africa 
by Anne Villeneuve
(Kids Can Press)

Northwest Passage 
Illustrated by Matt James
Based on the song by Stan Rogers
(Groundwood Books)
Reviewed here

Once Upon a Northern Night 
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Text by Jean E. Pendziwol
(Groundwood Books)

The Dark 
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
Text by Lemony Snicket
(HarperCollins)

The Legend of Lightning and Thunder 
Illustrated by Jo Rioux
Text by Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt
(Inhabit Media )

The Man with the Violin 
Illustrated by illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Text by Kathy Stinson
(Annick Press)


This notable award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2013, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.
Press release


The Metro Dogs of Moscow
by Rachelle Delaney
Penguin 
The Legend of Lightning & Thunder
by Paula Ikuutaq Rumbolt
Inhabit Media 
The Spotted Dog Last Seen
by Jessica Scott Kerrin
Groundwood Books

How to Curse in Hieroglyphics
by Lesley Livingston & Jonathan Llyr
Penguin
 
Bones Never Lie
by Elizabeth Macleod
Annick Press


The Stowaways
by Meghan Marentette
Pajama Press
Me & Mr. Bell
by Philip Roy
Cape Breton University Press
Driftwood
by Valerie Sherrard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

Curse of the Dream Witch
by Allan Stratton
Scholastic Canada
Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff
by Robert Paul Weston
Penguin









This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2013, that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.
Press release

The Silent Summer of Kyle McGinley 
by Jan Andrews
(Great Plains Teen Fiction)
Reviewed here

Graffiti Knight 
by Karen Bass
(Pajama Press)
Reviewed here

The Gypsy King 
by Maureen Fergus
(Razorbill)
Reviewed here

Little Red Lies 
by Julie Johnston
(Tundra Books)

Nix Minus One 
by Jill MacLean
(Pajama Press)
Reviewed here

The Oathbreaker’s Shadow 
by Amy McCulloch
(Doubleday Canada)

Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl 
by Emily Pohl-Weary
(Razorbill)
Reviewed here

Audacious 
by Gabrielle Prendergast
(Orca Book Publishers)

The Color of Silence 
by Liane Shaw
(Second Story Press)
Reviewed here

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B 
by Teresa Toten
(Doubleday Canada)
Reviewed here









The winners will be announced on April 15, 2014, and the award presented at the annual conference of the Canadian Library Association in Victoria, BC on May 29, 2014.