Eighth Annual Children’s Choice Book Awards Finalists Announced
New York, NY — February 19, 2015 – Every Child a Reader (ECAR) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC) have announced the finalists in the eighth annual Children’s Choice Book Awards (CCBA), the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens. Young readers across the country will determine the winners in all 7 categories of the Children’s Choice Book Awards by voting online at ccbookawards.com from Tuesday, March 17, 2015 through Sunday, May 3, 2015. In 2014, over 1.2 million votes were cast online by young readers. Winners will be announced during the 96th annual Children’s Book Week (May 4-10, 2015).
The finalists for the K-2, 3-4, and 5-6 Book of the Year categories were selected by kids through the Children’s Choices Program, a joint project of the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the CBC, in which 36,600+ children from different regions of the United States read newly-published children’s and young adult trade books and voted for the ones they liked best. Teen Book of the Year finalists were chosen by 4,000+ teens via voting conducted by Teenreads.com.
The five finalists in each of this year’s three new award categories — Children’s Choice Debut Author, Teen Choice Debut Author and Children’s Choice Illustrator — were determined by two selection committees comprised of librarians, educators, booksellers, and children’s literature experts appointed by Every Child a Reader:
Children’s & Teen Choice Debut Author Committee:
- Jonathan Hunt, County Schools Librarian, San Diego County Office of Education
- Amanda Hurley, Manager, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL
- Max Rodriguez, Founder, Harlem Book Fair & Westchester Children’s Book Festival; Publisher, QBR The Black Book Review
- John Schumacher, Librarian; Founder, Watch, Connect, Read
- Seira Wilson, Books Editor, Amazon.com
Children’s Choice Illustrator Committee:
- Betsy Bird, Youth Materials Specialist, the New York Public Library; Blogger, A Fuse #8 Production (SLJ)
- Julie Danielson, MLS, Founder, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
- Colby Sharp, Teacher, Parma Elementary, MI; Co-Founder, Nerd Camp
- Tegan Tigani, PNBA President; Bookseller and Children’s Book Buyer for Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, WA; Editor for nwbooklovers.org
- Bernette Ford, Founder, Color-Bridge Books, LLC; Consulting Editor, Boxer Books, Ltd
The 2015 Children’s Choice Book Awards finalists are:
KINDERGARTEN TO SECOND GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
- Duck, Duck, Moose! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones (Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group)
- Eva and Sadie and the Worst Haircut EVER! by Jeff Cohen, illustrated by Ellana Allen (HarperCollins Children’s Books)
- Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance by Birgitta Sif (Candlewick Press)
- How to Babysit a Grandma by Jean Reagan, illustrated by Lee Wildish (Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House)
- A Pet for Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic)
THIRD TO FOURTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
- Claude at the Beach by Alex T. Smith (Peachtree Publishers)
- The Glorkian Warrior Delivers a Pizza by James Kochalka (First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- Happy Birthday, Babymouse by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matt Holm (Random House Books for Young Readers)
- Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, illustrated by John Gomes (Arbordale Publishing)
- Sisters by Raina Telgemeier (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic)
FIFTH TO SIXTH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR
- Ice Dogs by Terry Lynn Johnson (HMH Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group)
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods by Rick Riordan, illustrated by John Rocco (Disney-Hyperion, an imprint of Disney Book Group)
- Temple Run: Race Through Time to Unlock Secrets of Ancient Worlds by Tracey West (National Geographic Children’s Books)
- The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic)
- The Return of Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
TEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR
- City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare (Margaret K. McElderry, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
- Cress by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai, co-written by Patricia McCormick (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group)
- The One by Kiera Cass (HarperTeen)
- We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
CHILDREN’S CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR
- Cece Bell, El Deafo (Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams)
- Natalie Lloyd, A Snicker of Magic (Scholastic Press)
- Katherine Roy, Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands (David Macaulay Studio/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- Piers Torday, The Last Wild (Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group)
- J.A. White, The Thickety: A Path Begins (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books)
TEEN CHOICE DEBUT AUTHOR
- Sally Green, Half Bad (Viking Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group)
- Jennifer Mathieu, The Truth About Alice (Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- Don Mitchell, The Freedom Summer Murders (Scholastic Press)
- Jason Reynolds, When I Was the Greatest (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster)
- Leslye Walton,The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender (Candlewick Press)
CHILDREN’S CHOICE ILLUSTRATOR
- Chris Appelhans, Sparky by Jenny Offill (Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
- Steve Light, Have You Seen My Dragon? (Candlewick Press)
- Yuyi Morales, with photography by Tim O’Meara, Viva Frida (Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- Christian Robinson, Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
- Brian Won, Hooray for Hat! (HMH Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group)
About the Children’s Choice Book Awards (CCBA)
Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, the CCBA 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. More at ccbookawards.com/about.php.
About Children’s Book Week (CBW)
Established in 1919, CBW is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Each year, official events – which give kids the opportunity to connect with their favorite authors and illustrators in person – are held from coast to coast. In 2015, official events will be held in all 50 states. Learn more at bookweekonline.com.
About Every Child a Reader (ECAR)
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. Every Child a Reader creates and supports programs that strive to make the reading and enjoyment of children’s books an essential part of America’s educational and social aims and enhance public perception of the importance of reading. ECAR’s programs include Children’s Book Week, a nationwide celebration of books and reading, and the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; The Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program, the country’s “Children’s Literature Laureate”. Please visit www.ecarfoundation.org.
About the Children’s Book Council (CBC)
The Children’s Book Council is the nonprofit trade association for children’s book publishers in North America. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. Our members span the spectrum from large international houses to smaller independent presses. The CBC is proud to partner with other national organizations on co-sponsored reading lists, educational programming, and literacy initiatives. Please visit www.cbcbooks.org for more information.
# # #
Contact:
Nicole Deming
Interim Director I Communications Director
The Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader
212/966-1990
nicole.deming[@]cbcbooks.org
