The 2020 Forest of Reading Award finalists have been announced. Each year, students across Canada vote for their favorite title to select the winner. The winners will be announced on June 16th in an online children’s book festival hosted by the CBC. Here are the awards and their respective finalists:

BLUE SPRUCE AWARD (picture books for K-2)

Emma’s Gems by Anne Renaud & Leanne Franson

Giraffe & Bird Together Again by Rebecca Bender

Magic Boat by Katherine Farris & Kit Pearson, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard

Me, Toma & the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larson, illustrated by Anne Villeneuva

Mustafa by Marie-Louise Gay

A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Reptile Club by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Elina Ellis

Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Lyn Sparrow, illustrated by Guillaume Perreault

Sloth at the Zoom by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Orbie

That’s Not Hockey by Andree Poulin, illustrated by Felix Girard

 

SILVER BIRCH EXPRESS AWARD (Grages 3-4)

Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliot

Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photograph that Changed the World by James Gladstone, illustrated by Christy Lundy

Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse

Light a Candle: Tumaini Pasipo Na Tumaini by Godfrey Knongolo and Eric Walters, illustrated by Eva Campbell

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey & Julia Sarda

Meet Tom Longboat by Elizabeth MacLeod, illustrated by Mike Deas

Megabat by Anna Humphrey, illustrated by Kass Reich

The Mushroom Fan Club by Elise Gravel

Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley, illustrated by Jaime Zollars

 

SILVER BIRCH FICTION AWARD (Grades 3-6)

Cross Ups: Anyone’s Game by Sylv Chiang, illustrated by Connie Choi

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Sydney Smith

My Life as a Diamond by Jenny Manzer

The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel

Oculum by Philippa Dowding

Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier

Wings of Olympus by Kallie George, illustrated by Fiona Hsieh

Winnie’s Great War by Linsay Mattick and Josh Greenhut, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

 

YELLOW CEDAR AWARD (Nonfiction for Grades 4-8)

Be Prepared! The Frankie MacDonald Guide to Life, the Weather, and Everything
by Frankie MacDonald & Sarah Sawler

Beavers by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Nicholas John Frith

Extreme Abilities: Amazing Human Feats and the Simple Science behind Them by Galadriel Watson, illustrated by Cornelia Li

Follow Your Stuff: What Makes It, Where Does It Come From, How Does It Get To You? by Kevin Sylvester & Michael Hlinka

Hayley Wickenheiser: Amazing Hockey Stories by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by D.A. Bishop

Highrise: The Towers in the World & The World in the Towers by Katerina Cizek

Hubots: Real-World Robots Inspired by Humans by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Alex Ries

Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History
by Allison Matthews-David & Serah-Marie McMaho, illustrated by Gillian Wilson

My River: Cleaning Up the LaHave River by Anne Laurel Carter with Stella Bowles

Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to be Reunited with Her Family
by Van Ho & Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

 

RED MAPLE AWARD (Fiction for Grades 7-8)

Call of the Wraith by Kevin Sands

Crush by Svetlana Chmakova

A Grain of Rice by Nhung Tran-Davies

In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen

Operatic by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiller

Stowaway by Pam Withers

Surviving the City by Tasha Spillet, Illustrated by Natasha Donovan

The Unteachables by Gordon Korman

 

WHITE PINE AWARD (Fiction for High Schoolers)

All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton

Baggage by Wendy Phillips

Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto

Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Sadie by Courtney Summers

Synchro Boy by Shannon McFerran

We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra