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
Waking Brain Cells 