2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize Shortlist

February 17, 2015February 12, 2015 | Tasha

The shortlist has been announced for the 2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. There are 18 books on the shortlist for this British children’s book prize and refreshingly 15 of them are by women. The winner in each category as well as the overall winner will be announced on March 26.

BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK

Atlas of Adventures by Lucy Letherland, words by Rachel Williams

Blown Away by Rob Biddulph

The Dawn Chorus by Suzanne Barton

The Queen’s Hat by Steve Antony

The Sea Tiger by Victoria Turnbull

Where Bear? by Sophy Henn

BEST FICTION FOR 5-12s

A Boy Called Hope by Lara Williamson

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

Cowgirl by G. Gemin

Girl with a White Dog by Anne Booth

Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens

Violet and the Pearl of the Orient by Harriet Whitehorn, illustrated by Becka Moor

BEST BOOK FOR TEENS

The Apple Tart of Hope by Sarah Moore Fitzgerald

Dead Ends by Erin Jade Lange

Half Bad by Sally Green

Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

Smart by Kim Slater

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

2015 Rainbow List

February 16, 2015February 10, 2015 | Tasha

The Rainbow Project is a joint project of the ALA Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and Social Responsibilities Round Table. Each year they select The Rainbow List, books with “significant gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender content, and which are aimed at youth, birth through age 18.”

Here is their Top Ten list:

Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World by Janet E. Cameron

Far from You by Tess Sharpe

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Not Every Princess by Jeffrey Bone and Lisa Bone

Secret City by Julia Watts

Sweet Tooth by Tim Anderson

Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan

This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Kristyna Litten

We Are the Youth: Sharing the Stories of LGBT Youth in the United States by Laurel Golio and Diana Scholl

2015 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award Winners

February 13, 2015February 13, 2015 | Tasha

The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation and the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection at The University of Southern Mississippi have announced the winners of the 2015 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award. The award celebrates a new writer and a new illustrator of children’s books each year.

NEW WRITER WINNER

Chieri Uegaki for Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin

NEW ILLUSTRATOR WINNER

Chris Haughton for Shh! We Have a Plan

2015 Carnegie Medal Longlist

February 13, 2015February 10, 2015 | Tasha

Here are the 20 books on the longlist for The Carnegie Medal, a British award for exceptional writing for youth. The shortlist will be announced on March 17.

Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

Buffalo Soldier by Tanya Landman

Close Your Pretty Eyes by Sally Nicholls

The Company of Ghosts by Berlie Doherty

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge

The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Hello Darkness by Anthony McGowan

The Middle of Nowhere by Geraldine McCaughrean

Monkey and Me by David Gilman

More Than This by Patrick Ness

My Brother’s Shadow by Tom Avery

Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff

Scarlet Ibis by Gill Lewis

Smart by Kim Slater

Tinder by Sally Gardner, illustrated by David Roberts

Trouble by Non Pratt

Us Minus Mum by Heather Butler

When Mr. Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan

The Year of the Rat by Clare Furniss

2015 Kate Greenaway Medal Longlist

February 12, 2015February 10, 2015 | Tasha

Here are the 20 longlisted titles for the 2015 Kate Greenaway Medal, a British award for best illustration. The shortlist will be announced on March 17.

Dark Satanic Mills by Marcus and Julian Sedgwick, illustrated by John Higgins and Marc Olivent

Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell

The Great War: An Anthology of Stories Inspired by Objects from the First World War by various authors, illustrated by Jim Kay

Hermelin: the Detective Mouse by Mini Grey

Jim’s Lion by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Alexis Deacon

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner

On Sudden Hill by Linda Sarah, illustrated by Benji Davies

The Pilot and the Little Prince by Peter Sis

The Promise by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin

Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan

Shackleton’s Journey by William Grill

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

Smelly Louise by Catherine Rayner

The Something by Rebecca Cobb

Tinder by Sally Gardner, illustrated by David Roberts

Tiny: the Invisible World of Microbes by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Emily Sutton

Wayland by Tony Mitton, illustrated by John Lawrence

What If…? by Anthony Browne

2015 Notable Children’s Books

February 12, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

Notable seal image

The Association for Library Service to Children have announced their list of the 2015 Notable Children’s Books. The books are selected by committee and are defined as “Worthy of note or notice, important, distinguished, outstanding. As applied to children’s books, notable should be thought to include books of especially commendable quality, books that exhibit venturesome creativity, and books of fiction, information, poetry and pictures for all age levels (birth through age 14) that reflect and encourage children’s interests in exemplary ways.”

The list covers preschool through grade 8. Lots of great reads!

2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List

February 11, 2015February 9, 2015 | Tasha

The 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List has been announced. It is part of the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association’s Social Responsibility Round Table. There are over 40 titles on the main list and then the list also has a Top Ten. Here are the titles in the Top Ten:

Because I Am a Girl: I Can Change the World by Rosemary McCarney

Every Day Is Malala Day by Rosemary McCarney

Hidden by Donna Jo Napoli

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World by Malala Yousafzai

Ms. Marvel: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning

A Pair of Twins by Kavitha Mandana, illustrated by Nayantara Surendranath

Sally Ride: America’s First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

A Woman in the House (and Senate): How Women Came to the United States Congress, Broke Down Barriers, and Changed the Country by Ilene Cooper, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley

2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults

February 10, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

The 2015 list of Best Fiction for Young Adults has been announced by YALSA. From the larger list, they select a Top Ten:

The Carnival at Bray by Jessie Ann Foley

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Gospel of Winter by Brendan Kiely

I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Jackaby by William Ritter

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim by E. K. Johnston

Vango by Timothee de Fombelle

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

2015 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

February 9, 2015February 6, 2015 | Tasha

YALSA has released their 2015 list of popular paperbacks for teens. This year the list includes 97 books in four topics: Book to Movie: Ripped from the Pages, Mysteries: Murder, Mayhem and Other Adventures, Lock Up: Teens behind Bars, and Narrative Non-fiction: Inspired by Actual Events. Here are the books in the Top Ten list: