2019 CCBC Canadian Children's Book Awards: English-language Winners announced

Last night the winners of English-language Canadian Children's Book Centre Book Awards were announced at a gala in Toronto.  MCed by Kim's Convenience Appa, actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, the event celebrated an auspicious collection of titles by Canadian authors and illustrators, all worthy nominees, selected by hard-working juries. Congratulations to all nominated authors and illustrators and, of course, especially to those winners of these awards. (The French-language awards will be presented on November 7th in Montreal.)

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award: Winner

Ebb & Flow

Written by Heather Smith

Kids Can Press

232 pp.

Ages 9-12

2018

Reviewed here

Fan Choice Award: Winner

They Say Blue

Written and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki

Groundwood Books

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

2018

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award: Winner

Africville

Written by Shauntay Grant

Illustrated by Eva Campbell

Groundwood Books

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

2018

Reviewed here

Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction: Winner

Turtle Pond

Written by James Gladstone

Illustrated by Karen Reczuch

Groundwood Books

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

2018

Reviewed here

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People : Winner

The Journey of Little Charlie

Written by Christopher Paul Curtis

Scholastic Canada

234 pp.

Ages 9-12

2018

Reviewed here

John Spray Mystery Award: Winner

Sadie

Written by Courtney Summers

St. Martin's Press

308 pp.

Ages 14+

2018

Reviewed here

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award: Winner

The House of One Thousand Eyes

Written by Michelle Barker

Annick Press

354 pp.

Ages 14+

2018

Reviewed here

2018 TD Canadian Children's Book Awards: Winners

Last night, the TD Canadian Children's Book Awards (English-language) were handed out in Toronto. (The French-language awards, Le Prix TD de littérature pour l'enfance et la jeunesse canadienne and Prix Harry Black de l'album jeunesse, will be awarded on November 19 in Montreal.) In addition to these awards, the selection of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway was announced.

Congratulations to all on these awards and recognitions!

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TD Grade One Book Giveaway

Giraffe and Bird

Written and illustrated by Rebecca Bender
Pajama Press

Fan Choice Contest Winner

Picture the Sky

Written and illustrated by Barbara Reid

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

Town is By the Sea

Written by Joanne Schwartz

Illustrated by Sydney Smith

Groundwood Books

Reviewed here

Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award 

When the Moon Comes

Written by Paul Harbridge

Illustrated by Matt James

Tundra Books

Reviewed here

Norma Fleck Award For Canadian Children's Non-Fiction

#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women

Edited by Lisa Charleyboy and Mary Beth Leatherdale

Annick Press

Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People 

The Assassin’s Curse 

(The Blackthorn Key, Book 3)

Written by Kevin Sands

Aladdin

John Spray Mystery Award

The Hanging Girl

Written by Eileen Cook

Houghlin Mifflin Harcourt

Reviewed here 

Amy Mathers Teen Book Award

The Marrow Thieves

Written by Cherie Dimaline

DCB

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Launch of the inaugural TD Canadian Children's Literature Fan Choice Award

TD and CBC Books 

present 

the TD Canadian Children's Literature Fan Choice Award

Starting today, young readers will have a chance to go online and pick their favourite book

from the 5 finalists for the 2013 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award

The book with the most votes will win and be awarded the 

TD Canadian Children's Literature Fan Choice Award

and

one lucky entrant will win a trip to Toronto 

to present the award at the gala ceremony on October 22.

See details at CBC Books (www.cbc.ca/books/kids).

Here are this year's 5 finalists:

Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War
Written by Deborah Ellis
Groundwood Books
Ages 11+

One Year in Coal Harbour
Written by Polly Horvath

Groundwood Books
Ages 9-13

The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen
Written by Susin Nielsen
Tundra Books
Ages 11+

The Stamp Collector
Written by Jennifer Lanthier

Illustrated by François Thisdale

Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Ages 8+

Virginia Wolf
Written by Kyo Maclear
Illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Kids Can Press
Ages 5-10

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As an aside, I hope this experiment in a fan choice award works somehow.  Having been part of both juried award selections and readers' choice award selections, I suspect that different titles may be selected from the same short-list of finalists.  Although both award winners will be honest and worthy selections, I have to wonder how not being the fan choice might diminish the thrill of winning the juried award. 

Moreover, although juries can look at a wide variety of books, here ranging for readers from ages 5 to 13+, young readers will be limited as to the books they can and will read.  An eight-year-old is unlikely to select The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen because he or she would not have read it.  And a 12-year-old may too easily dismiss Virginia Wolf and The Stamp Collector as picture books, the realm of the youngest readers.  And how will Deborah Ellis' complex and heart-stopping Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War fare amongst die-hard fiction readers?

Mixing picture books, middle-grade fiction and non-fiction in a single list for adult jurors is not an issue but for young readers it is.  This is why popular readers' choice book awards like Ontario's Silver Birch,  BC's Red Cedar Book Award and the Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award compile lists of nominees according to age of readership and genre.  I suspect that, for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Fan Choice Award, readers and titles are at a disadvantage, making the ultimate selection less accurate and more subjective.

That said, young readers are still privileged to choose one of these fine titles for this new award and any title chosen from this complex list will be a worthy recipient of the award.  Good luck to all nominees.