The Willow Awards: 2012 Nominated Titles

The 2012 nominees for the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, have been announced.

After reading a minimum number of titles, young readers will be invited to vote for their favourite on February 28, 2013.  Award winning titles will be announced in April, 2013 at a gala hosted at a Saskatchewan school. 

The three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below, along with this year's nominated titles.
 

The Shining Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

The 2012 Shining Willow nominees are:

• Ella May and the Wishing Stone
by Cary Fagan, Illustrated by Geneviève Côté
Tundra Books
2011

• I Know Here
by Laurel Croza, Illustrated by Matt James
Groundwood Books
2010

• In the Bag!: Margaret Knight Wraps It Up
By Monica Kulling, Illustrated by David Parkins
Tundra Books
2011

• Little Chief and Mighty Gopher: The Pemmican Frenzy
By Victor Lethbridge, Illustrated by Ben Crane
Tatanka Productions
2010

• Loon
By Susan Vande Griek, Illustrated by Karen Reczuch
Groundwood Books
2011

• Picture a Tree!
By Barbara Reid
Scholastic Canada
2011

• Small Saul
By Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
2011

•The Busy Beaver
By Nicholas Oldland
Kids Can Press
2011

• The Flute
By Rachna Gilmore, Illustrated by Pulak Biswas
Tradewind Books
2011

• Tooter's Stinky Wish
By Brian Cretney, Illustrated by Peggy Collins
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2011

The Diamond Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers of Grades 4 to 6.

The 2012 Diamond Willow nominees are:

• Better Than Weird

By Anna Kerz
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• Full Steam to Canada
By Anne Patton
Coteau Books
2011

• Ghosts of Government House
By Judith Silverthorne
Your Nickel’s Worth Publishing
2011

• Ghosts of the Titanic
By Julie Lawson
Scholastic Canada
2011

• Missing
By Becky Citra
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• No Small Victory
By Connie Brummel Crook
Fitzhenry & Whiteside
2010

• Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World
By Susan Hughes
Owlkids
2011

• Power Play
By Liam O’Donnell, Illustrated by Mike Deas
Orca Book Publishers
2011

• Somebody's Girl
By Maggie de Vries
Ocra Book Publishers
2011

• Spy, Spy Again: True Tales of Failed Espionage
By Tina Holdcroft
Annick Press
2011

The Snow Willow Award winner is selected from those books written for readers in Grades 7 to 9.

The 2012 Snow Willow nominees are:

• Accomplice
By Valerie Sherrard
Dundurn Press

2011

• Ashes, Ashes
By Jo Treggiari
Scholastic Press

2011

• Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret
By Vicki Grant
HarperTrophy Canada

2011

• Dust City
By Robert Paul Weston
Puffin Canada

2010

• The Gathering
By Kelley Armstrong
Doubleday Canada

2011

• Held
By Edeet Ravel
Annick Press

2011

• Shot at Dawn: World War I, Alan McBride, France 1917
By John Wilson
Scholastic Canada

2011

• This Dark Endeavour: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein

By Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

2011

• Tori By Design

By Colleen Nelson
Great Plains Fiction

2011

• Undergrounders

By David Skuy
Scholastic Canada

2011

Congratulations to all nominated authors, illustrators and publishers!

Making Bombs for Hitler: Book Launch

BOOK LAUNCH

for Marsha Skrypuch's

MAKING BOMBS FOR HITLER

the story of Lida, a young Ukrainian girl
who is taken by the Nazis in 1943 and forced into slave labour as an Ostarbeiter

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 

7:30-9:30 p.m.

At the UNF Toronto Community Centre

145 Evans Avenue

Etobicoke, Ontario

 

Marsha Skrypuch 

will present a brief talk about her book and then take questions from the audience.  Books will be available for sale and autograph.

This event is sponsored by The World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and the Ukrainian Women’s Organization of Canada, Toronto Branch

Canadian Library Association announces Book Awards Shortlists

As a former chair and member of the CLA's Book of the Year for Children Award selection committee, the coming of March is always exciting, as the shortlists for all three of the CLA's book awards are announced.  This morning, the Canadian Library Association press releases published the shortlists for each of its annual book awards. (I've added images of the book covers here to help readers recognize the titles when book-browsing.  I always find it's nice to know what you're looking for in case it's been misshelved.)

This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2011, that
appeals to children up to the age of 12 years.

Along a Long Road
illustrated by Frank Viva
HarperCollins

Cinnamon Baby
illustrated by Janice Nadeau
Kids Can Press






 

A Few Blocks
illustrated by Cybèle Young
Groundwood Books

The Legend of the Fog
illustrated by Danny Christopher
Inhabit Media

Migrant
illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
Groundwood Books

My Name is Elizabeth!
illustrated by Matthew Forsythe
Kids Can Press

Picture a Tree
illustrated by Barbara Reid
North Winds Press, Scholastic Canada

Qalupalik
illustrated by Joy Ang
Inhabit Media

Slimon the Slug
illustrated by Bonnie Bews
Yellow Toadstool Press

Small Saul
illustrated by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press

This notable award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2011, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

When Apples Grew Noses and White Horses Flew 

by Jan Andrews 

Groundwood Books

No Ordinary Day 

by Deborah Ellis 

Groundwood Books

That Boy Red 

by Rachna Gilmore 

HarperCollins Canada

Howl 

by Karen Hood‐Caddy 

Dundurn Press

Dragon Seer’s Gift 

by Janet McNaughton 

HarperCollins Canada

From Then to Now: A Short History of the World

by Christopher Moore 

Tundra Books

 
The Tiffin

by Mahtab Narsimhan 

Dancing Cat Books

Dragon Turn 

by Shane Peacock 

Tundra Books

The Whole Truth 

by Kit Pearson 

HarperCollins Canada

Empire of Ruins 

by Arthur Slade 

HarperCollins Canada

This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction (novel, collection of short stories or graphic novel), published in 2011, 

that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.

The Gathering 
by Kelley Armstrong
Random House

All Good Children 
by Catherine Austen
Orca Books

Fanatics
by William Bell
Random House





 

The Woefield Poultry Collective 
by Susan Juby
HarperCollins

Once Every Never 
by Lesley Livingston
Penguin Canada

My Beating Teenage Heart 
by C. K. Kelly Martin
Random House

The Town that Drowned 
by Riel Nason
Goose Lane

This Dark Endeavour 
by Kenneth Oppel
HarperCollins

Karma 
by Cathy Ostlere
Penguin Canada

Held 
by Edeet Ravel
Annick Press






Congratulations to all nominated authors, illustrators and publishers.

Starling: Coming soon

Lesley Livingston, author of Once Every Never (Puffin Canada, 2011) which I reviewed here on December 12, 2011, is heralding a new fantasy YA series with this debut book, Starling, published by HarperCollins.  According to Lesley Livingston's blog, the author is "thrilled to death and beyond" (Sunday, February 26, 2012) with this newly-revealed cover for Starling.

According to the blurb on the author's blog, the story starts with a young woman, Mason Starling, who rescues an unconscious young man named Fennrys Wolf.  Except for his name, Fennrys has no memory, even of his role in opening the barrier between our mortal world and the Beyond Realms.  But this breach allows access to a center of dark energy, located in New York City's East River.  The consequent power struggle between underworld cartels of Norse, Greek and Egyptian gods and other entities places Mason Starling in danger and wondering who she can trust and who wants her dead.

If she is true to her skills, Lesley Livingston will have written another great tome in which  mythology is interwoven with fantasy, romance and hopefully her signature humour.

Look for Starling in August, 2012.

National Film Board: From Paper to Film

With the recent Academy Awards ceremonies, I'd like to recognize the numerous contributions of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) to promoting Canadian literature.  As the NFB has been nominated for more Oscars than any production company or organization outside of Hollywood and has provided work experience for every Foreign Language film director nominated this year, its reputation for exceptional documentaries, animations and such is well established.

But did you know that there are numerous short and full-length films available for viewing on the National Film Board of Canada website?  As a blogger of Canadian literature for young people (as well as a teacher-librarian), I love the short films of popular Canadian children's books that offer a different perspective on the stories. (If you're a teacher, using text and film versions of a story is a great way to teach a variety of writing and reading skills.  Just look for resources about teaching with movies.)

Explore for yourself the variety of films available for viewing at the National Film Board of Canada website, including these particular favourites of mine:

The Girl Who Hated Books

by Manjusha Pawagi
Illustrated by Leanne Franson
Second Story Press, 1998

Director:  Jo Meuris

Producer:  Tamara Lynch
2006

Lights for Gita

by Rachna Gilmore
Illustrated by Alice Priestley
Second Story Press, 1994

Director:  Michel Vo

Producer:  Tamara Lynch
2001

"Mind Me Good Now!"

by Lynette Comissiong
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance
Annick Press, 1997

Directors:  Chris Cormier and Derek Cummings

Producer:  Michael Scott
2005

Oma's Quilt

by Paulette Bourgeois
Illustrated by Izabela Bzymek
 Kids Can Press, 2001

Director:  Izabela Bzymek

Producer: Svend-Erik Eriksen
2007

Christopher, Please Clean Up Your Room!

by Itah Sadu 
Illustrated by Roy Condy
Scholastic Canada, 1993

Director:  Vincent Gauthier

Producer:  Tamara Lynch

2001

The Sweater

(The Hockey Sweater)
by Roch Carrier
Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen
Tundra, 1984

Director:  Sheldon Cohen

Producers:  Marrin Canell and David Verrall
1980

I Want a Dog

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1994

Director:  Sheldon Cohen

Producer:  Marcy Page 

2002

The Chinese Violin

by Madeleine Thien
 Illustrated by Joe Chang
Walrus Books, 2001

Director: Joe Chang

Producer: George Johnson
2002

Snow Cat

(The Snow Cat)
by Dayal Kaur Khalsa
Tundra, 1992

Director:  Sheldon Cohen

Producers:  Sheldon Cohen, Kenneth Hirsch, Marcy Page

1998