2009 Book of the Year Award Finalists

ForeWord Reviews announced the finalists in the 2009 Book of the Year Awards. We would like to congratulate the following authors and illustrators on their nominations!

Juvenile Nonfiction Finalist:

A Thousand Years of Pirates
By William Gilkerson
ISBN 9780887769245
96 Pages
“… A Thousand Years of Pirates, manages to preserve the historical reality of pirates while still maintaining the captivating image of pirates that so strongly interests people, especially children…. At the same time, Gilkerson captures the adventure of the high seas in his illustrations. …a great example of how history can be made interesting to young readers….” – ForeWord Reviews

Juvenile Fiction Finalist:

Jacob Two-Two on the High Seas
By Cary Fagan
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
ISBN 9780887768958
112 Pages
“Fagan has produced a lively tale of pirates, transatlantic voyages, and the usual heedless parents…” – Books for Young People: Books of the Year,  Quill & Quire

YA Fiction Finalist:

Vanishing Girl
By Shane Peacock
ISBN 9780887768521
320 Pages
“… The richly descriptive prose offers a vivid sense of both Victorian life and the diverse characters, especially complex, intriguing, and sympathetic Sherlock….” – Booklist

2010 SYRCA Willow Awards

The following Tundra books are nominated for the 2010 Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award:

Bird Child
By Nan Forler
Illustrated by François Thisdale
ISBN 978-0-88776-894-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Nominated in the Shining Willow category (kindergarten – grade 3)
Bullying and the ability to rise above it are at the heart of this strikingly beautiful picture book. All school-aged children have either bullied, been bullied, or witnessed bullying, and all too often, they feel powerless to stop what has been set in motion.

Dear Toni
By Cyndi Sand-Eveland
ISBN 978-0-88776-876-7
Hardcover
136 Pages
Nominated in the Diamond Willow category (grades 4-6)
When sixth-grader Gene Tucks moves south, she dreads being the new kid at school and almost everything else about her life as a “nobody.” But what she dreads most is the hundred-day journal-writing assignment her teacher has given the class. His brilliant idea is to have the journals locked in the town museum’s vault for forty years so that future grade-sixers can read them.

Word Nerd
By Susin Nielsen
ISBN 978-0-88776-875-0
Hardcover
256 Pages
Nominated in the Snow Willow category (grades 7-9)
In this brilliantly observed novel, author Susin Nielsen transports the reader to the world of competitive Scrabble as seen from the honest yet funny viewpoint of a boy who’s searching for acceptance and for a place to call home.

The Saskatchewan Young Readers’ Choice Award allows over 10,000 students and young adults to read and vote for their favorite books. Award winners will be announced at a gala that will be held in the spring. For more info on the SYRCA Willow Awards, please visit www.willowawards.ca.

Congratulations to the abovementioned authors and illustrator!

Win an Advance Reader’s Copy of Folly!

We have 10 ARCs of Marthe Jocelyn’s new historical novel, Folly, to give away!  Be one of the first ten readers to subscribe to our blog (just ‘Subscribe’ at the top right of our blog by entering your email address).

Open to Canadian residents only.

Advance praise for Folly:

“With its refreshingly robust pace, suspenseful plot, and sprinklings of innuendo, teen girls with a penchant for historical fiction will flock to Folly.”

Quill & Quire

Folly
Written by Marthe Jocelyn
Hardcover
256 pages
ISBN 978-0-88776-929-0
Pub Date: May 11, 2010

In the chaotic way of every life, where the past, present, and future collide, Marthe Jocelyn has traced a story that is heartbreaking and unforgettable.

Grease Town Book Launch

Ann Towell sent in a photo from her book launch last Saturday!

The photo was taken by Larry Towell/Magnum and posted with permission from the author.

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the launch of Grease Town with Ann Towell. Thank you once again to Connie Bell and to the wonderful staff at the Oil Museum of Canada for making the event a success!

CLA Announces 2010 Award Finalists

The Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award Committee of the Canadian Library Association announced the shortlist for the 2010 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator’s Award. This award recognizes an illustrator of a noteworthy Canadian book, published in 2009, that appeals to children up to the age of 12 years.

Congratulations to our illustrators, Bill Slavin and Nicolas Debon!

It’s a Snap! George Eastman’s First Photograph
Written by Monica Kulling
Illustrated by Bill Slavin
ISBN 978-0-88776-881-1
Hardcover
32 Pages
Introducing our Great Idea Series, a first biography for young readers!

Timmerman Was Here
Written by Colleen Sydor
Illustrated by Nicolas Debon
ISBN 978-0-88776-890-3
Hardcover
32 Pages
Timmerman Was Here is a charming tale of mystery, perception, and the gift of friendship.

The Young Adult Services Interest Group of the Canadian Library Association announced the shortlist for the 2010 Young Adult Book Award. This award recognizes an author of an outstanding English-language Canadian work of fiction, published in 2009, that appeals to young adults between the ages of 13 and 18.

Congratulations to Shane Peacock!

Vanishing Girl
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case
Written by Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

The Canadian Association of Children’s Librarians, Section of the Canadian Association of Public Libraries announced the shortlist for the 2010 Book of the Year for Children Award. This award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2009, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

Congratulations to Nancy Hartry, Eva Wiseman, and Shane Peacock!

Watching Jimmy
Written by Nancy Hartry
ISBN 978-0-88776-871-2
Hardcover
160 Pages
A novel of danger, warmth, and dark humor — about a brain-damaged young boy and the friend who knows a terrible secret. Click here for the teacher guide.

Puppet
Written by Eva Wiseman
ISBN 978-0-88776-828-6
Hardcover
252 Pages
This powerful fictionalized account of one of the last blood libel trial in Europe is told through the eyes of Julie, a friend of the murdered Esther, and a servant at the jail where Morris is imprisoned. Once again, Eva Wiseman illuminates a heartbreaking episode in history for young readers.

Vanishing Girl
The Boy Sherlock Holmes, His Third Case
Written by Shane Peacock
ISBN 978-0-88776-852-1
Hardcover
320 Pages
The third case in the compelling Boy Sherlock Holmes series is full of as many twists and turns as the backstreets of Victorian London.

The winners will be announced prior to the Canadian Library Association National Conference. The awards will be presented at the CLA National Conference and Trade Show at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton on June 3, 2010.