Kids’ Corner: The Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award

Oregon has its own Children’s Choice literature award, named after one of its most beloved authors. The Beverly Cleary Children’s Choice Award (BCCCA), created by the Oregon Association of School Libraries, encourages children of all ages the to vote for their favorite from a list of nominated books. Selected books are geared toward kids in grades 2 and 3, but are great for any kids who are ready for beginning chapter books or interested in a fun read!

Beverly Cleary, who was born and spent her childhood in Oregon, is the author many wonderful books for kids, such as Dear Mr. Henshaw,  Ramona Quimby, Age 8 and Beezus and Ramona.

Come to the library to pick up a bookmark with a listing of the BCCCA nominees for 2012! You can also see a list of nominees on the official BCCCA website. Voting will take place on the website between March 10 and April 15, 2012, so kids have plenty of time to read the books and choose their favorite. Summer is a great time to start!

 Here a few of the 2012 BCCCA nominees – click on the cover images below to link to the library catalog for descriptions and availability.

                             

Blurbs from the Branch – Award-Winning Audio Books

It probably comes as no surprise to our regular readers that we here at Bethany really love our audiobooks.  Recently in search of some recommendations, a couple of us here stumbled across The Audies at http://www.theaudies.com/, the audio book awards for good books with good readers.  Whether you’re already an audio book lover or you’re looking to get started with something good, this is a great website! It lists the current year’s award winners and nominees in different categories, such as “Narrated by Author or Authors” or  ”Thriller/Suspense”.  We have many of this year’s winners and nominees for checkout here at Bethany.  Here are a few: The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (winner: Children’s 8-12),  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (winner: Thriller/Suspense), and The Reversal (winner: Mystery and Suspense).

The website, http://www.theaudies.com/ lists only the current year winners, but you can find lists of winners and nominees from previous years at the Audio Publisher’s Association website at: http://www.audiopub.org/audies-gala.asp Here are  a few examples of the previous year winners we have for checkout at Bethany: Odd and the Frost Giants (2010 winner: Narration by Author or Authors), Einstein: His Life and Universe (2008 winner: Biography Memoir), and Duma Key (2009 winner: Fiction).

What are your favorite audiobooks? Does anyone have a great book narrator to recommend or are there any authors or series that are particularly good on audio?

-Jeannine

Blurbs from the Branch – When You Reach Me

Even though When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead won the Newberry award in 2010 and even though friends have been recommending it to me since it was published, it took me until this past weekend to finally read it.  Which is a shame because, if I had read it earlier, I would’ve had a chance to read it about ten times by now (just as the main character, Miranda, re-reads A Wrinkle in Time over and over).  I loved it.  It was one of the very best books (children’s, young adult, and adult books included) that I’ve read in the past year. 

The story is set in 1978 and Miranda is twelve when several significant things in her life begin to happen.  Her best friend since babyhood, Sal, has suddenly decided he does not want to be friends anymore and won’t talk to her about it or explain what happened.  Her mom has been chosen to be a contestant on the gameshow “The $20,000 Pyramid,” which she, her boyfriend, and Miranda are all determined that she will win.  And the most mysterious thing of all: she begins recieving mysterious notes from someone who seems to be able to predict the future and who says they are on a mission to save the life of a friend of hers.  The way that the different threads of Miranda’s life come together is surprising and wonderful as are the many other things that happen to her on the way.

One word of warning: this book is on the 2011-2012 Oregon Battle of the Books list, which means it is in demand now and will be in very high demand next school year, starting in September.  So my recommendation would be to read it now, before September starts.  Kids from third grade up, teens, and adults will all love this book. 

-Jeannine

National Poetry Month

April is a big month in the world of poetry. Not only is it National Poetry Month, but two major awards were announced this month. The Pulitzer Prize in Poetry went to Rae Armantrout for her book Versed. And Governor Ted Kulongoski announced that Paulann Petersen will serve as Oregon’s sixth Poet Laureate.

Petersen succeeds Lawson Fusao Inada, and will serve as Laureate for two years.  Oddly enough, Lawson was the teacher of the first poetry class Petersen took! You can learn more about our newest Laureate at her website and place hold on her poetry books in the catalog.

Through the end of the month, a display in the Cedar Mill branch celebrates poetry. Check it out and discover some wonderful poetry

2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners

The 2010 Pulitzer Prize Winners have been announced. Place holds for award winning titles here.

 

 

 

FICTION: Tinkers by Paul Harding

HISTORY: Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

BIOGRAPHY: The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles

GENERAL NONFICTION: The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by Robert Wright

POETRY: Versed by Rae Armantrout

Read more about current and past winners, as well as awards in more categories at Pulitzer.org.