Looking for some new award-winning books to read to your children or students? Check out the winners of The Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award by visiting this website http://bcbookaward.info/.
The Buckeye Children’s and Teen Book Award program was started in 1981 to encourage collaboration among teachers, students, and librarians. Each of the winners of this award was voted on by students in Ohio in grades K-12. Teachers and librarians can nominate a book only if they are representing a group of students, but this program gives students the opportunity to use their voice. The winners for 2021 are as follows:
* Grades K-2: Happy Narwhalidays (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #5) by Ben Clanton (Tundra Books, 2020)* Grades 3-5: The One and Only Bob by Katherine Applegate (HarperCollins, 2020)* Grades 6-8: Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Scholastic Press, 2019)* Teen: The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2020)
On the website, you can find the previous year’s winners, as well as information about how to help your students nominate their favorite books that have been published within the last two years. Click on the “Award Timeline” tab to make sure your students submit their votes on time.
So how does it work? In March, students nominate their favorite books. In April, the top five books for each grade range are posted. Over the summer, students can read the list of nominated books, as well as nominate new books. In the fall, students vote for their favorite books out of the top five choices. In December, the winners are announced.
To help your students vote, you can give them the bookmark ballots that are appropriate for their grade range, which are available under the “Resources” tab. The picture to the left shows what the K-2 bookmark ballot looked like for the 2021 voting process. As the teacher or librarian, you can vote on behalf of your students on the website using their ballots, or you can show them how to nominate a book on the website on their own. The process is quick and simple- just fill out a Google Form!
You can also view the previous nominees and winners since the year 1982 on the website. There are free spine labels with the award logo available on the website as well. You can stick these on your books in your school library or classroom library. Read these books with your students or encourage them to read them on their own to get them excited about the nomination and voting process. Help them to see how important it is to use their voice and recognize that their opinions are valued. This can help students to stay engaged with what they are reading and truly see the value in literacy.
