The one where Ms. Shattuck learns about "Book Awards."
I'm taking a class on Young Adult literature this semester at SHSU and am required to blog about each chapter that I read, so I thought I'd create a series to share with my blog friends. Welcome to Chapter 8.
Summary:
The chapter is originally titled "Awards" but has proceeded into an awards and list of book-lists. Here are the links to each award or list that this chapter made available for us to read about. There is no way to summarize a list, but I will go into detail about a few of my favorites in the reflections below.
Reflection:
I recognize a few of the awards from last semester, such as the Pura Belpre award and the Printz award. As I read through these, however, a few more stood out.
Lone Star Reading List:
According to the website, "The Lone Star reading list is developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current books."
This list is run by the Texas Library Association and it especially caught my attention because I am interested in what other Texans are recommending for their students. It is often hard to bring the world to our students since we are technically southern and have some districts who are in a small-town mindset. What's great is this website also offers teacher resources.
Young Adults' Choices Reading List:
According to the YA Choice website, "Since 1986, the Young Adults' Choices project has developed an annual list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle and secondary school students."
YA lists chosen by their own demographic are ideal. This list is perfect for student recommendations from students. I enjoy this type of list because then it makes reading relevant to the student, and they're not just taking my word that it's a good book--because let's face it, I'll read pretty much anything girly and I need help recommending books to my boys.
The Odyssey Award:
This award caught my eye because it was about audiobooks. From their website, it states that "This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States."
I love giving my struggling readers options that is more than black and white on a page. I forget that my 13/14 year old 8th graders don't realize that audiobooks can be entertaining, engaging, exciting. This award really helps showcase those "wow" books that are produced with kids in mind.
Comments