Every Child a Reader has announced the finalists in four categories for the 10th Annual Children's and Teen Choice Book Awards, which was launched in 2008 by ECR and the Children's Book Council. There are seven finalists in each of the three Children's Choice Book Awards categories (K-2nd grade, 3rd-4th grades, and 5th-6th grades) and seven finalists in the Teen Choice Book Award category.
Voting begins today in an online "voting booth" featuring jacket art and descriptions. It will continue until Sunday, May 7, the final day of Children's Book Week. Teachers, librarians, and booksellers can also collect group or classroom votes to enter online. Fifty copies of every winning book and all the finalists will be donated to children in need across the country in June.
The winning authors and illustrators will be announced on May 31 at BookExpo during a ceremony featuring Gene Luen Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Newly designed award stickers will be distributed to bookstores, libraries and schools across the U.S.
The children's award finalists were chosen in voting by 36,000 children, with supervision by the International Literacy Association. Teens nominated their favorite books of the year at TeenReads.com, and their top picks are the Teen Choice Book Award finalists.
"We love the fact that this is the only book awards chosen by kids and teens," said Shaina Birkhead, programming & strategic partnerships director for Children's Book Council and Every Child a Reader. "They know the books they love and we are proud to work with so many teachers, librarians, and booksellers to help gather the votes."