2020-21 Truman Award Finalists (PDF)
The Truman Readers Award honors a book that is selected by Missouri junior high students. To be eligible to vote, students must read at least four of the finalists. Voting will occur at participating schools early next spring. While the winner won’t be announced until April 2021, this is a great list of summer reads for students in grades sixth through eighth.
“City of Ghosts” by Victoria Schwab
Ever since her near-fatal drowning, Cassidy has been able to pull back the “Veil” that separates the living from the dead and see ghosts. When the family travels to Scotland, Cass and her personal ghost companion, Jacob, are about to find out that a city of old ghosts can be a very dangerous place indeed. Continue reading “2020-21 Truman Award Finalists”
I’m back to highlighting physical books! The library is partially reopened, and we’re still offering curbside pickup. So if you’re the kind of bibliophile that needs to hold a book and turn its pages, we’ve got you covered. If you’re like me and enjoy reading at night without having to turn a light on, no worries! I’ll still be ordering plenty of digital titles as well.
It’s June, so I wanted to focus on a few LGBTQIA books. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: June 2020”
2020-21 Gateway Award Finalists (PDF)
The Gateway Readers Award honors a young adult novel that is selected by Missouri high school students. To be eligible to vote, students must read at least three of the finalists. Voting will occur at participating schools early next March, so you can use the summer months to get crack-a-lackin’ on this list! The winner will be announced in April 2021.
“A Heart in a Body in the World” by Deb Caletti
Annabelle runs from Seattle to D.C., becoming a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to her recent trauma.
“After the Shot Drops” by Randy Ribay
Bunny takes a basketball scholarship to an elite private school to help his family, leaving behind his best friend in their tough Philadelphia neighborhood.
Continue reading “2020-21 Gateway Award Finalists”
The following are just a small selection of the plethora of delightful books we have available digitally. If there’s a book you’d really love to read that we don’t have on OverDrive or Hoopla, use this form to let me know! Sometimes I can even purchase digital copies of books that are out of print in physical format. For example, I recently picked up these wonderful 1980s horror books! Seriously, if you like horror they are worth a read—there’s a haunted house populated by Dungeons & Dragons style monsters. It’s awesome. With no further ado, here are my selections for the merry month of May. Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: May 2020”
2020 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees (PDF)
The Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list of recommended reading sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Fifteen young adult book clubs from libraries across the country are responsible for determining this list of 25 nominees. Teens nationwide have nearly six months to read as many titles as possible before voting on their favorites in the fall. The ten finalists will be announced in October during Teen Read week.
Below is this year’s full list of nominees. The library offers print, eBook and audiobook editions of most titles. Continue reading “2020 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees”
After three months of competition, central Missouri teens have selected their March Madness Teen Book Tournament Champion! We began with a list of 16 finalists which included bestsellers such as “On the Come Up” by Angie Thomas and “Long Way Down” by Jason Reynolds, and popular series starters like “Scythe” by Neal Shusterman and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han.
Many thanks to the teachers and school librarians who have supported this program, and to all the teens who have participated! And now, our 2020 champion is….
“Turtles All the Way Down” by John Green
Subscribe to our teen program newsletter to get a sneak peek of this year’s Summer Reading program, “Imagine Your Story.” Through this program, the library challenges young adults to read for 15 hours, share three book reviews and do seven of our suggested activities. Complete the challenge, and you will be eligible to win some pretty awesome prizes like an Amazon Fire tablet! More information to come later this month.
I just want you all to know that the library is still buying books for you! I’m focusing on eBooks and downloadable audiobooks these days, and we have some really great options. The best part is that it’s easy to keep up with holds since there’s no processing time on these, so hopefully you won’t have to wait too long for anything. Anyway, here’s some books I’m excited about! Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: April 2020”
Early every year, the American Library Association (ALA) hosts its annual Youth Media Awards Press Conference. At this time, authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult literature are recognized for the amazing works they have published over the last year.
The Michael L. Printz Award is given to a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). In addition to this year’s winning title, there were also four honor books chosen:
Award Winner: “Dig” by A.S. King
Honor Book: “The Beast Player” written by Nahoko Uehashi and translated by Cathy Hirano
Honor Book: “Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me” written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
Honor Book: “Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir” by Nikki Grimes
Honor Book: “Where the World Ends” by Geraldine McCaughrean
Continue reading “2020 Printz and Alex Award Winners”
I have some favorite books that I love to reread. Anything by Tamora Pierce and the Harry Potter books always make my list, and I’m currently rereading A Court of Thorns and Roses. But I absolutely love making time for new books as well! You never know when you’ll fall so completely in love with a book that you immediately buy copies for yourself and all your friends, and give it the place of highest honor on your bookshelf. Anyway, here’s some new books at your library! Continue reading “The Selector’s Selections: February 2020”
Printable Flyer (PDF)
At the Daniel Boone Regional Library, preparation for March Madness begins in December when we announce our 16 most popular teen books. This gives you over two months to read these titles and get ready to vote for your favorites in the spring. You have through Sunday, March 8 to vote for your favorite 8 books. Then, the competition heats up, as each week in March, young adults vote to narrow down the list of contenders until a single title emerges as the Mid-Missouri teen book champion!
Each round you vote, your name will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an Amazon Fire tablet. March Madness is open to all teens ages 12-18 who live in either Boone or Callaway County, Missouri. Continue reading “2020 March Madness Contenders”
