Awards

In support of New York Times best-selling author Laurie Halse Anderson’s classic young adult novel, Speak, its publisher, Macmillan, is teaming up with RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) to raise funds for programs to end sexual violence. The campaign, nicknamed #Speak4RAINN, will be launched on April 2 (coinciding with the National Sexual Assault and Awareness Day of Action) and will run through April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books—an online elimination contest between 16 of 2012’s best children’s and teens’ fiction and nonfiction books—has crowned a winner: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson’s No Crystal Stair (Lerner/Carolrhoda). The final match was decided on April 1 by last year’s victor and the 2013 Big Kahuna, Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books elimination contest has come to a close, and the winner of the Big Kahuna round—which pitted semifinalists The Fault in Our Stars and No Crystal Stair against Code Name Verity, winner of our Undead Poll—has finally been announced.

School Library Journal ’s very own version of March Madness, our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books elimination contest between 16 of 2012’s best YA fiction and nonfiction books, has been going strong online since March 12, with both Round One and Two having come to a close. Ahead of Round Three, which began today, here are the exciting results so far.

Read News Bites for some great ways to connect with your students—learn more about the immigrant experience with the Smithsonian’s education conferences and offer students Shmoop’s video analysis of dozens of literature favorites.

SLJ's very own version of March Madness, our fifth annual Battle of the Kids’ Books (BOB) elimination contest between 16 of 2012’s best children’s and teens’ fiction and nonfiction books, kicked off on March 12 and has been going strong for eight consecutive matches. Here's an update on which titles will advance to Round Two.

Get ready for a busy April with National Bookmobile Day, author/illustrator Patricia Polacco discussing bullying via Skype, and the deadline for submission for the Library of Congress’s new Literacy Awards. Check out these stories and more in News Bites.

What’s your survival plan? In Orleans, Sherri Smith has created a rich and complex world of the future where New Orleans and much of the Delta region are cut off from the United States to prevent the spread of a deadly virus. A new, primitive society emerges, divided by tribes based on blood types. Fifteen-year-old Fen de la Guerre—fierce, tender, and a survivalist—is left to fend for herself and an infant after her O-positive tribe is ambushed. Her journey, which Kirkuscalls “a harrowing and memorable ride,” is one you won’t soon forget.

As dwindling funds and looming budget cuts reach many of the nation’s public libraries, 12 institutions received $5,000 mini-grants to support programming in their diverse communities. ALSC recently gifted these Día Family Book Club Program awards to expand El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día) into an ongoing yearlong celebration. The winning libraries give SLJ some insights into how they garnered the much-needed funds.