AWARDS
California Young Reader Medal Nominees (2023-2024)
The California Young Reader Medal awards are a collaboration between the California Reading Association (CRA), the California Association of Teachers of English (CATE), California Library Association (CLA), and the California School Library Association (CSLA).
In general, nominees must have been published within the past four years by a living author.
2023-2024 Nominees: Primary (Grades K-2)
Title | Author/Illustrator | Pub Year | Buy Now |
“Chez Bob” | Bob Shea | 2021 | Hardcover |
“The Littlest Yak” | Lu Fraser / Kate Hindley | 2020 | Hardcover |
“Negative Cat” | Sophie Blackall | 2021 | Hardcover |
“The Scarecrow” | Beth Ferry / The Fan Brothers | 2019 | Hardcover |
“Someone Builds the Dream” | Lisa Wheeler / Loren Long | 2021 | Hardcover |
2023-2024 Nominees: Intermediate (Grades 3-5)
Title | Author/Illustrator | Pub Year | Buy Now |
“Across the Desert” | Dusti Bowling | 2021 | Hardcover |
“A Game of Fox and Squirrels” | Jenn Reese | 2020 | Hardcover |
“We’re Not From Here” | Geoff Rodney | 2021 | Hardcover |
2023-2024 Nominees: Middle School/Junior High
Title | Author | Pub Year | Buy Now |
“Alone” | Megan E. Freeman | 2021 | Hardcover |
“Amari and the Night Brothers” | B.B. Alston | 2021 | Hardcover |
“The Elephant in the Room” | Holly Goldberg Sloan | 2021 | Hardcover |
2023-2024 Nominees: Young Adult (Grades 9-12)
Title | Author/Illustrator | Pub Year | Buy Now |
“Elatsoe” | Darcie Little Badger / Rovina Cat | 2020 | Hardcover |
“I’m Not Dying With You Tonight” | Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal | 2019 | Hardcover |
“Where I Belong” | Marcia Argueta Mickelson | 2021 | Hardcover |
2023-2024 Nominees: Picture Books for Older Readers (Grades 4 and up)
Title | Author/Illustrator | Pub Year | Buy Now |
“Bartali’s Bicycle” | Megan Hoyt / Iacopo Bruno | 2021 | Hardcover |
“The Elephants Come Home” | Kim Tomsic / Hadley Hooper | 2021 | Hardcover |
“Nicky & Vera” | Peter Sis | 2021 | Hardcover |
CYRM Medal Nominees and Winners List (including Historical)
AWARDS
2024 Pulitzer Prizes Announced
The Pulitzer Prizes for 2024 were announced today. Of particular note to Golden Libraries were those prizes related to books including those listed below. In addition, the awards ceremony is shown at the bottom of this post.
Category | Title | Author |
Fiction | “Night Watch” | Jayne Anne Phillips |
Drama | “Primary Trust” | Eboni Booth |
History | “No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggles of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era” | Jacqueline Jones |
Biography | “King: A Life” | Jonathan Eig |
Memoir or Autobiography | “Liliana’s Invincible Summer: A Sister’s Search for Justice” | Cristina Rivera Garza |
Poetry | “Tripas: Poems” | Brandon Som |
General Nonfiction | “A Day in the Life of Abed Salaam: Anatomy of a Jerusalem Tragedy” | Nathan Thrall |
AWARDS
California Young Reader Medal 2024 Winners Announced
The California Young Reader Medal winners were announced in each category. In addition, resources have been provided for use with these books. Unlike other awards, students vote on the winners in each category.
Book Cover | Title | Author | Sellers |
Kimberly Jones Gilly Segal | Amazon | Bookshop.org | ||
“I’m Not Dying With You Tonight” by Kimberly Jones & Gilly Segal
Category: Young Adult
“Alone” by Megan E. Freeman
Category: Middle School/Junior High
“Across The Desert” by Dusti Bowling
Category: Intermediate
“The Elephants Come Home” by Kim Tomsic.
Category: Picture Books for Older Readers
“Chez Bob” by Bob Shea
Category: Primary
You can purchase all five books at Bookshop.org.
AWARDS
ALA offers $5000 grant for humanities programming in school library
From the ALA Website. Award deadline is May 1, 2024.
“The Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Exemplary Humanities Programming recognizes excellence in humanities programming in libraries that serve children in grades K-12.
The $5,000 award, presented annually by the American Library Association (ALA) Public Programs Office, is sponsored by the American Library Association’s Cultural Communities Fund in cooperation with the American Association of School Librarians (AASL).
Applications for the 2023-2024 cycle open on February 1, 2024 and will close on May 1, 2024. To be notified about grant opportunities from ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian newsletter.
- Apply online (February 1 – May 1, 2024)
- Read the project guidelines
- Review the frequently asked questions
What counts as a humanities program?
The humanities program can be focused in many subject areas, including, but not limited to, social studies, poetry, drama, art, music, language arts, foreign language, and culture.
Programs should focus on broadening perspectives and helping students understand the wider world and their place in it.
The humanities program should be initiated and coordinated by the school librarian and exemplify the role of the library program in advancing the overall educational goals of the school.
What types of libraries and programs are eligible?
U.S. school libraries, public or private, that serve children in any combination of grades K-12 are eligible, provided the library is staffed by a state-certified librarian. Libraries are encouraged to self-nominate.
Nominated programs must have taken place during the current school year. Programs that are still in progress as of the award deadline are eligible.
Who was Sara Jaffarian?
Sara Jaffarian was a dedicated school librarian and longtime ALA member. She began her career as a librarian in the public school system of Quincy, Massachusetts. She later served as the director of libraries for the Greensboro Public Schools in North Carolina and the Supervisor of Libraries for the Seattle Public Schools in Washington. Read more about Mrs. Jaffarian.
What is the award?
The Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award is an annual award to a school library that has conducted an exemplary program or program series in the humanities during the current school year. It consists of (1) a $5,000 cash award; (2) a crystal award; and (3) the promotion of the winner as a model program for other school libraries.
To be notified about other grant opportunities from ALA’s Public Programs Office, sign up for the Programming Librarian newsletter.”
-
BLOG2 months ago
Five Award-Winning Books about Ramadan
-
BLOG2 months ago
ALA: Number of Unique Titles Challenged up for 2023
-
RESOURCES3 months ago
Read Across America Resource Guide
-
JOBS2 months ago
Position: Reference and Outreach Librarian
-
BLOG2 months ago
Spotlight Book: “Change Sings” by Amanda Gorman
-
AWARDS4 months ago
John Newbery Medal given for “The Eyes and the Impossible”
-
EVENTS4 months ago
CSLA Conference to begin January 25
-
EVENTS2 months ago
ALA Cancels LibLearnX 2026