Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Awards

From the press release:

STATE LIBRARY ANNOUNCES 2010 LA YOUNG READERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Students From Across the State Choose Their Favorites

Baton Rouge, LA – More than 29,000 students across the state in grades three through five and six through eight have chosen two books as winners of the 2010 Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award. “Marley: A Dog Like No Other” by John Grogan (HarperCollins Publishers, 2007) was the top choice of third, fourth and fifth graders. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney (Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2007), received the most votes from middle school students in grades six, seven and eight. The second place winners, or Honor Books for 2010, were “The Lemonade Club” by Patricia Polacco (Penguin Group, 2007) for grades three through five and “Deep and Dark and Dangerous” by Mary Downing Hahn (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007) for grades six through eight.

The Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award, now in its 11th year, is a reading enrichment program of the State Library of Louisiana underwritten by Capitol One with additional support by PermaBound Books. It is a model collaborative reading program involving students, teachers and public librarians in all regions of the state. Students in grades three through eight are encouraged to read the high-quality books that are on carefully selected book lists: one list for grades three through five and another list for grades six through eight. Using specially prepared study guides, teachers incorporate the books into the curriculum. The 2010 LYRCA program saw an increase in participation of more than 10,000 students over the previous year. Voting day is an exciting time in many schools and libraries throughout Louisiana as the students cast their votes, sometimes using the voting booths supplied by the Secretary of State’s Voter Outreach Division.

“With Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award program, the State Library has accomplished something special in its effort to encourage our kids to read: it has given our youngest readers a voice,” said Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. Landrieu oversees the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which includes the State Library.

A committee of school and public librarians chooses recent children’s titles for each age group that comprise the annual LYRCA ballots. The lists offer a well-balanced array of excellent, enjoyable books in various genres, including fiction, nonfiction, folklore and poetry.

“One of the critical missions of the State Library is to foster a culture of literacy. We know that if we encourage a child to read for pleasure, then that child is much more likely to excel at reading and succeed in school,” said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton . “We’ve been very pleased with the excitement for reading that the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award program has generated throughout the state. The program keeps growing each year, and that growth means more children are being exposed to a wonderful culture of literacy.”

Information about the program is available on the State Library website at http://www.state.lib.la.us/ by clicking on Center for the Book, then on Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice Award. The list of nominees for 2011 is now available on the State Library’s website.

Previous winners of the award are “The Diary of a Killer Cat” by Anne Fine (2009 grades 3-5) and “Secrets of my Hollywood Life” by Jen Calonita (2009 Grades 6-8); “Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude” by Kevin O’Malley (2008 grades 3-5) and “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan (grades 6-8). “Gator Gumbo” by Candace Fleming (2007 grades 3-5); “So B. It: A Novel” by Sarah Weeks (2007 grades 6-8); “Alligator Sue” by Sharon Arms Doucet (2006 grades 3-5); “Skeleton Key” by Anthony Horowitz (2006 grades 6-8); “Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School ” by Mark Teague (2005. grades 3-5); “Coraline” by Neil Gaiman (2005 grades 6-8); “Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood” by Mike Artell (2004); “My Dog, My Hero” by Betsy Byars, Laurie Myers and Betsy Duffey (2003); “Weslandia” by Paul Fleischman (2002); “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by J.K. Rowling (2001); and “Verdi” by Janell Cannon (2000).