Ann Connor Brimer Children’s Literature Prize

Saving Grace, an Orca Soundings novel by Darlene Ryan, has been nominated for the Ann Connor Brimer Children’s Literature Prize, part of the Atlantic Book Awards. Saving Grace, the compelling story of a teen mother who kidnaps her baby after giving it up for adoption is also an American Library Association Quick Pick and has been nominated for the Texas Library Association’s Tayshas Reading List..

Darlene is also the author of Rules for Life and the upcoming Responsible.

Jeffrey and Sloth Book Launch

Jeffrey and Sloth, a new picturebook by Kari-Lynn Winters and Ben Hodson, was launched at the Vancouver Aquarium on SaturdayApril 14. This story of a boy overcoming writer’s block with the help of a sloth was inspired by a trip to the Aquarium. Listen to a short interview with the author from Vancouver radio station News 1130 here and here.

The launch was very well-attended and three sloths were sighted on the sloth walk. This was also probably one of the only book launches where attendees were splashed by a whale.

This is the first sloth sighted. Picture courtesy of Ron Jobe.

VOYA Best SF, Fantasy, Horror 2006

VOYA, The Voice of Youth Advocates magazine, has just published their list of the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror published in 2006. Nightwalker - The Warlocks of Talverdin by KV Johansen has been selected as part of this prestigious list. This twenty-second annual list features titles sure to attract the attention of avid teen readers. Only titles that have earned the prestigious 5Q or 5P rating are included.

YALSA Teen Top Ten - Hello, Groin

Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie has been nominated for the Teen Top Ten List from the Young Adult Library Association, part of the American Library Association. Voted on by teen readers across the country, the Teen Top Ten is announced during Teen Read Week in October. Hello, Groin, called “frank and courageous fiction for young people” by Quill & Quire, has also been nominated for the CLA YA Book Award and chosen for the 2007 White Ravens by the International Youth Library.

To read about Beth Goobie’s experiences writing Hello, Groin, please click here.

White Ravens 2007 - Hello, Groin

Hello, Groin, a recent teen novel by Beth Goobie, has been selected for The White Ravens 2007 by the International Youth Library. This annual selection of outstanding international books for children and young adults, which will be presented at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. The books for this year’s exhibition, 250 titles in 30 languages from 45 countries, have been selected from the thousands of books published all over the world within the last year.