Finalists announced for 2020 Forest of Reading award program
The Ontario Library Association has announced the titles nominated for their Forest of Reading program.
Students from kindergarten to high school are encouraged to read from a selection of shortlisted books and vote for their favourites.
Forest of Reading is the largest reading award program in Canada. More than 270,000 students from across Ontario will participate in the program.
A total 10 categories — seven English and three French — reflecting different reading levels and genres are recognized. Each category has 10 nominated titles.
In 2020, the two nonfiction awards for school-age students have been merged into a one new prize, the Yellow Cedar Award.
Voting will take place in April 2020.
The winners will be announced at the Forest of Reading Festival May 12-14, 2020.
Here are the nominated titles in the English-language categories.
Blue Spruce Award (picture books for JK to Grade 2 students):
- Emma's Gems by Anne Renaud, illustrated by Leanne Franson
- Giraffe and Bird Together Again by Rebecca Bender
- The Magic Boat by Katherine Farris & Kit Pearson, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
- Me, Toma and the Concrete Garden by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Anne Villeneuve
- Mustafa by Marie-Louise Gay
- A Plan for Pops by Heather Smith, illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan
- Reptile Club by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Elina Ellis
- Sleep, Sheep! by Kerry Lyn Sparrow, illustrated by Guillaume Perreault
- Sloth at the Zoom by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Orbie
- That's Not Hockey! by Andrée Poulin, illustrated by Félix Girard
Red Maple Award (fiction for Grade 7 & 8):
- Call of the Wraith by Kevin Sands
- Crush by Svetlana Chmakova
- A Grain of Rice by Nhung Tran-Davies
- In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen
- The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth
- No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen
- Operatic by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler
- Stowaway by Pam Withers
- Surviving the City by Tasha Spillett, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
- The Unteachables by Gordon Korman
Yellow Cedar Award (nonfiction for Grades 3-8):
- Be Prepared! by Frankie MacDonald & Sarah Sawler
- Beavers by Rachel Poliquin, illustrated by Nicholas John Frith
- Extreme Abilities by Galadriel Watson, illustrated by Cornelia Li
- Follow Your Stuff by Kevin Sylvester & Michael Hlinka
- Hayley Wickenheiser by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, illustrated by D.A. Bishop
- Highrise by Katerina Cizek, adapted by Kristy Woudstra
- Hubots by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Alex Ries
- Killer Style by Allison Matthews-David & Serah-Marie McMahon, illustrated by Gillian Wilson
- My River by Stella Bowles & Anne Laurel Carter
- Too Young to Escape by Van Ho & Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
White Pine Award (fiction for Grade 9-12):
- All Our Broken Pieces by L.D. Crichton
- Baggage by Wendy Phillips
- Beauty of the Moment by Tanaz Bhathena
- Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks
- Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto
- The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe
- The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
- Sadie by Courtney Summers
- Synchro Boy by Shannon McFerran
- We Contain Multitudes by Sarah Henstra
Silver Birch Award (fiction for Grade 3-6):
- Anyone's Game by Sylv Chiang, illustrated by Connie Choi
- Inkling by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Sydney Smith
- My Life as a Diamond by Jenny Manzer
- The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel
- Oculum by Philippa Dowding
- Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide
- A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying by Kelley Armstrong
- Sweep by Jonathan Auxier
- Wings of Olympus by Kallie George, illustrated by Fiona Hsieh
- Winnie's Great War by Lindsay Mattick & Josh Greenhut, illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Silver Birch Express Award (Grades 3-4 reluctant readers):
- Counting on Katherine by Helaine Becker, illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
- Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Geneva B
- Earthrise by James Gladstone, Illustrated by Christy Lundy
- Go Show the World by Wab Kinew, illustrated by Joe Morse
- Light a Candle by Godfrey Nkongolo & Eric Walters, illustrated by Eva Campbell
- Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Júlia Sardà
- Meet Tom Longboat by Elizabeth MacLeod, illustrated by Mike Deas
- Megabat by Anna Humphrey, illustrated by Kass Reich
- The Mushroom Fan Club by Elise Gravel
- Wicked Nix by Lena Coakley, illustrated by Jaime Zollars