Maine State Library Announces Youth Book Awards

Augusta, Maine - Maine's annual Reading Roundup, a literacy-based conference for youth librarians was held for the first time as a virtual event on April 16, 2020. Hundreds of Maine public and school librarians joined to listen to author Saadia Faruqi, the keynote speaker who spoke about building bridges with books. Local book awards and reading lists were also announced.

The Katahdin Award, a lifetime achievement award, was given to Kevin Hawkes, author and/or illustrator of such books as Velma Gratch & the Way Cool Butterfly, Library Lion, and The Wicked Big Toddlah.

The Lupine Award, honored the works of several creators who were either residents of Maine or whose work focused on Maine. The 2019 picture book winner was Going Down Home with Daddy by Kelly Starling Lyons and illustrated by Daniel Minter. The picture book honor was Maybe Tomorrow? by Charlotte Agell and illustrated by Ana Ramirez Gonzalez. The 2019 juvenile/young adult winner was Searching for Lottie by Susan Ross. The honor book was American Trailblazers: 50 Remarkable People who Shaped U.S. History by Lisa Trusiani and illustrated by Pau Morgan, Toby Newsome, and Cecilia Puglesi.

The new North Star Young Adult (YA) Book Award announced its first 2020-2021 reading list for books published in 2019, suggested for students in grades 7-12. The annual Cream of the Crop 2019 reading list was also released. The Cream of the Crop list contains a total of 109 books that includes both fiction and non-fiction picture books and chapter books.

For more information on any of these, please contact Kara Reiman, Children's Literacy Specialist at Maine State Library via email: kara.reiman@maine.gov .