Volunteer State Book Award2023

Given by Tennessee Library Association

Other Names: TASL Volunteer State Book Children's Choice Award
77 Works / 80 Items 24,900 Books 1,229 Reviews 4.1
Purpose of the Award

The purpose of the Volunteer State Book Award is to promote awareness, interest, and enjoyment of recently published children's and young adult literature of high quality to show more the children and teens of Tennessee. The award also hopes to promote literacy and life‐long reading habits by encouraging students to read award‐worthy contemporary literature which broadens understanding of the human experience and provides accurate, factual information. This award will honor outstanding books chosen annually by Tennessee students.




Its Unique Feature

The Volunteer State Book Award differs from awards such as the Newbery and Caldecott Medals in that students choose the book which receives the award each year. Tennessee students from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade read or have read to them at least three of the twenty titles on the annual master list. They then vote for their favorite book.





Who May Participate?

Any public or private school or public library in Tennessee is eligible to participate. It is not required that the entire school be involved. Each participating school or library system must have a minimum of twelve of the twenty titles per division available.




How Books are Chosen

Twenty books that appeal to students in each grade category are selected by professional librarians and educators who work continuously with students in grades K‐12. Four separate lists are compiled each year.

Books may be fiction or nonfiction.

Only one title of any one author will be included on that year's list.

Only titles published in the current year of voting will be eligible.

Only books by authors residing in the United States are eligible. Authors who reside part‐time in the US are also eligible to receive the award.

Textbooks, anthologies, translations, and books from foreign publishers are not eligible.

Titles from vanity publishers or that have been self‐published are not eligible. Titles that are available only in digital format are likewise not eligible.

All books on the final list will have been read by a minimum of five members of the committee.




How to Vote

Students who have read or had read to them a minimum of three of the twenty books will be allowed to vote.

The library media specialist or public librarian will conduct the voting.

Digital ballots will be posted on the VSBA website. There will be no paper ballots.

Voting opens March 1st and closes April 30th.
show less
Stages:
All, Winner (133), Nominee (1,204), No Stage (2)
Categories:
All, Grades 10-12 (4), Grades 4-6 (24), Grades 7-12 (3), Grades 7-9 (4), Grades K-3 (25), High School (250), Intermediate (262), Middle School (250), Primary (289), Young Adult (92), No Category (3)
Years:
All, 2024 (80), 2023 (80), 2022 (81), 2021 (120), 2020 (80), 2019 (80), 2018 (80), 2017 (80), 2016 (80), 2015 (80), 2014 (80), 2013 (81), 2012 (65), 2011 (29), 2010 (3), 2009 (4), 2008 (5), 2007 (3), 2006 (3), 2005 (4), 2004 (3), 2003 (27), 2002 (5), 2001 (3), 2000 (3), 1999 (3), 1998 (3), 1997 (3), 1996 (3), 1995 (3), 1994 (3), 1993 (3), 1992 (4), 1991 (4), 1990 (4), 1989 (4), 1988 (1), 1987 (1), 1986 (1), 1985 (1), 1984 (1), 1983 (1), 1982 (1), 1981 (1), 1980 (1), 1979 (1)

Winner 5

Nominee 80

WorkCategoryYear
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline BoulleyHigh School2023
She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly QuindlenHigh School2023
The Electric Kingdom by David ArnoldHigh School2023
Bluebird by Sharon CameronHigh School2023
Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy ColbertHigh School2023
Huda F Are You? by Huda FahmyHigh School2023
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David GrannHigh School2023
Defy the Night by Brigid KemmererHigh School2023
Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People by Kekla MagoonHigh School2023
The Cost of Knowing by Brittney MorrisHigh School2023
Punching Bag by Rex OgleHigh School2023
Little Thieves by Margaret OwenHigh School2023
Can't Take That Away by Steven SalvatoreHigh School2023
The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot SchreferHigh School2023
I Must Betray You by Ruta SepetysHigh School2023
Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask by Anton TreuerHigh School2023
Needlework by Julia WattsHigh School2023
Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice WongHigh School2023
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula YooHigh School2023
In the Wild Light by Jeff ZentnerHigh School2023
Allergic by Megan Wagner LloydIntermediate2023
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. AlstonIntermediate2023
Flight of the Puffin by Ann BradenIntermediate2023
Out of My Heart by Sharon M. DraperIntermediate2023
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. EwingIntermediate2023
Starfish by Lisa FippsIntermediate2023
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina HamzaIntermediate2023
The 1619 Project {The New York Times Magazine, August 18, 2019} by Nikole Hannah-JonesIntermediate2023
Six Feet Below Zero by Ena JonesIntermediate2023
Linked by Gordon KormanIntermediate2023
The List of Unspeakable Fears by J. Kasper KramerIntermediate2023
Elfie Unperfect by Kristin MahoneyIntermediate2023
The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue ParkIntermediate2023
Stuntboy, in the meantime by Jason ReynoldsIntermediate2023
This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean RubinIntermediate2023
Fast Pitch by Nic StoneIntermediate2023
Escape at 10,000 Feet: D. B. Cooper and the Missing Money (Unsolved Case Files, #1) by Tom SullivanIntermediate2023
Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Endless Waiting by Matthew SwansonIntermediate2023
Erik vs. Everything by Christina UssIntermediate2023
Long Lost by Jacqueline WestIntermediate2023
Ground Zero by Alan GratzMiddle School2023
Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring BlakeMiddle School2023
Fifty-Four Things Wrong with Gwendolyn Rogers by Caela CarterMiddle School2023
Marshmallow & Jordan by Alina ChauMiddle School2023
Yusuf Azeem is Not a Hero by Saadia FaruqiMiddle School2023
Starfish by Lisa FippsMiddle School2023
The Accidental Apprentice by Amanda FoodyMiddle School2023
Alone by Megan E. FreemanMiddle School2023
Taking Up Space by Alyson GerberMiddle School2023
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba HigueraMiddle School2023
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. HolmMiddle School2023
Ophie’s Ghosts by Justina IrelandMiddle School2023
We Are Family by LeBron JamesMiddle School2023
Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRoccaMiddle School2023
Paradise on Fire by Jewell Parker RhodesMiddle School2023
Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve SheinkinMiddle School2023
The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg SloanMiddle School2023
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine WargaMiddle School2023
Long Lost by Jacqueline WestMiddle School2023
The Genius Under the Table: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Eugene YelchinMiddle School2023
Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl KleinPrimary2023
El Cucuy Is Scared, Too! by Donna Barba HigueraPrimary2023
Paletero Man by Lucky DiazPrimary2023
Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda GormanPrimary2023
Twenty-One Steps: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by Jeff GottesfeldPrimary2023
13 Ways to Eat a Fly by Sue HeavenrichPrimary2023
Something's Wrong!: A Bear, a Hare, and Some Underwear by Jory JohnPrimary2023
The Shape of Home by Rashin KheiriyehPrimary2023
How to Apologize by David LaRochellePrimary2023
A New Day by Brad MeltzerPrimary2023
A Friend Like You by Frank MurphyPrimary2023
How to Catch a Clover Thief by Elise ParsleyPrimary2023
I Eat Poop.: A Dung Beetle Story by Mark PettPrimary2023
This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean RubinPrimary2023
If You Want to Knit Some Mittens by Laura Purdie SalasPrimary2023
Dear Librarian by Lydia M. SigwarthPrimary2023
Listen by Gabi SnyderPrimary2023
A Walk in the Words by Hudson TalbottPrimary2023
Watercress by Andrea WangPrimary2023
Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne WynterPrimary2023

Descriptions

Purpose of the Award

The purpose of the Volunteer State Book Award is to promote awareness, interest, and enjoyment of recently published children's and young adult literature of high quality to the children and teens of Tennessee. The award also hopes to promote literacy and life‐long reading habits by encouraging students to read award‐worthy contemporary literature which broadens understanding of the human experience and provides accurate, factual information. This award will honor outstanding books chosen annually by Tennessee students.


Its Unique Feature

The Volunteer State Book Award differs from awards such as the Newbery and Caldecott Medals in that students choose the book which receives the award each year. Tennessee students from Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade read or have read to them at least three of the twenty titles on the annual master list. They then vote for their favorite book.


Who May Participate?

Any public or private school or public library in Tennessee is eligible to participate. It is not required that the entire school be involved. Each participating school or library system must have a minimum of twelve of the twenty titles per division available.


How Books are Chosen

Twenty books that appeal to students in each grade category are selected by professional librarians and educators who work continuously with students in grades K‐12. Four separate lists are compiled each year.

Books may be fiction or nonfiction.

Only one title of any one author will be included on that year's list.

Only titles published in the current year of voting will be eligible.

Only books by authors residing in the United States are eligible. Authors who reside part‐time in the US are also eligible to receive the award.

Textbooks, anthologies, translations, and books from foreign publishers are not eligible.

Titles from vanity publishers or that have been self‐published are not eligible. Titles that are available only in digital format are likewise not eligible.

All books on the final list will have been read by a minimum of five members of the committee.


How to Vote

Students who have read or had read to them a minimum of three of the twenty books will be allowed to vote.

The library media specialist or public librarian will conduct the voting.

Digital ballots will be posted on the VSBA website. There will be no paper ballots.

Voting opens March 1st and closes April 30th.

(English, Award granter)
URL: https://sites.google.com/view/volunteer-state-book-award/resources/helpful-tools/vsba-guidelines
Sponsored by the Tennessee Library Association and the Tennessee Association of School Librarians. (English, Member-written)
The purpose of the Volunteer State Book Award is to promote awareness, interest, and enjoyment of good new children's and young adult literature. The award also hopes to promote literacy and life-long reading habits by encouraging students to read quality contemporary literature which broadens understanding of the human experience and provides accurate, factual information. This award will honor outstanding books chosen annually by Tennessee students.
http://www.discoveret.org/tasl/vsba.htm (English, Member-written)

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