State book awards offer a great way to discover excellent new reads. The Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award is the Illinois children's choice award for kids in grades four through eight.
What is significant about this award is that kids actually nominate their favorite books published during the previous five years—and kids choose the winner.
Caudill Club meetings are held at 3:45 p.m. on the third Friday of each month. We talk about the books, "sell" our favorites to each other and eventually vote on a winner. In March, kids can nominate titles for next year's list, but of course, they need to read them first.
Stop by the West Belmont Branch to pick up one of the 20 titles nominated by students last year to select your favorite for the vote in February.
Last year the winner was Smile by Raina Telgemeier. This award is proof that kids have fabulous taste in books!
