PRESS RELEASE

(Ottawa, March 6, 2009) The Canadian Association of Children’s Librarians, Section of the Canadian Association of Public Libraries, a Division of the Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliothèques, is delighted to announce the shortlist for the 2009 Book of the Year Award for Children.

This notable award recognizes a Canadian author of an outstanding book published in Canada in 2008, which appeals to children up to and including age 12.

This year, the committee was presented with 156 books, of which 50 were ultimately long-listed for thorough reading and review. The wealth of extraordinary children’s writers in Canada made this a formidable task. On behalf of the children of Canada, we salute the efforts and accomplishments of these writers and thank them for providing our children with a superb collection of books that easily meets the needs of all our readers.

The winner of the award, and the Honour Books, will be announced prior to the National Canadian Library Association Conference. The award will be presented at the CLA conference at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, in Montréal, Quebec on May 30, 2009.

The finalists for the 2009 CLA Book of the Year Award for Children, in alphabetical order by author, are:

The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter (Groundwood)
Dear Sylvia by Alan Cumyn (Groundwood)
Libertad by Alma Fullerton (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
The Nine Lives of Travis Keating by Jill Maclean (Fitzhenry & Whiteside)
Word Nerd by Susan Nielsen (Tundra)
Starclimber by Kenneth Oppel (HarperCollins)
Death in the Air by Shane Peacock (Tundra)
Greener Grass by Caroline Pignat (Red Deer Press)
The Pole by Eric Walters (Penguin)
Before Green Gables by Budge Wilson (Penguin)

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the 2008-2009 CLA Book of the Year Award for Children Committee:

Helen Kubiw, Teacher-librarian, Guelph - Chair
Donna Bowman, Research Services Librarian, Regina
MyraJunyk, Literacy Advocate and Author, Toronto
Janelle Ramsay, MLIS Graduate Student, Montreal
Kathryn Weisman, Teacher-librarian (retired), Vancouver
Alexandra Yarrow, Librarian, Ottawa

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For immediate release

For more information contact: Helen Kubiw, Tel: (519) 763-7040 x 409