2014/2015 Willow Awards Nominees announced

Established in 2001, the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice (SYRCA) awards, the Willow Awards, encourage reading by nominating a variety of Canadian titles in three categories.  Young readers can participate in the reading programs through their schools and public libraries, selecting their favourite from one list.  The Willow Awards are truly conferred according the choices of Saskatchewan's young readers.

Just to make things complicated, these nominees are called the 2014 Willow Awards nominees because they are announced in 2014.  However, young readers will actually be participating in 2014 and 2015 and voting for their favourites in February 2015. So I call them the 2014/2015 awards since that designation covers the whole time from nomination to award. 

The nominated titles for the three Willow Awards i.e., Shining Willow, Diamond Willow and Snow Willow are detailed below.

For those books written for youngest readers, those in Kindergarten to Gr. 3

The 2014/2015 Shining Willow nominees are:

 
In The Tree House
Written by Andrew Larsen
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Kids Can Press
2013

Kamik an Inuit Puppy Story
by Donald Uluadluak
Illustrated by Qin Leng
Inhabit Media
2012

Kenta and the Big Wave
by Ruth Ohi
Annick Press
2013

Larf
by Ashley Spires
Kids Can Press
2012 

The Man with the Violin
by Kathy Stinson
Illustrated by Dušan Petričić
Annick Press
2013

Mr. King's Castle
by Geneviève Côté  
Kids Can Press
2013

Nat the Cat Can Sleep Like That
by Victoria Allenby
Illustrated by Tara Anderson
Pajama Press
2013

On a Snowy Night
by Jean Little
Illustrated by Brian Deines
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
2013  

The Road to Afghanistan
by Linda Granfield
Illustrated by Brian Deines
North Winds Press/Scholastic Canada
2013   

When I Get Older: The Story behind "Wavin' Flag"
by K'NAAN and Sol Guy
Illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Tundra Books
2013
 

For those books written for readers of Gr. 4 to 6

The 2014/2015 Diamond Willow nominees are:

Day of the Cyclone

by Penny Draper
Coteau Books
2012

Earth Friendly Buildings, Bridges and More: The Eco Journal of Corry Lapont
by Etta Kaner
Illustrated by Stephen MacEachern
Kids Can Press
2012





The Further Adventures of Jack Lime
by James Leck
Kids Can Press
2013

The Grave Robber's Apprentice
by Allan Stratton
HarperCollins Canada
2012

Mimi Power and the I-Don't-Know-What
by Victoria Miles
Tradewind Books
2012

Molly's Promise
by Sylvia Olsen
Orca Book Publishers
2013

The Path of Names
by Ari Goelman
Scholastic Canada
2013

Pieces of the Past: The Holocaust Diary of Rose Rabinowitz, Winnipeg, Manitoba, 1948
by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
2013

A Taste of Heaven
by Meg Tilly
Puffin / Penguin Canada
2013

Ultra
by David Carroll
Scholastic Canada
2013

For those books written for readers in Gr. 7 to 9

The 2014/2015 Snow Willow nominees are:

Behind Enemy Lines: World War II, Sam Frederiksen, Nazi-Occupied Europe, 1944

by Carol Matas
Scholastic Canada
2012

Counting Back from Nine
by Valerie Sherrard
Fitzhenry & Whiteside

2013

The Gypsy King
by Maureen Fergus
Razorbill
2012

Home Ice Advantage
by Tom Earle
HarperCollins Canada
2013 

An Infidel in Paradise
by S. J. Laidlaw
Tundra Books
2013

Live to Tell
by Lisa Harrington
Dancing Cat Books
2012

Night Terrors

by Sean Rodman
Orca Book Publishers
2013

Nix Minus One
by Jill MacLean
Pajama Press
2013

The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
by Teresa Toten
Doubleday Canada
2013

Yesterday's Dead
by Pat Bourke
Second Story Press
2012

 It may be a long...g...g...g way off, and we still have to see who wins this year's 2013 Willow Awards but we do look forward to the announcement of the winners at the end of next April (2015) at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards Gala 2015.  Good luck to all nominees!