The 2015 South Carolina Book Award Winners were announced this afternoon to attendees at the 40th Annual South Carolina Association of School Librarians conference held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The students of South Carolina have chosen:
- Picture Book Award: That is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
- Children’s Book Award: Buddy by M. H Herlong
- Junior Book Award: The Raft by S. A. Bodeen
- Young Adult Book Award: Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Since 1976 when sixteen schools participated, the book award program has expanded to include more than 500 schools and more than 59,000 students participating in the program.
The South Carolina Book Award program includes a vetting process for each of the four levels of books. Committees composed of school librarians, teachers, parents and students prepare a list of 20 books for each level. Students who have read a minimum of three books (five books for picture book level) vote in February each year for the book they feel is the best. The winning authors are honored at the association’s annual conference held each March.
The South Carolina Book Award program was honored for its impact on literacy by the South CarolinaCenter for Children’s Books and Literacy at the University of South Carolina in 2012 when the program was named a Literacy Leader.
The South Carolina Association of School Librarians provides an advocacy voice for the school library profession, working tirelessly to equip librarians with tools useful in convincing decisions makers to recognize the school librarian and school library program as a significant factor in daily impacting learning and increased student achievement.
