Vermont students choose Youth Book Award winners
May 16, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti Thousands of young readers around Vermont have weighed in to choose the latest winners of three annual literary awards organized by the Vermont Department of Libraries.
Winners of the Red Clover Book Award, Vermont Golden Dome Book Award and the Green Mountain Book Award were announced recently and the Waterbury Public Library has copies of all of the titles to loan out.
Contest organizers each year curate lists of new titles for readers from kindergarten through 12th grade to consider for each award. Teachers and school librarians share the lists to involve students who read and then vote for their favorites.
“We also want to thank Vermont youth, who are at the heart of these student-choice book awards,” said Jonathan Clark, state Library Consultant for Youth Services. “This year we had 18,075 students from across the state submit votes and make their voices heard!”
Along the way, students do a fair amount of reading. ”These long-standing and beloved statewide awards promote a love of reading and allow young readers to explore diverse voices and experiences,” said State Librarian and Commissioner of Libraries Catherine Delneo.
The book award choices are:
Red Clover Book Award
“I Eat Poop. A Dung Beetle Story” by Mark Pett wins the 2022-2023 Red Clover Book Award. The award committee’s description: “Dougie the dung beetle struggles with issues of identity and conformity in this charming, crowd-pleasing book. He hides his lunch from home every day, so that no one at the bug school will know that he eats poop. Underneath the humor is a poignant story about feeling different from your peers that reinforces the idea that ‘we’re all a little weird.’”
Since 1997, the Red Clover Award is chosen by children in kindergarten through fourth grade. Each year thousands of kids read the 10 nominated picture books and vote for their favorite.
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award
“Alone” by Megan E. Freeman wins the 2022-2023 Vermont Golden Dome Book Award. The award committee’s description: “Twelve-year-old Maddie awakens to find herself alone. Everyone else in the town has been mysteriously evacuated, leaving Maddie behind. Now she and her neighbor’s abandoned dog, George, must find food, clean water, fuel, and a way to try to communicate with her missing family. As the months pass, Maddie has to deal with the realization that there may not be a rescue forthcoming, and she must face the challenges of her new life alone.”
Since 1957, Vermont students in grades 4-8 select their favorite book from a list of nominees for this award. Students are encouraged to read at least five of the 25 nominated titles before voting.
Three-way tie for the Green Mountain Book Award
At the high school level, three titles tied for the 2022-2023 Green Mountain Book Award: “The Mary Shelley Club” by Goldy Moldavsky, “Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir, and “Iron Widow” by Xiran Jay Zhao. Award committee members created three-word descriptions for each book: “Secret Horror Society” for “The Mary Shelley Club”; “Humanity’s Last Chance” for “Project Hail Mary”; and “Vengeance Feminist Anime” for “Iron Widow.”
Since 2005, this reader's choice award has aimed to encourage high schoolers to become enthusiastic and discriminating readers. Students in grades 9-12 read the 15 nominated books and vote for their favorite.
Copies of all of the nominated books including the winners are available at the Waterbury Public Library, according to Youth Services Librarian Cynthia Ryle. The library has two copies of each of the Golden Dome and Red Clover books. Students can find them on display at the library. Ryle noted that Patron Services Librarian Roeki DeMaria is a member of the Green Mountain Book Award committee as well.
The annual book award program is supported in part by the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act administered by the Vermont Department of Libraries. More information is online on the department’s Youth Book Award page.