This morning the American Library Association announced the 2020 winners of its Youth Media Awards. Top prizes went to The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which won the Randolph Caldecott Medal (for illustration); and New Kid, by Jerry Craft, which won the John Newbery Medal (for text). 
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Caldecott Honors went to Bear Came Along, illustrated by LeYuen Pham; Double Bass Blues, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez; and Going Down Home with Daddy, illustrated by Daniel Minter. Newbery Honors went to The Undefeated, by Kwame Alexander; Scary Stories for Young Foxes, by Christian McKay Heidicker; Other Words for Home, by Jasmine Warga; and Genesis Begins Again, by Alicia D. Williams.

View the complete list of awards here; or for a longer discussion including images visit today's post on American Libraries.

Happy new year, Dragons! The library is starting the year with the addition of many beautiful books. These will be displayed throughout the library and integrated into the collection. How are we able to have these fresh, new, up-to-date books? Largely through the generosity of the Pennekamp PTA, which funds the maintenance and development of our library collection. I'd also like to thank the many families that purchased gifts for the library during our recent book fair, and thank you also for a very kind gift from the book fair's organizers. During the year families often donate books that their own children are no longer using, and this too helps fill gaps in our collection (this is why we have sooo many Minecraft guides!). Please come by and check out a beautiful new book or two. It's really your generosity that makes our collection as complete and modern as it is.

​Class visits in January will mostly be devoted to reading aloud the picture books nominees for the California Young Reader Medal. There are three longer picture books nominated for grades 3, 4, and 5, and five picture books that are nominated for students in the younger grades. Every elementary school in the district participates in this competition every year. I read the books aloud, we discuss them and consider their merits, and then each student votes for her or his favorite. At Pennekamp this year, students in grades 4 and 5 who read all three of the chapter-book nominees by the end of March can also vote on that category. 

The book club for grade 5 is off to a good start. The book we are reading for January is We're Not from Here, by Geoff Rodkey. After humans have destroyed earth, the search for a new home brings one family to the planet Choom to show that hosting the whole human race will be a good idea. Being newcomers proves difficult, and the stakes are incredibly high; how can Lan, who's just a kid, overcome the dominant species' reluctance? Another interesting aspect of WNFH is the identity of the central character, Lan. Geoff Rodkey has written a great post about this--I read it here on The Nerdy Book Club. I'm looking forward to hearing the students' reactions to this timely science-fiction story at our club meeting on January 22. 

Many students have been steadily reading the books for the Super Literacy Quiz Bowl (good job, students!), but for those who haven't, there's still time to get in the game. The Manhattan Beach public library has been displaying and checking out the selected books, and the PK library has at least one copy of each book for reading here. Students who wish to compete are asked to read at least ten books from the list for their grade. The SLQB takes place during the school day, and all students in grades 3, 4, and 5 attend the event (so I figure students might as well play!). Signups are due on January 10, and the three grade-specific consent forms are available at the library and as pdf right below this post.