Idaho Librarian

On My Mind...

Young Readers Make This Year's Choices:  2001 YRCA Winners

Betty Holbrook,Youth Services Coordinator
Marshall Public Library

Betty is a Past President of ILA and is currently on the Local Arrangements Committee for the 2001 ILA Conference.  She has been at Marshall Public Library for 30 years.

The Young Reader's Choice Award is the oldest children's choice award in the United States and Canada and the only regional award chosen by children in two countries.  This annual award was established in 1940 by the Pacific Northwest Library Association at the urging of a Seattle bookseller, Harry Hartman, who realized the importance of children picking their own award books.  The Young Reader's Choice Award has been awarded continuously since 1940, except for two periods of time when no award was given because the guidelines for the Award were redesigned, from 1953-55 and in 1973.

The original list of nominated titles was intended for children in the 4th-8th grades; in 1990,  a Senior list was introduced for 9th-12th students. The Junior list carries 12-13 titles; the Senior list has five titles.   All students in the Pacific Northwest and the 4th-12th grades are welcome to participate in nominating titles and voting for their favorite title each year.

In 2000, a survey was taken of the PNLA membership on the PNLA e-list about the future of YRCA. As a result of that survey,  a  third division was added for the 2002 YRCA list; the list now has Junior Division, 4th-6th grades  which will carry 8 - 10 titles) ; Middle Division, 7th- 9th grades (which will have 5-7 titles) ; and Senior Division, 10th-12th grades (which will have 5-6 titles).

 Students, librarians, teachers and parents of the Pacific Northwest are encouraged to nominate the titles of their favorite books and submit that list to their state or provincial YRCA Representative.  The titles need to be three years old when they are on the final list.  This year's list YRCA 2002 has titles that were published in 1999 only. The titles that will be submitted for the 2003 list will have a 2000 copyright, and those nominated must be sent to the Representatives before February 1, 2002.

Over the years, interest in this award has increased among students, librarians, teachers, and parents in the Pacific Northwest.  Since 1997, when 48, 404 students voted, over 8,000 more participated in 1999, for a total of 56, 570; and in 2001, over 17,000 more read and enjoyed the titles for a total of 73,788 students. Over the years, national attention has also been directed toward YRCA.  Librarians from around the United States, interested in starting their own children's choice award, have contacted various members of the committee to request the YRCA guidelines.  

The 2002 YRCA list is excellent reading for students from fourth through twelfth grades; parents and teachers will enjoy reading these, too.  All students in PNLA country are encouraged to read all titles that are age-appropriate, or at least two of the titles, to be able to participate in the voting.  Annually, voting takes place in public and school libraries during the last two weeks in March.

The winners will be asked to accept their YRCA Medals at the annual PNLA Conference in Oregon in August at the YRCA Breakfast....plan to attend to meet these incredible authors!

2001 YRCA Winners

Junior Division

Senior Division

2002 YRCA  Nominees 

Voting will be held at schools March 15 to April 1, 2002.

Junior Division (Grades 4-6)

Middle Division (Grades 7-9)

Senior Division (Grades 10-12)