Showing posts with label Award winning books for kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Award winning books for kids. Show all posts

Friday, August 31, 2018

Author D.G. Driver, on her Award-Winning Book

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WRITER? 
I wrote as a hobby when I was young and dabbled with my first novel in college just to see if I could do it. My real passion was performing, and I majored in Theater Arts. I really got hooked on writing after taking a class called “The Literature of Fairy Tales” my senior year in college. I was inspired to write my own original fairy tales and then was eventually hired to write an original fairy tale for a children’s theater company in Los Angeles. After that I started pursuing writing, particularly writing for children, as a career.

WAS THERE A TEACHER OR OTHER MENTOR WHO INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING?
I didn’t have a writing mentor. When I was first starting out, I read Zen and the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury, and I followed a lot of his advice. I read (and continue to read) a lot of middle grade and young adult books to see what works and what doesn’t. I also have been a member of SCBWI since 1999 (Midsouth region since 2004) and learn so much from their conferences and workshops.

HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? 
No One Needed to Know is based loosely on my personal experience of being the younger sister of a brother with Developmental Disabilities. He is four years older than me, and we always had lots of fun playing together when we were kids. When I hit about twelve-years-old, I lost interest in playing pretend, but my sixteen-year-old brother did not. That’s when I first really noticed how different he was from other boys his age. This book is based on that time in my life. I also was bullied (for different reasons) in sixth grade, and so was my brother throughout his life, so I used those experiences to create this story.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
So, in this book, Heidi’s best friend Bobby has moved away. Since his departure, Heidi had gained a little popularity with the girls in her class, but when they find out about her brother, they tease and bully her relentlessly. Life has gotten hard for Heidi, and she writes to Bobby about it. He writes a sweet letter back to her. This line comes right after his letter.

“I hugged the letter to my chest after reading it several times, grateful that we made a pact to write real letters instead of emails. You can't hold and hug an email.”
It’s my favorite line because I have a love of real mail and handwritten notes. Another one of my books, Passing Notes, is about the art and importance of writing letters.



WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU?
 As I mentioned above, this book draws from my real life. So in a lot of ways, Heidi is me at 11. That said, she is good at sports, and I was not. She is bad at spelling, and I am not. The way she handles her bullying was similar to mine, but the way she confronts it was not something I ever thought of back then.

WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK? 
Treat people kindly. There’s never a reason to bully, but you should especially not bully someone who has special needs. They are already having a tough time. Why would you want to make it tougher?
I do school presentations about anti-bullying and autism awareness (and I’m willing to travel).

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A WRITER: 
When I was younger, I was better about writing whenever and wherever. Now, I need more structured time. That said, I used to have a tutoring job in an after school program for gifted students in Los Angeles. I worked primarily with a group of 4th-grade boys. At the time I was writing a historical fiction middle grade novel about the California Gold Rush. When the boys were done with their work and had some free time to play and hang out with each other, I would get out my notebook and add to my novel. The boys liked giving me ideas to add to the story. I wound up using a lot of their names, but the funniest addition was when one of the boys insisted I add a monkey to my story. Well, I did it, and the monkey wound up being essential to helping my main character solve a puzzle in the mystery I’d created. (I haven’t thought of this book in a long time. It was published and went out of print back in 2008 when the publisher went out of business. Maybe it’s time to dust it off and put it out in the world again.)

IF YOU COULD BE COMPARED TO A WELL-KNOWN AUTHOR WHO WOULD YOU MOST WANT THIS TO BE AND WHY? 
Well, (blushing) a review from Kid’s Book Weekly compared my writing to Katherine Patterson and Paula Danziger. I’ll take that.
I was a huge fan of Judy Blume as a kid, and Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy was my favorite book when I was in 6th grade. I feel like if you like those authors, and Wonder by A. J. Palacio, you’ll like No One Needed to Know.

WHAT BOOK INCIDENT HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE? 
Two things come to mind. In 6th grade I stayed home sick from school one day. My boyfriend called me that afternoon to break up. The next day, I went to school ready for all the sympathy, and instead, I got hate. Apparently the day I was out everyone decided I wasn’t deserving of friendship anymore. I got mean notes passed to me and was bullied and picked on for the next two years. I lost all of my friends. To this day I’m still not clear why that happened.

The other thing that was the greatest impact was that I joined Musical Theater class in 8th grade. I met a bunch of Drama nerds, and we became best friends. We stayed like that all the way through high school, and I had an amazing, unforgettable high school experience.

Being bullied was a terrible experience, and I don’t wish it on anyone. It did, however, change my life, opening me up to the possibility of meeting better people, and it taught me to value real friendship.

HOW DID YOU GET PUBLISHED? 
With regard to No One Needed to Know, it was published once before, back in 2004 by a tiny press in Florida called Denlinger's Publishers, same publisher as that historical fiction book I mentioned before. It was titled Special back then. That publisher went out of business, and the rights reverted to me. In 2014, I learned that Schoolwide Inc. was looking for books to fill their Zing! digital subscription book service and were open to books that had been previously published. I did a major rewrite of my book, gave it a new title, and submitted it. It was accepted and went through several edits before they published it in December 2016. They only bought the ebook rights, however, so I took the book they’d professionally edited for me and published it in print through Create Space and Ingram Spark. If you prefer to read the ebook version, I have information about that on my website at or you can visit Schoolwide.

IF A CLOSE FRIEND OR LOVED ONE WANTED TO WRITE A BOOK, WHAT GREATEST PIECE OF ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THEM? 
Take your time writing the best book you can. It isn’t a race. Also, really investigate your options with traditional publishing versus self-publishing. There are pros and cons to both, and decide what fits you better.

CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK? 
I try my hardest, but I’m not the best at promotion. What’s helped me the most is joining groups of other hardworking authors with similar kinds of books. I pay attention to what they are doing and take advice. I also read, read, read everything that comes my way about what sells and what doesn’t.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT? 
That’s a hard question to answer. I have several different kinds of published books, and each has had its journey. I’m very proud of the nonfiction work I did for Morgan Reynolds Publishers (writing as Donna Getzinger) because it was challenging work and all of those books got great reviews from the big presses like School Library Journal. Those credits also helped open a few doors for me as a writer. My YA environmental fantasy trilogy The Juniper Sawfeather novels concluded this year, and that was a long journey close to my heart. That said, No One Needed to Know is my most personal book to date, and I’m thrilled at the honors and reviews that it is receiving.

WHAT ARE YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ASPIRATIONS? 
What I dream of is to be the kind of children’s author in demand for school presentations, writing conferences, and book festivals. I’m an actress and a teacher, and I love getting up in front of people to talk about writing and my books. I’d like to see my books in libraries everywhere and have kids doing book reports on them. This is what keeps me writing.

TELL US SOMETHING PEOPLE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU THAT THEY MIGHT FIND INTERESTING: Funny enough, I’m assuming most people reading this don’t know much about me at all. That said, I’ll share something super random. I have a freckle on the tip of my left ring finger. My daughter has one on the tip of her left ring toe. Weird, huh? We also like to celebrate each other’s half birthdays, because they are exactly six months apart from each other.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS? No One Needed to Know is about bullying and autism awareness. If you know a tween that suffers from bullying, or you know a school or class that might like a book to help them start the conversation to stop bullying and be kinder to those with special needs, please recommend this book.

WHAT (IF ANY) OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?

The Juniper Sawfeather Novels: YA fantasy with environmental themes
Cry of the Sea
Whisper of the Woods
Echo of the Cliffs
Passing Notes: YA sweet romance novella

I have short stories in the anthologies Fantastic CreaturesSecond Chance for LoveKick Ass Girls of Fire and Ice YA Books, A Tall ShipA Sail, and PlunderTomato Slices, and Winter Wonder – an anthology of children’s Christmas stories.

There’s more, and you can learn about it all, read excerpts, and find purchase links at my website
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS? I’m currently working on expanding my novella Passing Notes into a full-length book titled All the Love You Write. It will be a collection of three related stories about love letters. My hope is that my publisher Fire and Ice Young Adult Books will put out this new book next year. When I finish that book, I plan to work on another middle-grade novel about special needs to be a companion for No One Needed to Know. If you follow me at Facebook or on Twitter you can keep up with when I have new projects in the works.


LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Saturday, June 24, 2017

The Calling of the Protectors, the Legend of Chief, by Louis Paul DeGrado, earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval



Not every cat has the calling.  It’s a high honor and a unique privilege that Chief is a Protector.  It’s his job to safeguard humans from rats and other undesirables.  Word of Chief’s prowess is known far and wide.  So, when his owner, Sam, gets a promotion and the two move to a fancy high rise, the upscale neighborhood is abuzz with the news.  Chief hits it off with a lovely cat in the penthouse and before long they are blessed with a litter of little Chiefs.  Only able to keep one kitten, they agree to raise the littlest one, a girl which they name Mouse.  Chief is determined to train Mouse to one day follow in his footsteps.  Being the runt of the litter poses its own share of problems for Mouse.  But what she lacks in size, she more than makes up for in spunk.


The Calling of the Protectors, the Legend of Chief, by Louis Paul DeGrado, is an excellent book that will hold great appeal with youth audiences.  With a message of hope and courage against all odds, young readers are sure to love this book.   Wrapped up tidily with a feel-good ending and the assurance that with hard work and determination, even the under-dog (or in this case the under-cat) can rise above the most daunting of situations, DeGrado hits a home-run with this empowering read.  Recommended for home and school libraries, The Calling of the Protectors, the Legend of Chief earns the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Monday, March 13, 2017

Author Jason Marchi on his award winning book, The Growing Sweater



WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A WRITER AND WHY?
While in high school I took two writing classes with a very popular teacher. Her name was Joan Hayes and she did not marry until her retirement from teaching. Miss Hayes had a colorful past. She was a former mother superior and before that she assembled bombs in a factory for a living. She brought amazing love and energy into her teaching and I took Creative Writing I & II with her during my junior and senior years. That’s when I first got the idea that I might want to be a writer when I grew up.
When I entered college I discovered the short stories of Ray Bradbury. This changed my life forever and I fell in love with the magic of good writing, of how a story could affect a reader emotionally. That’s when I knew, more than anything else, that I wanted to be a writer and tell exciting stories for the rest of my life.
AS A CHILD, WHAT DID YOU ASPIRE TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP?
The very first thing I wanted to be when I was grew up an architect. I loved buildings of all sorts, from houses to churches to skyscrapers. I used to build house models from scratch using balsawood for the framing and thin cardboard for the wallboard and sheathing. I’d cut strips of heavy paper to make my own siding shingles and strips of fine black sandpaper to make roofing shingles. I built about a dozen houses like this, finishing the interiors with paint, carpeting, and I even made my own miniature furniture. Only one of those houses remains intact today. All the rest I dissembled because they took up too much room, but I have pictures of three of them. I built the house models from blueprints my father got for me.
HOW DID YOU GET THE IDEA FOR YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE?
My mom often told me stories about her life before I was born. We were sitting on the back deck one September day when I was about 21 or 22, and we were noting that sweater weather would soon arrive. She then told me about a sweater she’d knitted for my father (before I was born) that he only got to wear once. He got it dirty right away with food stains. When she washed and dried it for the first time it stretched! It was too big for him, so my mom’s uncle Otto, who was nearly seven feet tall, wore the sweater for a while before it grew too big for him. As soon as she finished telling me be this very brief story my imagination began turning the concept over and over. “What a great story that would make for children!” I said, and that evening I started the first draft and completed the basic story a day or two later. While writing the story I simply ran with my imagination of what kind of tale I would love to have had read to me if I were still a kid, a fun adventure, a “what happens next” kind of story. I changed the facts to fit a more dramatic timeline. I had a grandmother knit the sweater for her youngest and smallest granddaughter. This way the sweater could stay in the family as long as possible before the family had to part with it.


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK AND WHY?
It is a few lines. “The sweater was too big for any of the zoo’s washing machines. So the zookeeper washed the sweater by letting the elephants spray it with their trunks. Two giraffes then held the sweater up to dry.” I think those are pretty funny images. They came to me in a flash while I was writing the story, as if the story wrote itself at that point and I did not have to think about what happened next.
WHICH OF YOUR CHARACTERS FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING TITLE DO YOU BELIEVE ARE MOST LIKE YOU AND WHY?
All of my characters are like me. A bit of me is in every single character, spread out pretty evenly come to think of it. That happens a great deal when I write. As human beings we have very complex thoughts. We have very different moods at different times: anger, fear, joy, and so on. We behave differently with different people. So when I create distinct characters I always go into myself, my emotional memories, and give them to my characters.
WHAT MESSAGE DO YOU HOPE READERS WILL GLEAN FROM YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
I did not set out to put a message into The Growing Sweater. I just wanted to capture a fun story and run with it to a logical and fun conclusion. After I sent the manuscript out to fellow authors for comments to help me strengthen the story or find any errors, etc., I learned that the story had a message. That message is summed up by a blurb on the back of the book. “A charming tale that mixes fantasy with reality to show how important an unselfish spirit can be.” That was written by Doug Menville of Braille Institute. Now when I look at the story I see that that message is very clear. I never saw that message when writing. I hope that teachers and parents will point out to children that by sharing with others instead of just throwing things away you can help others recover from troubled times.
WHICH AUTHOR HAS MOST GREATLY INFLUENCED YOUR WRITING STYLE?
I mentioned him before, Ray Bradbury. Bradbury single-handedly turned me into a writer. No writer before him had such an effect on my intellect and my emotions. I had a wild imagination as a kid, which was fueled by all the awesome science fiction and fantasy shows I grew up watching: Thunderbirds, Lost in Space, My Favorite Martian, Mr. Ed, Star Trek, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Bewitched, The Flying Nun, I Dream of Jeannie. I was NOT a big reader until I entered college to study English and geology. And after I discovered the amazingly creative stories and very beautiful writing of Ray Bradbury when I was 19 I fell in love with the idea of writing and telling stories. Bradbury gave me a permission slip to let my imagination soar, and he also showed me that it was okay and proper to write all these fantastic ideas down on paper and make them into stories to thrill or inspire others.
WHAT BOOK HAS HAD THE GREATEST IMPACT ON YOUR LIFE?
Ray Bradbury’s The Golden Apples of the Sun short story collection, which my mother found in a used bookstore and gave to me when I was 18. She was always bringing home books for me on varying topics in her endless quest to get me to read. I hated reading when I was a kid because I was a very slow reader and I had to go back over the same paragraphs to remember what I’d just read. It was torture. When I was 10 I had to go to a special reading teacher to learn to stop moving my head when I read.
Well, I did not read that Bradbury book until a year later, when I entered my freshman year in college. I had a small dormitory room to myself and when all the other students were sleeping late on a Sunday morning I started to read that book. The first three stories I read hit me like a ton of bricks. Right then I fell in love with the idea of trying to write my own stories with the same kind of emotion and truth that Bradbury put into that book.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT?
Having a positive influence on the lives of children. About the same time I was informed that The Growing Sweater had won a gold medal in the 2016 Literary Classics contest I received a letter from a librarian in Maine. She runs an after school reading program and one of her students, a young girl, hates everything that is read to her. Everything. So this librarian grabbed a copy of The Growing Sweater that had just been donated to the library. She read it and the girl sat enthralled through the entire 1400 word story. The girl then asked for the book to be read to her a second time. She’d never requested that before. Same reaction. The girl was so enchanted by the book she borrowed it, took it home, made her mother read it to her again and again, and then she told the other kids at school about the book and it did not stay on the shelf for weeks. Her classmates kept borrowing it. I heard a similar story from another parent. One five-year-old girl insisted the story be read to her every night for weeks and she asked for a purple sweater and a stuffed animal elephant (one of the characters from the book) for her upcoming birthday.
A similar thing happened with my first children’s book, The Legend of HobbomockThe Sleeping Giant. When that book came out in 2011 I had lots of bookstore signings in my home state of Connecticut. Two eight year old boys came up to me at two different signings and told me that they hated to read until their mom or dad found and gave them a copy of my book. Wow. I was knocked over that my Native American story had changed the lives of these two children. And now they wanted to read more books.
DO YOU HAVE ANY WRITING RITUALS?
Just one. I cannot write in a silent room. If the weather is seasonable and I can open the windows, I am soothed by the outdoor sounds: singing birds, a train passing at the edge of town, children playing in a yard a few houses over, the wind in the trees, a lawnmower whirling in the distance. All these sounds comfort me and allow me to concentrate on my writing. When I have the windows closed and I want to write then I have to play soft ambient space music that I find on YouTube. There cannot be talking or singing, just the soft ambient space music that has a soothing repetitive beauty to it. That focuses me and also opens my imagination.
HOW DID YOU FIND AN AGENT / GET PUBLISHED?
I’ve been rejected by every single agent I’ve approached over the past 25 years. I’ve only had luck selling my poems, articles, and stories directly to magazine editors. No book editor would ever take my work, so I self-published my two children’s picture books. I worked for the big school publisher McGraw-Hill for 17 years so I learned all about publishing books there. I’d still like to be published traditionally – through an agent who gets me a book deal and even a big book-to-film deal. If not, I’ll keep self-publishing.
WHAT DID YOU DO TO CELEBRATE THE PUBLISH DATE OF YOUR AWARD WINNING BOOK?
After the first case of books arrived from the printer I took pictures with my iPhone and sent those pictures to my closest friends. And I posted some pictures to my Facebook page. Other than that I did nothing special. I really wanted to get back to the computer and work on more stories.
WHAT OTHER BOOKS HAVE YOU PUBLISHED?
The Legend of Hobbomock: The Sleeping Giant. A 32 page picture storybook. The book is a dramatic retelling of a Native American legend about how a set of hills in South Central Connecticut came to look like a giant man sleeping on his back. The book was the single bestselling title in the history of the Barnes & Noble store in North Haven, CT. The book is also a 2015 REVERE Awards Finalist in the picture book category.
Ode on a Martian Urn is a collection previously published and new poems that touch upon the subjects of science, science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
Both books are available at www.OmicronWorld.com and Amazon.com
CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PUBLISHED AND ANY TIPS YOU MIGHT OFFER FOR OTHER ASPIRING AUTHORS?
I have both traditionally published and self-published. My first professional sale was a 28 line poem to the now defunct science fiction magazine Amazing Stories. I was paid $1 a line and earned $28. I sold them more poems until the editor left and the new editor stopped publishing poetry. I then sold poems to many other magazines and later I started to see my short stories appear in small magazines. But I could never sell a book manuscript to a publishing house so I turned to self-publishing, and that choice turned out to be the right choice. My Legend of Hobbomock picture book became a Barnes & Noble recognized regional bestseller in Connecticut. And the book has strong back list sales locally.
Most recently Follett and Baker & Taylor, the two big distributors, asked me to become a vendor in their system so they can fill all the school and library orders they are getting for that book. More and more teachers want to use it in their classrooms, as dozens of teachers have already been doing so over the past four years.
So, my biggest advice is to try self-publishing if you KNOW you have good story but no agent or publisher will accept your work. However, if you self-publish you must be prepared for a lot of work that will take you away from pure writing. You must learn all aspects of running a small business AND find freelance editors to clean up your manuscript and make it great, and people to design your book, and a printer, etc. The best resource available to learn the A to Z of self-publishing for success can be found by joining American Publishers for Special Sales (APSS) which is owned and operated by the current guru of self-publishing, Brian Judd. Join for $60 a year and learn ALL you can from Brian’s books (which you will need to purchase) and his free webinars. He also consults on a very affordable basis.
CAN YOU OFFER ANY ADVICE FOR WRITERS ON HOW BEST TO PROMOTE THEIR BOOK?
If you are self-publishing then join APSS (mentioned above) and really dig into their resources and learn how to sell books to bookstores, libraries, book clubs, chain stores, corporations and many other venues most writers don’t think about.
If you publish traditionally ask your editor how you can help him or her market your books as far and as wide as possible to drive sales. Unless you are a celebrity of some sort, a traditional publisher will do very little to market and advertise the book(s) of yours they are paying you to publish. If you don’t sell enough copies they WILL drop you and you will be out in the cold without a publisher and very likely without an agent. Everyone involved in the publishing industry needs to sell books at a profit to eat and pay the rent or mortgage. Pitch-in anyway and every way you can to help build buzz about you as a writer, your book or books.  Capitalize on your expertise in a subject in which you can give lectures and talks, and build an audience platform that way. Successful publishing is really about showmanship, in addition to producing a good book that people will want to read.
DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW BOOKS IN THE WORKS?
I’m working on two new children’s picture book stories, and they have yet to be illustrated so it might be three years before I can get those books into the marketplace. However, I’m now completing two young adult short story collections (for ages 13+) and I hope to have those available both in print and ebook formats in 2017. One is titled The Man in the Black Frock Coat and the other is The Island People. Both of these collections are stories in the tradition of the classic Twilight Zone television series from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Readers never seem to get tired of thrilling or chilling stories of a speculative nature. I sure don’t. I’m also editing a book of speculative stories and poems called Automobilia which I hope to have out in 2017 or 2018 at the latest. I’m going to try to sell this book to a traditional publisher because it’s the right topic to go that route.
All these titles are or will be available though my publishing company website at www.OmicronWorld.com and at Amazon.com, as well as through Follett and Baker & Taylor for interested schools, libraries, and bookstores.
NOTE: If readers would like to purchase any of my books and have them signed and personalized they will need to order them through the www.OmicronWorld.com website.

LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

My Fingerpaint Masterpiece, by Sherrill S. Cannon, Earns the CLC Seal of Approval







My Fingerpaint Masterpiece is the story of a child whose fingerpainting project gets blown away by the wind.  To the child's dismay, the painting finds its way to an art gallery where it ends up being judged along with the other paintings in a show.

Sherrill S. Cannon has created a picture book in rhyme which explores the concept of art and it's value and perception to others.  My Fingerpaint Masterpiece is a multifaceted book with several underlying messages including the importance of seeking and speaking the truth.

This book would make an excellent classroom or library book and will provide excellent opportunities for open discussion.  My Fingerpaint Masterpiece has earned the Literary Classics Seal of Approval.


LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

2014 Literary Classics Book Award Finalists Announced



To follow are the finalists for the 2014 Literary Classics Book Awards.  Final award levels and categories will be announced October 15, 2014



Literary Classics is pleased to announce its 2014 selection of top book finalists for children and young adults.  The list includes titles received from entrants around the world. We commend all those who were considered for this year's awards as the caliber of books received was quite impressive and competition was fierce.  

The Literary Classics selection committee is proud to recognize the following titles in children's and young adult literature which exemplify the criteria set forth by the Literary Classics Awards committee.



Jay Amberg - Cycle 

Jen Barton - If Chocolate Were Purple 

Patrick Bates - The Santa Spy

Angela N. Blount - Once upon a Road Trip

Betty Boltè - Hometown Heroines

Kimberly Bugbee, M.S. - Benton Believes

Jeff Busch - Morton Munson Built a Mansion

Cheryl Carpinello - Sons of the Sphinx

Braxton A. Cosby - Protostar

Aneta Cruz - The Mysterious Mandolin

Robin Donaruma - The Undecided

Monica Dumont - Alex and the Rabbit 

Christine Dzidrums - Kaylee, The “What If?” Game

Kathryn England - Scratch and Old Mouse

Jennifer Gibson - Sway

Emma M. Glover - Benjamin Jay was a Bully

H.Y. Hanna - Big Honey Dog Mysteries, A Secret in Time

C.A. Hartnell - Sinister Summer

C.A. Hartnell - Scary Spring

C.A. Hartnell - Ferocious Fall

C.A. Hartnell - Wild Winter

K.C.Hilton - My Name is Rapunzel

Kevin D. Janison - Deputy Dorkface

Daniel Johnson - Annie the Scientist

Lizbeth Klein - Firelight of Heaven 

Kristina Kumar - What Do They Want from Me?

Jan H. Landsberg - The Curse of the Crystal Kuatzin

Kentrell Martin - Shelly’s Outdoor Adventure

Kentrell Martin - Shelly Goes to the Zoo

Gideon Maxim - A Creeping Nothingness Came Crawling

Dr. Sherry Meinberg - The Cockroach Invasion

P.C.R. Monk - Strange Metamorphosis 

Kristen Mott - Odie the Stray Kitten

W. Nikola-Lisa - The Men Who Made the Yankees

Mary A. Osborne - Alchemy’s Daughter

Uncle Paul - Even Poop has a Purpose

Eric Price - Unveiling the Wizard’s Shroud

Lorilyn Roberts - The King

M.L. Roble - The Magician’s Doll

Jim Ruddle - My Name is Luke

Sydney Salter - Not a Doctor, Logan’s Divorce Book

Nancy Scalabroni - CougaMongaMingaMan

Nancy Scalabroni - Sì Mama, Sì Papa

Melanie Schwapp - Dew Angels

Epiphany Schwarz - Bubble Tubbie 

Lynn Stringer - The Heir

Ann Morgan Taylor - The Charelton Locket

L.D. Taylor - Motive Games

Nicole Weaver - My Brother is my Best Friend

Kayleen West - Without Me?

Steven Whibley - Glimpse

J.C. Whyte - Karmack

Vivian Zabel - I Like Pink



LITERARY CLASSICS Book Awards & Reviews International Book Awards • Top Honors Youth Book Awards • Seal of Approval http://www.clcawards.org