2019-2020 William Allen White Children’s Book Awards

William Allen White Award What is the WAW Book Award? Who was William Allen White? How does it work? Who selects the books? Who votes? Then what happens? History of the Award 2019 - 2020 Book List

What is the WAW Book Award? It is a Children’s Book Award for the state of Kansas. This award is directed by Emporia State University. Source: http://waw.emporia.edu/masterlists/masterlist.htm

Who was William Allen White? He was the editor of the Emporia Gazette newspaper in Emporia, Kansas. In 1896, he became well known because of an editorial he wrote in that newspaper about a political issue of the time. He was NOT the author of these books. Source: http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/wawbookaward

How does it work? Each year books are selected for 2 groups: 3rd – 5th grades & 6th –8th grades. There is one winner for each group. Students across the state are encouraged to read as many books as possible from the list.

Who can vote? Students who have read at least two books from the Master List for their grade level are eligible to vote for their favorite. Ballots are sent to all Kansas schools in February or March. Schools turn their voting results in to Emporia State University in April.

Then what happens? The authors of the winning books are invited to a reception in the fall where they’ll receive a bronze “White Award Medal” at an awards ceremony. Students and teachers are encouraged to attend the award ceremony to meet the authors and listen to their acceptance speeches. This year’s celebration will be Saturday, October 5, 2020, at Emporia State University.

Who selects the books? There is a selection committee who represents Kansas educational and professional organizations concerned with children. They create a master list of titles. Books can be fiction, non-fiction, or poetry and were published during the previous year. Anyone can nominate a book and submit it to the committee.

Selection committee process Members must read at least 50% of nominated books to participate in selection. Executive director & secretary & committee chair do not vote. Only books read by at least 60% of those present at the meeting can be considered. For a title to be placed on the list following discussion of it, at least 60% of those who read it must vote for its placement. Titles are first chosen for the list without regard for age division. Once nominations cease, the lists are divided into grades 3 to 5 & grades 6 to 8. Before the list is finalized, there is opportunity to reconsider any titles chosen.

History of the Award The book award was began in 1952 by the late Ruth Garver Gagliardo, to honor the memory of William Allen White. It was established to encourage the boys and girls of Kansas to read and enjoy good books. A lot has changed since Ruth Garver Gagliardo created the award and served as its first selection committee chairperson…but the structure she developed remains. c. 1964 ESU Archives

3 - 5 Grades

Wishtree by Katherine Applegate Feiwel & Friends An old red oak tree tells how he and his crow friend, Bongo, help their human neighbors get along after a threat against an immigrant family is carved into the tree's trunk. (1:58)

Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar Nancy Paulsen Books In 1960s New York, fifth-grader Ruthie, a Cuban-Jewish immigrant, must rely on books, art, her family, and friends in her multicultural neighborhood when an accident puts her in a body cast. (1:50)

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling Sterling Children’s Books Aven Green loves to tell people that she lost her arms in an alligator wrestling match, or a wildfire in Tanzania, but the truth is she was born without them. And when her parents take a job running Stagecoach Pass, a rundown western theme park in Arizona, Aven moves with them across the country knowing that she'll have to answer the question over and over again. Her new life takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with Connor, a classmate who also feels isolated because of his own disability, and they discover a room at Stagecoach Pass that holds bigger secrets than Aven ever could have imagined. It's hard to solve a mystery, help a friend, and face your worst fears. But Aven's about to discover she can do it all . . . even without arms. (2:13)

The Losers Club by Andrew Clements Random House Alec, a sixth-grade bookworm always in trouble for reading instead of listening and participating in class, starts a book club solely so he'll have a place to read; but he discovers that real life, though messy, can be as exciting as books. (1:48)

Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly Greenwillow Books The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully's prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well, and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him. (:49)

Amina’s Voice by Hena Khan Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community. (:49)

Pablo and Birdy by Alison McGhee Caitlyn Dlouhy Books/Atheneum Pablo, nearly ten, has many questions about his origins and how he arrived at Isla as a baby, but finding the answers may mean losing his lifetime companion, Birdy the parrot. (:00)

Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive! by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson Walden Pond Press Blends strange but true facts about the natural world with a handful of fictional accounts, challenging readers to discover which two out of every three stories are true. (:00)

Princess Cora and the Crocodile by Laura Amy Schlitz Candlewick Press Princess Cora is sick of doing her duty, behaving properly, and staying inside to study; but when she writes her fairy godmother for help, she doesn't expect it to arrive in the form of a delightfully mischievous crocodile. (:00)

Beyond the Bright Sea by Lauren Wolk Dutton Books for Young Readers Twelve-year-old orphan Crow embarks on a journey to discover who her parents were and why they abandoned her as an infant. (1:20)

Pax by Sarah Pennypacker HarperCollins Last Year’s Winner Pax by Sarah Pennypacker HarperCollins After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back. (:59)

READ READ READ! ESU Archives Michelle Hammond Beverley Buller WAW Awards program director Selection committee chairperson READ READ READ! ESU Archives