PRESS RELEASE[https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/llJtheHeSBnvRWRsjHsaajEGYzpICyNyjvmk5-L...] Great Lakes Great Books Award Jesse Shirtz & Heather Lander, committee co-chairs 906-486-4381 GreatLakesGreatBooks@gmail.com<mailto:GreatLakesGreatBooks@gmail.com> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2023-24 Great Lakes Great Books Award Voting Ends January 13 Winners elected by Michigan students [ISHPEMING, MI] - Voting for this year’s Great Lakes Great Books Award ends Saturday, January 13, 2024. Each year the Award committee selects eight nominees in each of the five categories. Michigan students in grades K-12 elect the winners by voting on the pool of 40 nominees chosen by the committee. Titles with the most votes will be declared the winners and honor books during the Michigan Reading Association’s Annual Conference to be held March 15-17. The nominees are as follows: K-1: Anglerfish: The Seadevil of the Deep by Elaine M. Alexander, illustrated by Fiona Fogg Knight Owl by Christopher Denise Berry Song by Michaela Goade How To Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Kelly Collier Out of a Jar by Deborah Marcero Somewhere in the Bayou by Jerome Pumphrey & Jarrett Pumphrey That’s Not My Name by Anoosha Syed Fox at Night by Corey R. Tabor 2-3: Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall My Parents Won’t Stop Talking! written and illustrated by Emma Hunsinger and Tillie Walden Listen to the Language of the Trees: A Story of How Forests Communicate Underground by Tera Kelley, illustrated by Marie Hermansson Ivy Lost and Found by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution by Lisa Robinson, illustrated by Stacy Innerst Abdul’s Story by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Tiffany Rose Nano: The Spectacular Science of the Very (Very) Small by Jess Wade, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón Wildfire! by Ashley Wolff 4-5: Another Kind written and illustrated by Cait May and Trevor Bream Valentine Salazar is Not a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova To the Front! Clara Barton Braves the Battle of Antietam by Claudia Friddell, illustrated by Christopher Cyr A Duet For Home by Karina Yan Glaser Answers in the Pages by David Levithan Coming Up Short by Laurie Morrison The Aquanaut by Dan Santat The Real Dada Mother Goose: A Treasury of Complete Nonsense by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Julia Rothman 6-8: Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango, illustrated by Alyssa Bermudez Scout is Not a Band Kid by Jade Armstrong The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale: Restoring an Island Ecosystem by Nancy F. Castaldo, photography by Morgan Heim Frankie & Bug by Gayle Forman Jennifer Chan is Not Alone by Tae Keller Salt Magic by Hope Larson, illustrated by Rebecca Mock Tin Man by Justin Madson The Golden Hour by Niki Smith 9-12: Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley Murder Among Friends: How Leopold and Loeb Tried to Commit the Perfect Crime by Candace Fleming You’d Be Home Now by Kathleen Glasgow Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas “This Award is intended to introduce kids to excellent books and to encourage their participation in the democratic election process by voting for the winners,” says Award co-chair Jesse Shirtz. “I love that the winners are elected only by Michigan students; no adults allowed!” She added that students may vote if they’ve read at least one book in a category. Votes may be submitted until January 13, 2024 on MRA’s website at <http://www.michiganreading.org> www.michiganreading.org/great-lakes-great-books<http://www.michiganreading.org/great-lakes-great-books>. The committee maintains a web presence on social media: @MichGLGBooks on Facebook and Twitter, and @GreatLakesGreatBooks on Instagram. About the Great Lakes Great Books Award: The purpose of the Great Lakes Great Books Award is to celebrate recent literature with Michigan students that has literary merit and kid appeal, and presents diverse points of view, while highlighting the election process in the selection of the winners. The Award was established in 1987 by the Michigan Reading Association. The frequency and categories in which the Award is given have fluctuated since its inception, becoming an annual award in 1995-96 and solidifying into the current five categories in 2004-05. ### Jesse Shirtz (she/her<https://pronouns.org/>) Library Director Ishpeming Carnegie Public Library 317 N. Main Street Ishpeming, MI 49849 906-486-4381 www.ishpeminglibrary.info<http://www.ishpeminglibrary.info> co-chair Great Lakes Great Books Award<http://www.michiganreading.org/great-lakes-great-books> Michigan Reading Association