The Young Reader's Choice Award is an award program of the Pacific Northwest Library Association (PNLA) which was inaugurated in 1940 by Harry Hartman, a well-known Seattle based bookseller. It is the oldest "children's choice" award in the U.S. and Canada and the only award chosen by children in two countries.[1] Initially a single award, in 1991 the award expanded to include both a Youth and Senior category.[2] In 2002, a third award category, Intermediate, was created.[3] The PNLA now offers three annual awards for books selected by schoolchildren in the Pacific Northwest. The PNLA homepage heading is "Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Idaho, Montana, Washington", a list of the four U.S. states and two Canadian provinces where most of its members are located. It is the oldest regional association and the only binational one in the US and Canada.[4]
The three winners of 2018 awards were published during 2015.[5] The voting, open to "anyone in grades four through twelve in the Pacific Northwest who has read (or has heard read) at least one title from the list", is conducted by member libraries during March and April (school and public libraries, primarily the former).[6]
The nomination process was last revised in 2012.[7] Children, teachers, parents and librarians in Pacific Northwest may recommend books to their state, provincial representatives or to the YRCA Chair.[8] Nominations of 2017 publications are due in February 2018.[9] One nominee in each category must also include either a Canadian author or a title where the story primarily occurs in Canada.[10]
| Year | Youth | Senior | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Ann M. Martin | Ten Kids, No Pets | Jenny Davis | Sex Education | |
| 1992 | Bill Wallace | Danger in Quicksand Swamp | Peter Dickinson | Eva | |
| 1993 | Jerry Spinelli | Maniac Magee | Caroline B. Cooney | The Face on the Milk Carton | |
| 1994 | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor | Shiloh | Ann Rinaldi | Wolf by the Ears | |
| 1995 | Peg Kehret | Terror at the Zoo | Lois Duncan | Who Killed My Daughter? | |
| 1996 | Lois Lowry | The Giver | Phyllis Reynolds Naylor | The Boys Start the War | |
| 1997 | Caroline B. Cooney | Driver's Ed | Eve Bunting | Nasty Stinky Sneakers | |
| 1998 | Louis Sachar | Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger | Karen Cushman | The Midwife's Apprentice | |
| 1999 | Andrew Clements | Frindle | Eve Bunting | SOS Titanic | |
| 2000 | Dick King-Smith | A Mouse Called Wolf | Mel Glenn | The Taking of Room 114 | |
| 2001 | Louis Sachar | Holes | William Sleator | The Boxes | |
| Author | Title | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Dog Man | ||
| The Girl Who Drank the Moon | |||
| It Ain't so Awful Falafel | |||
| Natalie Lloyd | The Key to Extraordinary | ||
| Ms. Bixby's Last Day | |||
| Pax | |||
| The Wild Robot | |||
| Marina Cohen | The Inn Between | ||
| 2020 | Katherine Applegate | Wishtree | |
| Linda Bailey | The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library | ||
| Pablo Cartaya | The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora | ||
| Cat Clarke | The Pants Project | ||
| Cressida Cowell | The Wizards of Once | ||
| Alan Gratz | Refugee | ||
| Gordon Korman | Restart | ||
| Jessica Townsend | The Trials of Morrigan Crow | ||
| 2021 | Katherine Arden | Small Spaces | |
| John David Anderson | Granted | ||
| John August | Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire | ||
| Jonathan Auxier | Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster | ||
| Sayantani DasGupta | The Serpent's Secret | ||
| Tui T. Sutherland | Wings of Fire: The Dragonet Prophecy | ||
| Terri Libenson | Positively Izzy | ||
| Kenneth Oppel | Inkling | ||
| 2022 | Charlene Willing McManis | Indian No More | |
| Jerry Craft | New Kid | ||
| Lynda Mullaly Hunt | Shouting at the Rain | ||
| Kelley Armstrong | A Royal Guide to Monster Slaying | ||
| Rosanne Parry | A Wolf Called Wander | ||
| Jasmine Warga | Other Words for Home | ||
| Yoon Ha Lee | Dragon Pearl | ||
| Lynne Kelly | Song for a Whale | ||
| 2023 | David Robertson | The Barren Grounds | |
| Janae Marks | From the Desk of Zoe Washington | ||
| James Ponti | City Spies | ||
| Rena Barron | Maya and the Rising Dark | ||
| Tae Keller | When You Trap a Tiger | ||
| Daniel Nayeri | Everything Sad Is Untrue (A True Story) | ||
| Rob Harrell | Wink | ||
| Victoria Jamieson | When Stars Are Scattered |
| Year | Author | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Booked | |
| Heartless | ||
| The Hidden Oracle | ||
| Iian Lawrence | The Skeleton Tree | |
| Nicole Castroman | Blackhearts | |
| Replica | ||
| Rebel of the Sands | ||
| OCDaniel | ||
| 2020 | S. K. Ali | Saints and Misfits |
| Dusti Bowling | Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus | |
| Chris Colfer | Stranger Than Fanfiction | |
| Rosalyn Eves | Blood Rose Rebellion | |
| Stephanie Garber | Caraval | |
| Ryan Graudin | Invictus | |
| Antonio Iturbe | The Librarian of Auschwitz | |
| Fonda Lee | Exo | |
| 2021 | Elizabeth Acevedo | The Poet X |
| Leslie Connor | The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle | |
| Lisa Greenwald | TBH, This Is So Awkward | |
| Adib Khorram | Darius the Great is Not Okay | |
| Susin Nielsen-Fernlund | No Fixed Address | |
| Victoria Schwab | City of Ghosts | |
| Laura Sebastian | Ash Princess | |
| Scott Westerfeld | Imposters | |
| 2022 | Padma Venkatraman | The Bridge Home |
| Margaret Rogerson | Sorcery of Thorns | |
| Kwame Mbalia | Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky | |
| Elizabeth Lim | Spin the Dawn | |
| Sarah Henstra | We Contain Multitudes | |
| Kip Wilson | White Rose | |
| Christine Day | I Can Make This Promise | |
| Sarah Kuhn | I Love You So Mochi | |
| 2023 | Aiden Thomas | Cemetery Boys |
| Elizabeth Acevedo | Clap When You Land | |
| Darcie Little Badger | Elatsoe | |
| Tracy Deonn | Legendborn | |
| Ibi Aanu Zoboi | Punching the Air | |
| Adiba Jaigirdar | The Henna Wars | |
| Jordyn Taylor | The Paper Girls of Paris | |
| Traci Chee | We Are Not Free |