25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read

Yesterday, the Georgia Center for the Book announced their very first "25 Books All Young Georgians Should Read" list. All the books chosen have some connection with Georgia either by subject or creator (we have some amazing talent here).
     The GCB has been creating an adult list since 2002, but a children's list is a milestone. This was the first. Because, after all, you have to create a love for reading when people are young, if you want to have readers as adults.
     The list has something to offer for all ages, from two to eighteen, a board book to young adult fiction. Here are the covers with their titles listed below. (Click the image to see it larger in a new window.)

     It took a lot of people on a mission to make this wonderful list a reality!!! Thanks are in order to Bill Starr & Joe Davich of the Georgia Center for the Book; Richard Lenz and Ryan Klee of LENZ marketing for making us look GOOD; Parker's on Ponce for the awesome celebration space; Georgia Humanities Council for their support; and the Board members of the Georgia Center for the Book. What a wonderfully dedicated group we have for literacy in our state!
     We had a grand shindig at Parker's on Ponce in downtown Decatur, Georgia, with lots of press. Almost all the award winners were in attendance - including James Dashner whose publisher flew him out from Utah! Here's the whole gang after the awards were handed out. (Photo taken and used with permission by Ryan Klee.)

And me with my award for SOAP, SOAP, SOAP ~ JABON, JABON, JABON.

Here's the entire list of titles:

Picture Books (Pre K+)
Liz Conrad (illustrator) – Little Duck
Carmen Deedy (author), Thomas Gonzalez (illustrator) – 14 Cows for America
Elizabeth O. Dulemba (author & illustrator) – Soap, Soap, Soap – Jabón, Jabón, Jabón
Nathaniel Lachenmeyer (author), Aki Sogabe (illustrator) – The Origami Master
Eric Litwin (author), James Dean (illustrator) – Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes
Danny Schnitzlein (author), Bill Mayer (illustrator) – The Monster Who Did My Math
Diane Z. Shore & Jessica Alexander (authors), James Ransome (illustrator) – This is the Dream

Early Readers (grades K – 3)
Lola Schaefer – Mittens

Graphic Novel (grades 4+)
Andy Runton – Owly

Middle Readers (grades 4-8)
Evelyn Coleman – Freedom Train
Ted Dunagan – A Yellow Watermelon
Gail Karwoski & Loretta Johnson Hammer – The Tree that Owns Itself and Other Adventure Tales from Georgia's Past
Shelia Moses – Joseph
Mary Ann Rodman – Yankee Girl
Vicky Alvear Shecter – Alexander the Great Rocks the World
Kim L. Siegelson – Honey Bea
Doris Smith Buchanan – A Taste of Blackberries
Laurel Snyder – Any Which Wall
Deborah Wiles – Each Little Bird That Sings

Young Adults (grades 7+)
Jodi Lynn Anderson – Peaches
Lynn Cullen – I Am Rembrandt’s Daughter
James Dashner – The Maze Runner
S.A. Harazin – Blood Brothers
Terra McVoy – Pure
Walter Sorrells – First Shot

     Wow! I hope to interview some of these guys here on my blog over the next few months/years as the GCB promotes them and their books here in the state of Georgia - so check back.
     In the mean time, go read about these books and learn more about their creators at the Georgia Center for the Book website!

More pics coming in!!! Here is a pic of some of Me Girls, Gail Karwoski, Mary Ann Rodman, Kim Siegelson, me and Lola Schaefer!

And me peeps Diane Capriola (co-owner of Little Shop of Stories), Vicky Alvear Shecter and hubbie, Bruce, Laurel Snyder, moi, and Joe Davich of the Georgia Center for the Book! Photograph used with permission and taken by Deborah Wiles.

Debbie with Bill Starr - Executive Director of the Georgia Center for the Book:


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