NCTE 2017 Charlotte Huck Awards

I have served on the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children for the past three years. It has been an amazing experience. I've learned so much and have met so many great people.  I was never lucky enough to study under Charlotte Huck but her work has had a huge impact on me and my work.

Last year's Charlotte Huck Award committee presented the winning titles at this year's NCTE convention.

The Charlotte Huck Award is a new one and I was part of the first committee. The award's commitment is that it "recognizes fiction that has the potential to transform children's lives by inviting compassion, imagination and wonder." I have LOVED reading with the lens of the Charlotte Huck Award as the award recognizes the power of books for a child. 

I have also LOVED having the book awards announced at the Children's Book Award Luncheon at the NCTE Annual Convention. If you haven't been to this lunch, you are missing out on a fun time!  Previous year's awards are given to authors/illustrators, new awards are announced and there is an author at every table for lunch.  This  year, I got to sit with Mitali Perkins! And Mary Lee was able to sit with Loren Long!  Definitely a fun time!

Loren Long and Mary Lee at the Children's Book Award Luncheon!

This year the 2017 Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction was announced and here are the winners! I would definitely check out all of the books on the list--as it is one of my favorite award lists of the year!

2017 Winner

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

2017 Honor Books

Worm Loves Worm by J. J. Austrian

The Night Gardener by Terry Fan and Eric Fan

Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

2017 Recommended Titles

The Seventh Wish by Kate Messner

Luis Paints the World by Terry Farish

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

A Bandit's Tale by Deborah Hopkinson

Hoot and Peep by Lita Judge

One Half from the East by Nadia Sashimi

Inquisitor's Tale or the Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz

The Princess and the Warrior by Duncan Tonatiuh

For past lists and more information on the Charlotte Huck award, visit the award page on NCTE's website.  You may also be interested in reading The Power of Children's Book Awards and 

The Ripple Effect of Award Lists.

And don't miss this year's Orbis Pictus Awards for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children!