Nutmeg Book Awards News

The Nutmeg Book Award winners for 2017 have been announced, and the 2018 Nutmeg nominees have arrived in the Library!

Annually, in Connecticut, works of fiction published within the last five years that have been determined by librarians and school media specialists to be well-written, with strong characterization, well-constructed plots, rich settings and striking language are announced on May 1^st.  The nominees are broken into four divisions with ten titles in each grade range: Elementary (grades 2-4), Intermediate (grades 4-6), Teen (grades 7-8), and High School (grades 9-12). Children and teens are encouraged to read these selected works of quality fiction throughout the year and vote for their favorite by April 30^th.

This year’s winners are Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winnick, Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, and I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson.

Readers in several age divisions will be getting together at the Library over the summer to discuss many of the nominees. A full schedule of these meetings is available on our website. Come in to get your copies and checklists so you can keep track of your Nutmeg reading.

Contributed by Children's Services Library Assistant Sonta Frindt

April Is Nutmeg Book Award Time

It’s April, and that means it is time for the children of Connecticut to vote for the Nutmeg Book Award winners. The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 2-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of nominated titles. It is Connecticut’s homegrown book award. The nominated books are chosen by committees of public and school librarians from across the state. There are four divisions: Elementary for grades 2-4 (the only division that includes nonfiction), Intermediate for grades 4-6, Teen for grades 7-8, and High School for grades 9-12. Many Ridgefield students will be voting in their school libraries, but the Ridgefield Library offers a way to vote that may be appealing to people in middle and high schools – online. You can see a link to the Nutmeg ballots if you stop by our website. Students who are not voting at school are encouraged to vote online using our ballot. Please only vote once, either at school OR online. The winning books will be announced on May 15, and the new list of nominees will come out at that time as well. Spring is Nutmeg Book Award time!

Contributed by Teen Services Librarian Geri Diorio

Students Vote for State Book Award at Ridgefield Library

It’s April, and that means it is time for the children of Connecticut to vote for the Nutmeg Book Award winners! The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 2-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of nominated titles.  The nominees are chosen by committees of public and school librarians from across the state. There are now four divisions: Elementary for grades 2-4 (new this year and the only division that includes nonfiction), Intermediate for grades 4-6, Teen for grades 7-8, and High School for grades 9-12. It is Connecticut’s own book award.  To help make voting easy, the Ridgefield Library has put Nutmeg Book Award ballots online. You can see a link to them if you stop by our Facebook page, or if you follow us on Twitter, or on the Library’s website. Students who are not voting at school are encouraged to vote online using our ballot. Please only vote once, either at school OR online. The winning books will be announced on May 15, and the new list of nominees will come out at that time as well. Spring is Nutmeg Book Award time!

Contributed by Teen Services Librarian Geri Diorio

Spring Is Nutmeg Book Award Time

It’s April, and that means it is time for the children of Connecticut to vote for the Nutmeg Book Award winners! Connecticut’s own book award encourages children in grades 4-12 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of nominated titles.  Traditionally the Ridgefield Library invites Ridgefield students to stop in at the Library and vote for their favorite Nutmeg nominee. But since we will be closing down for several weeks to move into our new building, and we don’t want students to miss the opportunity to vote, we have a new way for you to participate. The Ridgefield Library has put Nutmeg Award ballots online. You can see a link to them on our webpage, if you stop by our Facebook page, or if you follow us on Twitter.  Students who are not voting at school are encouraged to vote online using our ballot. Please only vote once, either at school OR online. The winning books will be announced on May 15. Also happening in mid-May will be the introduction of a new Nutmeg Book Award level. The Elementary level offers books for the youngest readers, students in grades 2 through 4. Spring is Nutmeg Book Award time!

Contribute by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and Head of Children's Services

Nutmeg News

Drumroll, please!  The 2013 Nutmeg Book Award winners have been announced.  31,157 students in Connecticut read and voted on their favorite books from twenty nominated titles. The Intermediate Level Award (grades four to six) winner is “Because of Mr. Terupt” by Rob Buyea.  In this book, seven students weigh in on Mr. Terupt’s first year as a fifth grade teacher. The students tell their own stories, from the new kid to the bully, about their year together.  The Teen Level Award (grades 6 to 9) winner is Jonathan Mayberry’s “Rot & Ruin”, a thrillingly scary zombie tale about two brothers, both working as zombie killers. Announcing the winners also signals that it is time to announce the new nominees. There are now three levels to the Nutmeg Book Awards: Intermediate, Teen, and the new High School level. The Nutmeg Book Awards titles are high quality books, recommended by a panel of teachers, librarians, and student readers from across Connecticut. Students are encouraged to read as many of the titles as they like, then vote for their favorites each April. Ten books are nominated for each level, and the Ridgefield Library has copies of all thirty nominees for your elementary, middle and high school age children to come check out.

Contributed by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and Head of Children's Services

Connecticut’s Own Book Awards

Children have been stopping in at the Ridgefield Library for a couple of months now, asking “When can I vote for my favorite Nutmeg book?” and we can finally answer:  “Now!”  The Nutmeg Book Awards are Connecticut’s homegrown book awards for children. Each year, committees of librarians, teachers, and students choose lists of ten novels that become Nutmeg nominees. There are award levels for students in grades 4 to 6 (the Intermediate nominees), and students in grades 7 to 9 (the Teen nominees).  Students can read as many nominees as they are able to, then vote for their favorite. Many students vote at their school libraries, but the Ridgefield Library offers a designated voting spot in our juvenile fiction section, so if our younger patrons don’t get a chance to vote at school, they can cast their ballot here at the Library. The winners will be announced on May 15, and a few weeks ahead of that, on May 1, the 2014 batch of nominees will be announced. Voting in April with announcements happening in May is new for the Nutmegs. The schedule has been changed to better align with the school calendar. So if your child has read some Nutmeg nominees, please bring them in to vote before the end of the month!

Contributed by Geri Diorio, Teen Services Librarian and head of Children's Services

It’s Time to Vote…..for your favorite Nutmeg book!

Voted on by young readers across the state, the Nutmeg Book Awards are Connecticut's premiere honor for outstanding children's literature. Each year, youngsters choose their favorite from a list of ten nominated titles in two categories: children in Grades 4-6 participate in the Intermediate category, and readers in Grades 7 and 8 select from a list of Teen nominations.

To be nominated for the award, books must be well-written works of fiction which are copyrighted in the U.S., first published no more than five years ago and now available in paperback. 

Students are NOT required to read all ten books to vote, but here at the Ridgefield Library we offer a number of programs to encourage the reading of the nominated titles, including Nutmeg Nibblers and Nutmeg Teen book discussions, as well as author talks.  We also make sure we have plenty of copies, so there are always enough to go around.  

Students can vote once either at their school library or at their public library.  We have ballots and a voting box in Children’s Services should students choose to cast their vote here at the Ridgefield Library.  Voting closes January 31^st, with the winners to be announced on February 14^th.  

Contributed by Children's Librarian Mary Beth Rassulo

Vote in the Nutmeg Book Award and Get your Free T-Shirt

It’s that time again – time to vote for the Nutmeg Book Awards, Connecticut’s prize for children’s literature, voted on by youngsters all over the state. Over the past year, Intermediate level readers in grades 4 through 6 and Teen level readers in grades 7 and 8 have been reading the nominated titles (ten at each level). They shared their impressions with friends and classmates in Nutmeg Nibblers and Nutmeg Teen book groups.  Thanks to a generous grant from HSBC Bank, N.A., they had the opportunity to meet many of the nominated authors and ask them questions about their books and their lives as writers. Now the time has come to choose!

Ballots are available in Children’s Services and at elementary and middle school media centers. Please vote only once – at school or at the Library.  You do not need to read all ten titles in a category to vote – pick your favorite of those you have read. Ballots must be submitted by January 31^st.  Results will be announced in February. This year, all Ridgefield voters will receive a coupon entitling them to a special Nutmeg Voter T-shirt, courtesy of HSBC (coupons redeemable at the Library).  Vote today and wear your shirt proudly!

Highlights of 2009

What did you do at the Ridgefield Library this year? Here are a few of our favorite moments of 2009 – we hope you enjoyed them, too.

• A veritable tent city rising in the parking lot for the Friends of the Library’s spring and fall used book sales

• Heidi Hammel, Dava Sobel and others leading us on a virtual voyage to the stars for the International Year of Astronomy

• The installation of a self-service check-out station in Children’s Services

• The annual Camp Snooze 4th grade sleepover – so popular we had to do it twice this fall!

• Our first ever Murder Mystery Dinner Theater fundraiser, featuring a musical production, great food and wine, and fun with friends

• Expansion of the popular Mother Goose program for infants and caregivers to year-round, offering social interaction and pre-literacy skills development every week

• The debut of the new Murder by the Book mystery discussion group

• Over 13,000 people – nearly twice our normal daily headcount of 1170 – rushing to the Library for the first week of Summer Reading in June

• The chance to meet talented and engaging Nutmeg Book Award-nominated authors throughout the year, thanks to HSBC Bank

Nutmeg Authors Live @ the Library

Calling all fans of great children’s literature! Thanks to a generous grant from HSBC Bank USA, N.A., the Ridgefield Library is pleased to offer a series of presentations this spring and summer by authors of 2010 Nutmeg Children’s Book Award nominees.

The Nutmeg Children’s Book Awards offer Connecticut youngsters in grades 4 through 8 the opportunity to read from lists of nominated titles and then vote in January for their favorite book.

To add to the interest and excitement, the Ridgefield Library and HSBC have paired up to bring to town some of the dynamic and talented authors of this year’s nominees. Nutmeg Authors Live @ the Library continues on Wednesday, May 20^th with Jen Bryant, author of “Pieces of Georgia.”

Kids and other readers of all ages are invited to hear Jen speak at 4:00 PM in the Dayton Program Room. Copies of her book will be available for sale and signing, courtesy of Books on the Common.

From 5:00 to 6:00 PM, teachers, parents, librarians, aspiring writers and other interested adults are welcome to join us for a wine and cheese reception and a chance to chat with Jen.

Mark your calendars now for appearances by Susan Beth Pfeffer on June 1^st and Cynthia Lord on July 20^th.

Vote Now for Nutmeg Award Favorite!

Here's a reminder from Mary O'Neill, Children's Librarian at the Ridgefield Library.

It is a new year, and that means resolutions, fresh calendar pages and Nutmeg Book Award voting! During the month of January, students in grades four to eight are welcome to come to Children’s Services at the Ridgefield Library and vote for their favorite Nutmeg book. Sponsored by the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) and the Connecticut Educational Media Association (CEMA), and awarded annually, the Nutmeg Book Award encourages all Connecticut students to read ten nominated titles over the course of a year and to vote for their favorite. The titles are selected by committees of Connecticut public librarians, school library media specialists, classroom teachers and student readers. The books, which must be newly published works of fiction of exceptional quality, are nominated for the award in two categories: intermediate for grades 4, 5 and 6 and teen for grades 7 and 8. Students need not read all ten titles in their category in order to vote, but can only vote once, either at school or at the Library.

Did your child participate in the Nutmeg Nibblers book discussions we held last summer and fall? The Nibblers read all ten nominated titles, so children who took part will be all set to choose whichever title they feel should get the award! We hope you drop by before the 31st to cast your ballot for your favorite Nutmeg book of the year. Then, check our website in early February to find out who the winners were, as well as the highly anticipated NEW 2009 Nutmeg titles in both categories!

*****

School is closed on Monday, January 21^st for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but the Library is open and will be offering a special program in honor of the occasion. Children ages 5 and up are invited to “Woven Tales” with storyteller Gwendolyn Quezaire Presutti, at 11:30 AM in the Dayton Program Room.