The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association is happy to announce the 2021 Book Awards Shortlist, selected by a committee of independent booksellers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. This year’s committee chose the following 12 finalists, crafted by Northwest authors and illustrators, from a list of nearly 400 nominated titles published during 2020. The six …
Last Friday afternoon, as part of the week’s virtual regional trade show, booksellers from around the Pacific Northwest watched members of the PNBA Book Awards Committee present a selection of books they are excited about for the 2021 Book Awards. This post is the second part of the list of books mentioned during that session. …
Last Friday afternoon, as part of the week’s virtual regional trade show, booksellers from around the Pacific Northwest watched members of the PNBA Book Awards Committee present a selection of books they are excited about for the 2021 Book Awards. About 400 titles have been nominated for the award (more were arriving during the conference). …
Clo, wall-jumper, turnip-picker, corner-skulker, was NOT a hand-wringer, but in the many times and many ways they had fled a village, never had her father failed to meet her. Always, he had made her promise, should the morning bells ring five without his return, she should leave the town. “Do not stay,” he instructed her. …
Liberty Bay Books is teaming up with Kitsap County librarians to bring book bags to families in need during this COVID school year. Each year WA State students read from the Sasquatch and Otter list and at the end of the year, they participate in a state-wide voting for their favorite book. This is a …
What a clever and realistic accounting of how we demonstrate what it looks like to stand up and be a true friend: through sickness and health, through buggers and bullies, swiping pocket change and wiping out on skateboards, first crushes and first kisses. This story is told through ten vignettes of individual kids who are …
Compelling narrative. Fantastic pre-teen middle reader that does an excellent job of exploring race and race-related issues via the clever mechanism of a young Black student who begins her middle school journey with some color-blind ideas and anti-Black biases that prevent her from forming meaningful relationships with other Black students. Great book to approach students …
I ordered this book around what would have been Bookstore Day in late April and it languished in a stack of to-be-read books until I watched the KidLit4BlackLives Rally—the author was one of the speakers. I pulled it out this morning and was charmed by Ryan and her family; I’m so glad to see that …
The summer after Steve finishes 6th grade three things happen: His baby brother is born, though he is sickly and must return to the hospital for numerous tests. Steve learns that he might never, walk, talk, or feed himself. If he survives. Angels visit Steve in a dream. Wasps start building a nest in the …
Seattle kids’ author Mark Holtzen interviewed Seattle kids’ author Kim Baker about her upcoming middle grade novel, The Water Bears. Where did the idea for The Water Bears come from? What was the original grain of sand that led to this pearl? (If you have better ideas for jokes or puns in questions, I’m all …
