Readers across the country voted for favourite Canadian titles in readers’ choice award program
NEWS RELEASE
TORONTO, ON (June 16, 2020) – The Ontario Library Association (OLA) and the Forest of Reading are excited to announce the winners of the 2020 Forest of Reading Awards, presented at the digital Forest of Reading Festival, a one-day, free event, in partnership with CBC Books.
The 2020 Forest of Reading Award Winners are:
- Blue Spruce Award™ Winner: That’s Not Hockey by Andrée Poulin and illustrated by Félix Girard (Annick Press)
- Silver Birch Express Award® Winner: Megabat by Anna Humphrey and illustrated by Kass Reich (Tundra Books)
- Silver Birch Fiction Award® Winner: The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel (Sourcebooks)
- Yellow Cedar Award: Too Young to Escape: A Vietnamese Girl Waits to be Reunited with Her Family by Van Ho and Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (Pajama Press)
- Red Maple Award™ Winner: No Fixed Address by Susin Nielsen (Tundra Books)
- White Pine Award™ Winner: Sadie by Courtney Summers (St. Martin’s Press)
On Thursday, June 18, the winners of the French-language Forest of Reading programs (Le prix Peuplier, Le prix Mélèze, and Le prix Tamarac) will be announced, streamed on Curio in partnership with CBC Books.
Since October, over 270,000 children have read nominated books, which include Canadian fiction and non-fiction books by English and French-language authors, and almost 120,000 readers voted in the 2020 program.
The award winners are typically announced in-person at the Forest of Reading Festival in Toronto during May. Due to the challenges that faced the Ontario education sector this past year, all in-person Festival events were cancelled on March 6, 2020. Since then, the COVID-19 crisis ensued, and the OLA had the opportunity to partner with CBC Books to bring the award winner announcement portion of the Festival online.
The Forest of Reading consists of ten programs distinguished by age group and reading level, each with ten nominated titles. The English school-aged programs are Blue Spruce, Silver Birch Express, Silver Birch Fiction, Yellow Cedar, Red Maple, and White Pine. French literature is celebrated through the Peuplier, Mélèze, and Tamarac programs. The adult program, Evergreen, celebrates excellence in Canadian literature. There are 100 nominated titles with ten books in each program.
We recognize the major support from our sponsors Tinlids Inc., CBC Books, The Brandvan Initiative, Toronto Arts Council, First Book Canada, Telling Tales, and the Toronto International Festival of Authors.
Follow the conversation #ForestofReading and #IReadCanadian.
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About the Ontario Library Association: The Ontario Library Association (OLA) is a centre of excellence for the library and information sector, with 5,000 members who work in public, school, academic and special libraries. OLA enables members to advocate for the right of individuals to have free and equitable access to information. Our members research, develop and participate in educational programs designed to provide exemplary library services. Signature OLA events include the annual Super Conference and the Forest of Reading® program.
About CBC Books: Home to Canada Reads, Writers & Company with Eleanor Wachtel, The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers, Canada Writes and the CBC Literary Prizes, CBC Books connects Canadians with books, encouraging a shared love of reading and writing. For book news, writing challenges, reading lists, book recommendations and more, visit CBCbooks.ca.
About Tinlids: Tinlids Inc. is the official wholesaler for the 2020 Forest of Reading program.
Media and program contacts:
Meredith Tutching
Director, Forest of Reading
Ontario Library Association
416.363.3388 x222
Lauren Hummel
Manager, Marketing and Communications
Ontario Library Association
416.363.3388 x227