Festival of Trees May 13 in Toronto
Two CBU Press books are vying for awards in Canada’s largest recreational reading program, the Ontario Library Association’s (OLA) Forest of Reading awards.
The novel Me and Mr. Bell, by Philip Roy, is among ten shortlisted books for the Silver Birch (fiction) Award. In the non-fiction category, The Extraordinary Life of Anna Swan, by Anne Renaud, is on the list. Both books were published by CBU Press in 2013.
Me and Mr. Bell was also shortlisted the 2014 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, part of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Awards from the Canadian Children’s Book Centre. The book was on the Maritime Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award list and was shortlisted for the 2014 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award.
The Forest of Reading consists of eight reading programs designed to cultivate a love of reading for people of all ages. More than 250,000 readers participate annually from their local school or public library.
In October, the programs are launched when the lists of nominated titles are announced by the OLA. Most schools and libraries start to run the program in December/January.
The winning books will be announced at the Festival of Trees in Toronto May 13, 2015.
The Silver Birch program, which includes the two Cape Breton books – now in its 21st year – is meant for readers aged 8 to 12, while the non-fiction focuses on Grade 5 and 6 readers. The Silver Birch Express category focuses on the lower grade levels and reluctant readers. The Forest of Reading is Canada’s largest recreational reading program. This initiative of the Ontario Library Association (OLA) encourages a love of reading in people of all ages