BATON ROUGE, La. – Entering its 23rd year, the Louisiana Readers' Choice (LYRC/LTRC) Award Program is excited to announce the 2023-2024 nominated title lists for grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Since the program's first list in 1999, over 424,000 students have read the recommended titles and voted for their favorites, reading more than 1.35 million books in the process.
Every year thousands of students from elementary to high school age vote for their favorite book from a list of titles curated by librarians serving on LYRC/LTRC committees from across the state. Many students cast their ballot on real voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State's Voter Outreach Division.
"The Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards is just one of the many phenomenal programs offered through the State Library which inspires a love of reading in the young people of our state," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. "Studies show children and young adults who develop a love of reading do better in school, have better writing and spelling skills, and even develop more motivation and confidence in life. We are especially proud to debut a new list for Kindergarten through Second Grade, which will give our young children the same opportunity."
The 2023-2024 Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards nominated titles list includes twenty-one Junior Library Guild Selections, ten YALSA Best Fiction Books for Young Adults, three CILIP Carnegie Medal Nominees, a Schneider Family Honor Book, a Sydney Taylor Honor Book, a Southern Book Prize Finalist, and the winners of the Newbery Medal and the Printz Award. They have earned seventy-three starred reviews overall and and were written by outstanding authors such as Katherine Applegate, Bob Shea, Jen Calonita, Peter Sís, Barbara Dee, Candace Fleming, Rae Carson, and Margaret Owen. From fiction to nonfiction, picture books to novels, science fiction to romance, historical to contemporary, these carefully chosen booklists cover a variety of interests and genres, so there is something for every reader.
"The titles on these lists are selected by professional school and public librarians from across the state with decades of experience working with children and children's literature," said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. "The nominated titles represent a variety of interests and viewpoints. We often say that books can be windows or mirrors, and seeing people who look, think, and live differently is as important as seeing ourselves in our favorite characters and stories. Celebrating our differences connects us all and fuels compassion for others. The books on these lists will be loved and inspire our children and teens to keep reading beyond the classroom walls, helping to create a culture of literacy in Louisiana, all of which is a key part of our mission here at the State Library."
The Louisiana Readers' Choice Award Program is a reading enrichment program of the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana, which is the state affiliate for the National Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. Its mission is to foster a love of reading in the children of Louisiana by motivating them to participate in the recognition of outstanding books. According to a 2019 Kids Count report, 74% of Louisiana's fourth graders and 73% of Louisiana's eighth graders are not reading at a proficient level. The Louisiana Center for the Book and the State Library of Louisiana believe fostering a lifelong love of reading among Louisianans will contribute to the state's overall economic growth and quality of life.
For information about the program including previous winners, how to participate, and additional resources such as free bookmarks, posters, and study guides, please visit the Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Awards Program webpage.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Rebecca Hamilton
State Library of Louisiana
225-342-4923
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Barry Landry
Office of the Lieutenant Governor
225-342-7009
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
@
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it