AWS Children’s Choice Awards

The Grade School Library is lucky to have a large collection of classic children’s literature, however there are also many recently published titles we are excited to recommend to students. The AWS Children’s Choice Awards program was established in 2010 to highlight the best of contemporary writing for children.

Each year, a committee of parents, faculty, and staff read a large number of new children’s books with the goal of choosing the two most outstanding titles per grade level. Those selections are announced each spring. Students who read both titles over the summer can vote on their silver and gold medal choices when school begins again in the fall. The Awards program has been a wonderful way to stimulate conversations around books, keep students excited about and invested in reading, and expand the diversity of the library collection.

Awards

Read Alouds

2010

Gold Medal: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon; Grace Lin
Silver Medals: Linnets and Valerians; Elizabeth Goudge // Tumtum and Nutmeg; Emily Bearn

2011

Gold Medal: The Wind Boy; Ethel Cook Eliot
Silver Medals: Comet in Moominland; Tove Jansson // The Naming of Tishkin Silk; Glenda Millard

At this point we began announcing a winner of the committee’s choice. We look for a read aloud book with language that is both a pleasure to read aloud and enjoyable for the whole family. That kind of book doesn’t come along often.

2012

The Wind in the Willows; Kenneth Grahame

2013

Peter Pan; J. M. Barrie

2014

Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom; Paul F. Cooper

2015

A Bear Called Paddington; Michael Bond

2016

Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner; A.A. Milne

2017

When the Sea Turned to Silver; Grace Lin

2018

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; L. Frank Baum

2019

The Reluctant Dragon; Kenneth Grahame

2020

Dominic; William Steig

2021

Monster and Boy; Hannah Barnaby

Skunk and Badger; Amy Timberlake

Third Grade

2010

Gold Medal: Fortune’s Magic Farm; Suzanne Selfors
Silver Medals: The Magician’s Elephant; Kate DiCAmillo // Mudshark; Gary Paulsen // Girl; Patricia Reilly Giff Wild

2011

Gold Medal: White Crane; Sandy Fussell
Silver Medal: Little Joe; Sandra Neil Wallace

2012

Gold Medal: Bless this Mouse; Lois Lowry
Silver Medal: Waiting for the Magic; Patricia MacLachlan

2013

Gold Medal: Little Dog, Lost, Marion Dane Bauer
Silver Medals: Chickadee, Louise Erdrich // Violet Mackerel’s Brilliant Plot, Anna Branford

2014

Gold Medal: The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail; Richard Peck
Silver Medal: The Year of Billy Miller; Kevin Henkes

2015

Gold Medal: The Turtle of Oman; Naomi Shihab Nye
Silver Medal: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up; Kate DiCamillo

2016

Gold Medal: Ms. Rapscott’s Girls; Elise Primavera
Silver Medal: Detective Gordon: The First Case; Ulf Nilsson

2017

Gold Medal: Making Mistakes on Purpose; Elise Primavera
Silver Medal: Where Are You Going, Baby Lincoln; Kate DiCamillo

2018

Gold Medal: Ivy; Katherine Coville
Silver Medal: Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker; Shelley Johannes

2019

Gold Medal: Bob; Wendy Maas
Silver Medal: Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker: Incognito; Shelley Johannes

2020

Gold Medal: 3 Adventures on Deckawoo Drive; Kate DiCamillo
Silver Medal: Ivy and the Goblins; Katherine Coville

2021

Gold Medal: Jasmine Green Rescues: A Piglet Called Truffle; Helen Peters
Silver Medal: Stella Endicott and the Anything is Possible Poem; Kate DiCamillo

2022 Selections

Can You Whistle Johanna; Ulf Stark
Maybe Maybe Marisol Rainey; Erin Entrada Kelly

Fourth Grade

2010

Gold Medal: Fortune’s Magic Farm; Suzanne Selfors
Silver Medals: The Magician’s Elephant; Kate DiCAmillo // Mudshark; Gary Paulsen // Wild Girl; Patricia Reilly Giff

2011

Gold Medal: White Crane; Sandy Fussell
Silver Medal: Little Joe; Sandra Neil Wallace

2012

Gold Medal: The Aviary; Kathleen O’Dell
Silver Medal: R My Name is Rachel; Patricia Reilly Giff

2013

Gold Medal: Fishtale; Hans Bauer & Catherine Masciola
Silver Medals: A Dog Called Homeless, Sarah Lean // Horten’s Miraculous Mechanisms, Lissa Evans

2014

Gold Medal: The Worm Whisperer; Betty Hicks
Silver Medal: Bo at Ballard Creek; Kirkpatrick Hill

2015

Gold Medal: Blue Mountain; Martine Leavitt
Silver Medal: Anybody Shining; Frances O’Rourke Dowell

2016

Gold Medal: Adventures with Waffles; Maria Parr
Silver Medal: Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer; Kelly Jones

2017

Gold Medal: Sweet Home Alaska; Carole Estby Dagg
Silver Medal: Waylon! One Awesome Thing; Sara Pennypacker

2018

Gold Medal: The Vandebeekers of 141st Street; Karina Yan Glaser
Silver Medal: 
The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart; Stephanie Burgis

2019

Gold Medal: Astrid the Unstoppable; Maria Parr
Silver Medal: The Vandebeekers and the Hidden Garden; Karina Yan Glaser

2020

Gold Medal: A Wolf Called Wander; Rosanne Parry
Silver Medal: The Library of Ever; Stephen Messer

2021

Gold Medal: Ragweed and Poppy; Avi
Silver Medal: Ways to Make Sunshine; Renee Watson

2022 Selections

Rez Dogs; Joseph Bruchac
Hatmakers; Tamzin Merchant

Fifth Grade

2010

Gold Medal: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma; Trenton Lee Stewart
Silver Medals: The Dragon of Two Hearts; Donald Samson // The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; Jacqueline Kelly // A Faraway Island; Annika Thor

2011

Gold Medal: The Year Money Grew on Trees; Aaron Hawkins
Silver Medals: Moon Over Manifest; Clare Vanderpool // Touch Blue; Cynthia Lord

2012

Gold Medal: True (…sort of); Katherine Hannigan
Silver Medal: Will at the Battle of Gettysburg; Laurie Calkhoven

2013

Gold Medal: The Grave Robber’s Apprentice, Allen Stratton
Silver Medals: Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Sarah Pennypacker // The Vengekeep Prophecies, Brian Farrey

2014

Gold Medal: What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World; Henry Clark
Silver Medal: The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp; Kathi Appelt

2015

Gold Medal: Greenglass House; Kate Milford
Silver Medal: Rain Reign; Ann M. Martin

2016

Gold Medal: The Sign of the Cat; Lynne Jonell
Silver Medal: Circus Mirandus; Cassie Beasley

2017-Tie

Gold Medal: The Secret Keepers; Trenton Lee Stewart
Gold Medal: Tru & Nelle; G. Neri

2018

Gold Medal: Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow; Jessica Townsend
Silver Medal: The World’s Greatest Detective; Caroline Carlson

2019

Gold Medal: The Collectors; Jacqueline West
Silver Medal: Louisiana’s Way Home; Kate DiCamillo

2020

Gold Medal: The Hippo at the End of the Hall; Helen Cooper
Silver Medal: Straw Into Gold; Hilary McKay

2021

Gold Medal: Music for Tigers; Michelle Kadarusman
Silver Medal: Becoming Muhammad Ali; Kwame Alexander and James Patterson

2022 Selections

The Beatryce Prophecy; Kate DiCamillo
How to Be Brave; Daisy May Johnson

Sixth Grade

2010

Gold Medal: The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner’s Dilemma; Trenton Lee Stewart
Silver Medals: The Dragon of Two Hearts; Donald Samson // The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate; Jacqueline Kelly // A Faraway Island; Annika Thor

2011

Gold Medal: The Year Money Grew on Trees; Aaron Hawkins
Silver Medals: Moon Over Manifest; Clare Vanderpool // Touch Blue; Cynthia Lord

2012

Gold Medal: Wonderstruck; Brian Selznick
Silver Medal: Inside Out and Back Again; Thanhha Lai

2013

Gold Medal: Wonder, R.J. Palacio
Silver Medals: Iron Hearted Violet, Kelly Barnhill // One Year in Coal Harbor, Polly Horvath

2014

Gold Medal: The Ugly One; Leanne S. Ellis
Silver Medal: Mister Orange; Truus Matti

2015

Gold Medal: The Luck Uglies; Paul Durham
Silver Medal: Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms; Katherine Rundell

2016

Gold Medal: Nooks and Crannies; Jessica Lawson
Silver Medal: The Great Good Summer; Liz Garton Scanlon

2017

Gold Medal: The Girl Who Drank the Moon; Kelly Barnhill
Silver Medal: Waiting for Augusta; Jessica Lawson

2018

Gold Medal: The Whiz Mob and the Grenadine Kid; Colin Meloy
Silver Medal: 
Beyond the Bright Sea; Lauren Wolk

2019

Gold Medal: Bluecrowne; Kate Milford
Silver Medal: Finding Langston; Lesa Cline-Ransom

2020

Gold Medal: The Good Thieves; Katherine Rundell
Silver Medal: Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Gary D. Schmidt

2021

Gold Medal: When You Trap a Tiger; Tae Keller
Silver Medal: Before the Ever After; Jacqueline Woodson

2022 Selections

Being Clem; Lisa Cline-Ransome
Starfish; Lisa Fipps

Seventh Grade

2010

Gold Medal: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg; Rodman Philbrick
Silver Medals: The Death-Defying Pepper Roux; Geraldine McCaughrean // Peace, Locomotion; Jacqueline Woodson

2011

Gold Medal: Scrawl; Mark Shulman
Silver Medals: Scumble; Ingrid Law // The Crowfield Curse; Pat Walsh

2012

Gold Medal: The Apothecary; Maile Meloy
Silver Medal: Bluefish; Pat Schmatz

2013

Gold Medal: Shadow on the Mountain, Margi Preus
Silver Medal: The Mighty Miss Malone, Christopher Paul Curtis // What Came from the Stars, Gary D. Schmidt

2014

Gold Medal: Counting by 7s; Holly Goldberg Sloan
Silver Medal: Falcon in the Glass; Susan Fletcher

2015

Gold Medal: Under the Egg; Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Silver Medal: Brown Girl Dreaming; Jacquelline Woodson

2016

Gold Medal: The Seventh Most Important Thing; Shelley Pearsall
Silver Medal: The Thing About Jellyfish; Ali Benjamin

2017

Gold Medal: The Best Man; Richard Peck
Silver Medal: Ghost; Jason Reynolds

2018

Gold Medal: The Secret of Nightingale Wood; Lucy Strange
Silver Medal: 
Dragonfly Song; Wendy Orr

2019

Gold Medal: The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle; Leslie Connor
Silver Medal: The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge; MT Anderson

2020

Gold Medal: Other Words for Home; Jasmine Warga
Silver Medal: All the Greys on Greene Street; Laura Tucker

2021

Gold Medal: King and the Dragonflies; Kacen Callender
Silver Medal: One Last Shot; John David Anderson

2022 Selections

Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna; Alda P. Dobbs
Red, White and Whole; Rajani LaRocca

Eighth Grade

2010

Gold Medal: The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg; Rodman Philbrick
Silver Medals: The Death-Defying Pepper Roux; Geraldine McCaughrean // Peace, Locomotion; Jacqueline Woodson

2011

Gold Medal: Scrawl; Mark Shulman
Silver Medals: Scumble; Ingrid Law // The Crowfield Curse; Pat Walsh

2012

Gold Medal: The Scorpio Races; Maggie Stiefvater
Silver Medal: Okay for Now; Gary Schmidt

2013

Gold Medal: Bomb, Steve Sheinkin
Silver Medals: Dodger, Terry Pratchett // Seraphina, Rachel Hartman

2014

Gold Medal: Navigating Early; Clare Vanderpool
Silver Medal: Ghost Hawk; Susan Cooper

2015

Gold Medal: Revolution; Deborah Wiles
Silver Medal: The Children of the King; Sonya Hartnett

2016

Gold Medal: The War that Saved My Life; Kimberley Brubaker Bradley
Silver Medal: The Marvels; Brian Selznick

2017-Tie

Gold Medal: The Inquisitor’s Tale; Adam Gidwitz
Gold Medal: Wolf Hollow; Lauren Wolf

2018

Gold Medal: The War I Finally Won; Kimberely Brubaker Bradley
Silver Medal: 
Felix YZ; Lisa Bunker

2019

Gold Medal: Nowhere Boy; Katherine Marsh
Silver Medal: Love to Everyone; Hilary McKay

2020

Gold Medal: Genesis Begins Again; Alicia D. Williams
Silver Medal: New Kid; Jerry Craft

2021

Gold Medal: Everything Sad is Untrue; Daniel Nayeri
Silver Medal: Fighting Words; Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

2022 Selections

The Swallows’ Flight; Hilary McKay
The Raconteur’s Commonplace Book; Kate Milford

“I especially love the activities like gardening and handwork. I believe these skills are important in cognitive development. Many schools today are mandated to focus on academic achievement and testing while forgetting the building blocks of learning to think for ourselves and to be creative. ”