Friday, February 12, 2010

Red, yellow, and Bluestem

Though the only place I physically traveled to within the past week has been Denver, in a sense I've been jetting from state to various state. (That's routine for Superman—and businessmen—but I'm not used to it.)

On 2/2/10, I posted a list of state book awards for which Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman has been nominated. (The day before that post, I'd learned that the book has been nominated for a biography award in Cleveland, which makes me smile a bit wider since that is where the story takes place. And only two months earlier, I'd learned about the nominations in Rhode Island and Arizona. I had no idea this was "state book awards" season. It's probably not. What do I know? I've never been good with geography.)

Then just since last week, I've learned of three more honors for Boys of Steel, all of which I've added to the 2/2/10 post:

2/6/10—I received a letter from the First Lady of Wisconsin telling me that the book has been selected for the Read On Wisconsin program.

2/9/10—My editor e-mailed that the book was nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards 2010-2011.

2/10/10—The Illinois School Library Media Association notified me that the book is one of 20 nominated for a first annual award called the Bluestem. It's a reader's choice award, in the hands of kids in grades 3-5.

What I find especially interesting about the Bluestem is that it is not limited to books from the past year or two. Of the inaugural score of books that will be voted on in 2011, the earliest to be published came out in 1982.


If other state awards are like this, I haven't noticed. Like I said, not good with geography.

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