Volunteer State Book Award

Co-chairs:
Scot Smith, Oak Ridge Schools: [email protected]
Patricia Rua-Bashir, Nashville Public LIbrary: [email protected]

Primary Committee Chair: Piper Nyman, Metro Nashville Public Schools: [email protected]
Intermediate Chair: Jamie Bevins, Knox County Schools: [email protected]
Young Adult Chair: Emily Farmer, Nashville Public Library: [email protected]

Publicity Committee Chair: Molly Moore

The Volunteer State Book Award is sponsored annually by the Tennessee Library Association and the Tennessee Association of School Librarians. Each year, children across Tennessee are asked to read books from a list of nominated titles. The Volunteer State Book Award has four divisions--Primary (K-2nd Grade), Intermediate (Grades 3rd-5th), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). In the spring, those students who have read or listened to at least three of the titles from the list are eligible to vote for their favorite titles. These votes are tabulated and sent to the state organization. The book with the most votes statewide wins the award. The author of the book receives a plaque and is invited to Tennessee to receive the award.

VSBA Drawing: Sponsored by Follett School Solutions

We are excited to announce the four winners of VSBA drawing sponsored by Follett School Solutions. The winners are list below:

Primary: Julie Shaver of Nashville Christian School, Nashville, TN
Intermediate: Mackenzie Skiles of Clovercroft Elementary School, Franklin, TN
Middle School: Robin Finley of Arlington Middle School, Arlington, TN.
High School: Nancy Hammons and Lynn Lilley of McGavock High School, Nashville, TN.

The winning schools will receive a set of 20 VSBA titles from the 2018-2019 list of nominations from Follett. A special thanks to Jon Duncan and Richie Gibson, Follett’s two representatives from Tennessee, for their work in arranging this new promotion.

What does your library need to do to have a chance to win a set of books? Participate in the VSBA voting for next year! We received a record number of votes this year and would love to break that record next May.

2017-2018 VSBA Winners

Primary:
Grade K-2

Stick and Stone

written by Beth Ferry

illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.

Intermediate Division:
Grades 3-5

Serafina and the Black Cloak

written by Robert Beatty

Disney Hyperion, 2015.

Middle School Division:
Grades 6-8.

The War that Saved My Life

written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Dial, 2015.

High School:
Grades 9-12

The Red Queen

written by Victoria Aveyard

HarperTeen, 2015.

We would like to thank every librarian, student, and patron who participated in voting for the Volunteer State Book Award. 2017-2018 was a record breaking year for the award. Over 37,000 children and teens from across Tennessee participated in voting for the Volunteer State Book Award this year. Participation increased dramatically in the high school division with substantially more libraries and teens submitting votes. In the Primary Division alone, we had nearly 25,000 votes. Libraries in the Intermediate Division submitted over 15,000 votes.