Tag Archives: Nerdies

December 31

THE 2021 NERDIES: LONG FORM NONFICTION ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER

I’ll just admit it–I have probably learned more about history from the children’s and young adult literature I have read since leaving college than anything I learned as a student. Most of the history classes I took relied on filmstrips, textbooks, and lectures to deliver content–told predominately through the points of view of white people […]

December 30

THE 2021 NERDIES: POETRY AND NOVELS IN VERSE ANNOUNCED BY DONALYN MILLER

While many teachers and librarians enjoy sharing poetry with students, many of my middle school students claimed to detest poetry or actively avoided reading it over the years. For some, poetry was silly–like the Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky poems they remembered reading in elementary school. For others, poetry was hard to understand–like the “classic” […]

December 29

THE 2021 NERDIES: GRAPHIC NOVELS ANNOUNCED BY KATHERINE SOKOLOWSKI

Every year I am honored to share the winning books in the graphic novel category for Nerdy Book Club. Donalyn’s email hits my inbox right around Christmas day and it’s my own gift to open it up, see what titles I know, place orders for those I don’t. I am grateful, as always, to the […]

December 28

THE 2021 NERDIES: EARLY READERS AND CHAPTER BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY ALYSON BEECHER

Every year, I look forward to the email from Donalyn asking if I will write a post announcing the winners of the Nerdies Early Readers and Chapter Books. And every year, I scroll back through all of the previously recognized books from this category to see how the books have changed over the years. Though […]

December 27

THE 2021 NERDIES: NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY LYNSEY BURKINS

To tell the truth is justice. Each of these nonfiction informational stories tells the truth about history or science that leads to a greater understanding which in my mind is justice. When we understand the workings of the world we are better able to make decisions based on truth and facts. These 15 nonfiction books […]

December 26

THE 2021 NERDIES: FICTION PICTURE BOOKS ANNOUNCED BY JOHN SCHU

Happy Sunday! I’m honored to kick off the eleventh annual Nerdy Book Club Awards. First up is fiction picture books! A HUGE thank-you to everyone who nominated titles. Congratulations to this year’s winners! Bear Is a Bear by Jonathan Stutzman; illustrated by Dan Santat “Jonathan Stutzman’s manuscript for Bear Is a Bear carried a lot of heart […]

December 13

Nominations Open for the 11th Annual Nerdy Book Club Awards!

In the beginning, Nerdy Book Club was a community-driven book award blog, and we still hold the Nerdy Book Club Awards, the Nerdies, every winter. Each year’s list provides a snapshot of Nerdy Book Club readers and their reading communities’ highest recommendations. The Nerdies look like a handpicked children’s bookshelf—a current mix of genres, formats, voices, […]

January 03

The 2020 Nerdies: Young Adult Fiction (Day Two) Announced by a Chapter of Nerds

Today is the second day of the 2020 Nerdy Book Club Awards announcements for Young Adult Fiction. You can read Day One here. Congratulations to the authors and publishers of these outstanding books. The variety of voices, genres, and topics on this list will engage young readers’ minds and hearts through the power of story. […]

January 02

The 2020 Nerdy Book Club Awards: Young Adult Literature (Day One) Announced by a Convention of Nerds

2020 was a year like no other—the global COVID-19 pandemic has altered every aspect of American life, including dramatic shifts in how young people attend school and teachers and librarians serve their communities. Access to books and technology remains a pressing concern in many places and educators and families must work together to provide young […]

December 31

The 2020 Nerdies: Long Form Nonfiction Announced by Carol Jago and Donalyn Miller

The world shrank in 2020. Many kids lost connections and opportunities to pursue their interests. The global shutdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools and libraries, cancelled after school programs and field trips, and ended or postponed indefinitely many enrichment opportunities. High quality, engaging nonfiction remains a powerful way to keep the world open–through […]