Forest of Reading reveals chosen books for 2024 — students across Canada to choose winners
The program is the country's largest recreational reading initiative for kids
Books written by Esi Edugyan, Cherie Dimaline and Lawrence Hill are among the nominated titles for the Forest of Reading's 2023 award programme.
Hosted each spring, the Forest of Reading is Canada's largest annual recreational reading program where children and young adults pick their favourite authors and illustrators.
In 2020, 2021 and 2022, the award celebrations were presented in partnership with CBC Books in a virtual format. A hybrid event announced the winners in 2023.
This year, some 270,000 readers across the country will participate in the program. Canadian students from kindergarten to high school are encouraged to read from a selection of shortlisted books and vote for their favourites.
A total of nine categories — six English and three French — reflecting different reading levels and genres are recognized. Each category has 10 nominated titles.
The 10 finalists in each category are chosen by a committee of library practitioners.
Victoria-based author Edugyan is nominated in the Blue Spruce Award category for her picture book, Garden of Lost Socks, which is illustrated by Amélie Dubois.
Garden of Lost Socks follows the story of Akosua and a new friend as they find a remarkable world hidden right in her very own community.
Bestselling Métis author Dimaline is nominated in two categories: the Red Maple Award for Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix and the White Pine Award for Funeral Songs for Dying Girls.
Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix is a queer YA reimagining of The Secret Garden, while Funeral Songs for Dying Girls in which a teen befriends a ghost after accidentally starting a rumour about a haunted cemetery.
Two-time Canada Reads winner Hill is nominated for the Red Maple Award for his book, Beatrice and Croc Harry, which tells the story of Beatrice, a young girl who finds herself alone in a magical forest and the unlikely friendship that forms on her quest to return home to her family.
Details about voting will be announced later. The winners will be revealed in spring 2024.
The Forest of Reading program is organized by the Ontario Library Association. The program began in 1995. There is also an adult program, the Evergreen Award, which is run by libraries in the summer.
You can see all the finalists in the six English-language categories below.
Blue Spruce Award
The Blue Spruce Award is for picture books for readers in kindergarten to Grade 2.
The 2024 nominees are:
- Benny and the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarahbeth Holden, illustrated by Emma Pedersen
- Cocoa Magic by Sandra Bradley, illustrated by Gabrielle Grimard
- Dear Street by Lindsay Zier-Vogel, illustrated by Caroline Bonne-Müller
- Garden of Lost Socks by Esi Edugyan, illustrated by Amélie Dubois
- How to Party Like a Snail by Naseem Hrab, illustrated by Kelly Collier
- The Kindest Red: A Story of Hijab and Friendship by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali, illustrated by Hatem Aly
- My Fade is Fresh by Shauntay Grant, illustrated by Kitt Thomas
- My Name is Saajin Singh by Kuljinder Kaur Brar, illustrated by Samrath Kaur
- Princess Pru and the Ogre on the Hill by Maureen Fergus, illustrated by Danesh Mohiuddin
- The Words We Share by Jack Wong
The 2023 winner was Are You a Cheeseburger? by Monica Arnaldo.
Silver Birch Express Award
The Silver Birch Express Award is for fiction or nonfiction for readers in Grades 3-4.
The 2024 nominees are:
- Boobies by Nancy Vo
- Deep, Deep Down: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench by Lydia Lukidis, illustrated by Juan Calle Velez
- The Journal of Anxious Izzy Parker by Alma Fullerton, illustrated by Beena Mistry
- Mehndi Boy by Zain Bandali, illustrated by Jani Balakumar
- The Nguyen Kids: The Mystery of the Painted Fan by Linda Trinh, illustrated by Clayton Nguyen
- Rock? Plant? Animal?: How Nature Keeps Us Guessing by Etta Kaner, illustrated by Brittany Lane
- Salma Writes a Book by Danny Ramadan, illustrated by Anna Bron
- The Secret Pocket by Peggy Janicki, illustrated by Carrielynn Victor
- The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen
- Tadpoles by Matt James
The 2023 winner was Bear in the Family by Eric Walters, illustrated by Olga Barinova.
Silver Birch Fiction Award
The Silver Birch Award is for fiction for readers from Grades 3-6.
The 2024 nominees are:
- Apartment 713 by Kevin Sylvester
- Berani by Michelle Kadarusman
- The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney
- The Boy Who Woke the Sun by A. T. Woodley, illustrated by Mike Deas
- The Case of the Rigged Race (A Mighty Muskrats Mystery) by Michael Hutchinson
- Gnome is Where Your Heart Is by Casey Lyall
- Jude Saves the World by Ronnie Riley
- PAWS: Mindy Makes Some Space by Nathan Fairbairn, illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn
- Swept Away: Ruth Mornay and the Unwanted Clues by Natalie Hyde
- The Umbrella House by Colleen Nelson
The 2023 winner was The Undercover Book List by Colleen Nelson.
Yellow Cedar Award
The Yellow Cedar Award is for nonfiction for readers in Grades 4-8.
The 2024 nominees are:
- Animal Eyes: How Creatures See and How Their Eyes Have Adapted to Their World by Françoise Vulpé
- Becoming Bionic and Other Ways Science is Making Us Super by Heather Camlot, illustrated by Victor Wong
- The Honour Song — Kepmite'taqney Ktapekiaqn — Le chant d'honneur by George Paul, illustrated by Loretta Gould
- IsThisAnOlogy? by Amanda Dorothy Jean Bulman & Ruth Lawrence, illustrated by Leon Chung
- Meet Buffy Sainte-Marie by Elizabeth MacLeod, illustrated by Mike Deas
- Mi'kmaw Moons: The Seasons in Mi'kma'ki by Cathy Jean LeBlanc and David Chapman, illustrated by Loretta Gould
- Mountain of Fire: Into the Heart of Volcanoes by Julie Roberge, translated by Charles Simard, illustrated by Aless MC
- The Raven Mother by Hetxw'ms Gyetxw, illustrated by Natasha Donovan
- The Science and Superpowers of Seaweed: A Guide for Kids by Amanda Swinimer
- Why Humans Build Up: The Rise of Towers, Temples and Skyscrapers by Gregor Craigie, illustrated by Kathleen Fu
The 2023 winner was Fred & Marjorie by Deborah Kerbel, illustrated by Angela Poon.
Red Maple Award
The Red Maple Award is for fiction for readers in Grades 7-8.
The 2024 nominees are:
- Autumn Bird and the Runaway by Melanie Florence & Richard Scrimger
- Beatrice and Croc Harry by Lawrence Hill
- A Bucket of Stars by Suri Rosen
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: The Druid's Call by E.K. Johnston
- The Fort by Gordon Korman
- Into the Bright Open: A Secret Garden Remix by Cherie Dimaline
- The Last Saxon King: A Jump in Time Novel by Andrew Varga
- Seekers of the Fox: Thieves of Shadow by Kevin Sands
- Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
- Squire by Nadia Shammas & Sara Alfageeh
The 2023 winner was Children of the Fox by Kevin Sands.
White Pine Award
The White Pine Award is for fiction for readers in high school.
The 2024 nominees are:
- As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
- Dragging Mason County by Curtis Campbell
- Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
- Iz the Apocalypse by Susan Currie
- Mall Goth by Kate Leth
- Of Light and Shadow by Tanaz Bhathena
- Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
- Pieces of Me by Kate McLaughlin
- Then Everything Happens at Once by M-E Girard
- Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson
The 2023 winner was Daughter by Kate McLaughlin.
