We called it! The 4th and 5th grade readers who voted on the 2014 Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (MCBA), chose not only the winner, but also the runners up this year. Our readers, who participated in this voluntary reading incentive, were pretty discriminating. At our voting party, we talked about which books had merit, and which books should still be popular in future years. After the DCD votes were counted and sent in to Salem State College, we waited to see how other readers from schools throughout the state voted.

Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper (Perfection Learning, 2012) was this year’s winner. The popularity for this book happened by word of mouth, as students began recommending this book to their friends. The story is about a fifth grader who suffers from cerebral palsy. When she is introduced to a device that allows her to communicate, her family realize that she isn’t retarded, but instead she is brilliant.

The runners-up for the award each received votes from our students too.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann (Aladdin, 2011), The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Disney-Hyperion, 2010), Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli (Balzar & Bray, 2012), and Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2012)