Just announced! This year’s California Young Reader Medal Winner!
The California Young Reader Medal is a special award because unlike most other book awards, students nominate the books through their teachers and/or librarians. Students choose the winner by reading and voting for their favorite book in each category.
This year’s winner is Graceling by Kristin Cashore.
I love to see what teens will choose. I read this novel (review is here) and could immediately see why teens would like it–the protagonist is a very strong girl and the world she lives in is magical–but for my own part, I found it repetitive and an exercise in adverbs-gone-wild. And this is why it’s good to have an award that teens choose themselves. And it’s also why I love the idea that we have a library and the opportunity to choose what we want to read, not just cram for tests.
Exercise your FREADOM right here in our library. I bought multiple copies of Graceling just after I read it–thought it might be a hit!
School Library Lady 
Love this book! Action, peril, intrigue, Gracelings!!!!! Need to read Fire! now!
I also read “Fire” since I thought the series would be popular. It’s sort of a prequel,but not really–the two characters live in the same fantasy world. But I think fans of “Graceling” will love “Fire” because they’ll have another rocking, strong girl working her magic. And it’s in our library, too!
Thank you for posting this! Love this book! Need to read Fire! now!