PYRCA – THE AWARD WHERE YOUR CHILD’S VOTE MATTERS!
The Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award is sponsored by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association. The purpose of the award is to promote the reading of quality books by young people in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to promote teacher and librarian involvement in children’s and young adult literature, and to honor authors whose works have been recognized by the students of Pennsylvania.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Read three or more! Your child or teen chooses to read at least three (3) of the titles in the appropriate grade band. Additional titles may be read to participate but three will be the minimum. Having an adult or older child read-aloud to developing readers is completely appropriate for participation! Use our coloring maps or bookmarks for tracking your progress.
We will use a few of these titles in online read-alouds beginning in October through early March during Sheltering Storytime (for the youngest age group) on alternate Wednesdays. They will be read in their entirety and watching online counts as reading for the voting activity (below).
Book clubs for 3rd-12th grade bands will offer read-aloud of the first chapter, which don’t count as a full reading but may motivate your young person to check the book out! 3rd-6th grade read-aloud on Wednesday afternoons, and two sessions on Fridays for the 6th-8th and 9th through 12th grade level books. 3rd and 6th grade-age children may choose to read either program level (or both) but may only vote in one age group ballot.
The vote:
In late February or early March (depending on the PYRCA guidance) we will post a ‘ballot’ for each age group. Your child will report the titles that were read (3 or more), and the favorite choice in the ballot form. Then in March, we will announce the winner here and on our social media. We’ll also let everyone know the share of our community votes each book received!
Every child and teen who votes in the March ‘election’ will receive a gift book from our giveaway supply and a certificate!
Additional activities:
We’ll post some educator-endorsed activities for many of these books, as well as author videos, craft kits, and more! Augment your homeschool curriculum with these ideas!
Details by grade level:
K-3 (links follow below images)
\Can I Be Your Dog?
Bell, CeCe / Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! Candlewick Press
Bernstein, Ariel; illustrated by Mike Malbrough / Warren and Dragon: 100 Friends. Viking / Penguin Young Readers Group
Blakemore, Megan Frazer; illustrated by Nadja Sarell / Frankie Sparks and the Class Pet. Aladdin / Simon and Schuster
Burach, Ross / The Very Impatient Caterpillar. Scholastic Press
Cummings, Troy/ Can I Be Your Dog? Random House
Guidroz, Rukhsanna / Leila in Saffron. Salaam Reads / Simon and Schuster
Keller, Laurie / Potato Pants. Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
McAnulty, Stacy / Sun! One in a Billion. Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Quintero, Isabel & Zeke Pena / My Papi Has a Motorcycle. Kokila / Penguin Young Readers Group
Rockliff, Mara / Billie Jean! How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women’s Sports. G.P. Putnam/ Penguin Young Readers Group
Ruzzier, Sergio / The Party and Other Stories. Chronicle Books
Savage, Stephen/ Sign Off. Beach Lane Books/ Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing
Slade, Suzanne / Daring Dozen: The Twelve Who Walked on the Moon. Charlesbridge
Slade, Suzanne / A Computer Called Katherine. Little Brown Books for Young Readers
Tuttle, Sarah Grace / Hidden City: Poems of Urban Wildlife. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Grade K-3 – use this coloring map to keep track of the titles you’ve completed!
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
3rd-6th grade (3rd can participate in either program)
 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
Aronson, Sarah / Just Like Rube Goldberg: The Incredible True Story of the Man Behind the Machines. Beach Lane Books
Cline-Ransome, Lesa / Finding Langston. Holiday House
Draper, Sharon M. / Blended. Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Elliott, Zetta / Dragons in a Bag. Random House
Gemeinhart, Dan / The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Henry Holt and Co. / Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Group
Hale, Shannon and LeUyen Pham / Best Friends. First Second / Macmillan
Janowitz, Jessie / The Doughnut Fix. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Lord, Cynthia / Because of the Rabbit. Scholastic Press
Mackler, Carolyn / Not If I Can Help It. Scholastic Press
Magoon, Kekla /The Season of Styx Malone. Wendy Lamb Books
McCarthy, Meghan / All That Trash: The Story of the 1987 Garbage Barge and Our Problem with Stuff. Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
Miller, Kayla / Click. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books For Young Readers
Selfors, Suzanne / Wedgie & Gizmo. Katherine Tegan Books / HarperCollins Publishers
Stone, Tanya Lee / Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented. Christy Ottaviano Books / Henry Holt Books for Young Readers / Macmillan
Yang, Kelly / Front Desk. Scholastic Press
Use this 3-6 grade coloring map to keep track of the titles you’ve completed!
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
6th-8th grades (6th grade can participate in either level)
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  | |
Aronson, Marc. Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue. Atheneum Books for Young Readers / Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing
Boyce, Jo Ann Allen/ This Promise of Change. Bloomsbury Children’s Books / Macmillan
Cartaya, Pablo / The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora. Viking Books for Young Readers / Penguin Young Readers Group
Carter, Ally / Not If I Save You First. Scholastic
Cole, Frank L. / Potion Masters: The Eternity Elixir. Shadow Mountain
Craft, Jerry / New Kid. Quill Tree Books / Harper
Cruz, Marie Miranda / Everlasting Nora. Starscape
Greenwald, Tommy / Game Changer. Amulet Books / Harry N. Abrams
Hiranandani, Veera / The Night Diary. Kokila / Puffin Books / Penguin Young Readers Group
McAnulty, Stacy / The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Random House
Morris, Chad & Shelly Brown / Squint. Shadow Mountain
Oh, Ellen / Spirit Hunters. HarperCollins
Older, Daniel Jose / Dactyl Hill Squad. Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic
Rhodes, Jewell Parker / Ghost Boys. Little, Brown and Company
Terry, Ellie / Forget Me Not. Feiwel & Friends / Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Use this 2021 Middle School bookmark to keep track of the titles you’ve completed!
Young Adult (grades 9-12)
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |
Acevedo, Elizabeth / With the Fire on High. HarperTeen / HarperCollins Publishers
Ahmed, Samira/ Internment. Little, Brown and Company
Anderson, Laurie Halse / Shout: A Poetry Memoir. Viking / Penguin Young Readers Group
Berry, Julie / Lovely War. Viking / Penguin Young Readers Group
Biren, Sara / Cold Day in the Sun. Amulet Books / Harry N. Abrams
Hutchinson, Shaun David / Brave Face: A Memoir. Simon Pulse / Simon & Schuster
Jackson, Tiffany D. with Malik “Malik-16” Sharif / Let Me Hear a Rhyme. Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins Publishers
Kester, Eric / Gut Check. Farrar, Straus and Giroux / Macmillan
Liggett, Kim / The Grace Year. Wednesday Books / Macmillan
Ribay, Randy / Patron Saints of Nothing. Kokila / Penguin Young Readers Group
Rubin, Lance / Crying Laughing. Knopf Books for Young Readers / Random House Children’s Books
Ruby, Laura / Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All. Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins Publishers
Takei, George, Eisinger,Justin, & Scott, Steven, illustrated by Harmony Becker / They Called Us Enemy. Top Shelf Productions
Thomas, Angie /On the Come Up. Balzer + Bray / HarperCollins Publishers
Yoon, David / Frankly in Love. Putnam / Penguin Young Readers Group
Use this 2021 YA bookmark to keep track of the titles you’ve completed!
