[CASL-L] Fwd: Nutmeg Book Award Newsletter - March 2026 Issue

[Christina O'Neill]

Here is the most recent Nutmeg Newsletter.
Christina O'Neill
coneill at region15.org
LMES Library/Media Specialist






2025 Voting Information and 2026 Nominee Announcement!
*In this edition of Nutmeg News & Updates, you will find:*

   - Information on the 2025 voting process with voting forms, printable
   ballots, and submission links
   - Announcement of the 2026 Nutmeg Book Award nominees
   - Information on purchasing promotional materials on our website
   - Ways you can get involved with the Nutmeg Book Award
   - Where to send book concerns regarding nominees

We hope you have had an amazing year reading and talking about the 2025
Nutmeg Books with your community!

Voting for the 2025 Nutmeg Book Awards takes place from April 1-30. There
are two ways to collect votes from your students/patrons: Google Form
ballots or paper ballots. Personalize the templates below to use in your
community. Remember student votes count for each level even if they are not
in that grade. When student voting is over, please use the Librarian
Submission Forms below to submit your school/library votes by May 2nd.
Winners will be announced on May 15th.

*Google Form Templates:*
Click the links below to personalize a copy for your own School / Library.
Readers can submit their responses using the form. View and compile the
results, then submit them *1 time* from your School / Library using the
Librarian Submission Forms below.

   - *Elementary Grades 2-3
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=dde1e658f3&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *Intermediate Grades 4-6
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=e2d6b0e158&e=aa096b418f>*
   - Middle School Grades 7-8
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=e52e04f9a9&e=aa096b418f>
   - *High School Grades 9-12
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=727e3f53d9&e=aa096b418f>*

<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=dd0e62151c&e=aa096b418f>*Paper
Ballot Option:*
Print and cut paper ballots for your students/patrons to fill out in-house,
ensuring only 1 vote per level per person. Count and compile the results,
then submit *1 time* from your School / Library using the Librarian
Submission Form below.

   - *Elementary Grades 2-3
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=be3d115c9a&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *Intermediate Grades 4-6
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=ea43207dfb&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *Middle School Grades 7-8
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=4a5eb3d29e&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *High School Grades 9-12
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=2752fc8ce9&e=aa096b418f>*

*Librarian Submission Forms:*
Please submit ONLY 1 Submission from your School / Library with the total
number of votes for each book voted on per level. Forms must be submitted
no later than May 2nd for the votes to count. This form will open on April
1.

   - *Elementary Grades 2-3
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=73901bc6b8&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *Intermediate Grades 4-6
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=69c292e0d3&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *Middle School Grades 7-8
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=7b69dcce58&e=aa096b418f>*
   - *High School Grades 9-12
   <https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=00c5e7ab0d&e=aa096b418f>*


For questions regarding voting, email nutmegbookaward1993 at gmail.com
<nutmegbookaward1993 at gmail.com?subject=Librarian%20Submission%20Form>.

We are thrilled to announce our 2026 Nutmeg Book Award Nominees!

Remember that the lists provided in this newsletter and on nutmegaward.org
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=9e7731ee29&e=aa096b418f>
are now public for readers and educators. While the titles are no longer
secret as of this announcement, we do not want to take away from the
excitement of the *2025 Winner Announcement on May 15th*. The Nutmeg Book
Award advises that full promotion of the new titles does not happen until
the May 1 launch date.

The Nutmeg Book Award aims to encourage children to read quality
literature. By releasing the list of nominees to the general public, we
hope to build excitement about and participation in the Nutmeg Book Award
process while still providing ample time for libraries and schools to order
the titles in time for the May 1 launch date of the new Nutmeg Book Award
year.

Please note: As of the 2026 reading year, all levels of the Nutmeg Book
Award consist of 10 books. This is a change from the Elementary level
consisting of 15 titles in previous years.
We Couldn't Have Done It Without Them!



A huge *THANK YOU* to our Selection Committee Chairs and all the Selection
Committee Members for reading and working together to make these amazing
nominee lists!


*2026 Elementary Grades 2-3 Co-Chairs:*
     Michele Kaminski and Sarah Prattson
*2026 Intermediate Grades 4-6 Chairs: *
     Meg Klein and Kristina Lareau
*2026 Middle School Grades 7-8 Co-Chairs:*
Ashley Ewert and Kristen Finnegan
*2026 High School Grades 9-12 Chairs:*
Cathy Andronik and Meg Glasgow
Color Flyers Available Here:
2026 Elementary Nominees Flyer
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=a35cb3be2a&e=aa096b418f>
2026 Intermediate Nominees Flyer
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=155b7ae6fd&e=aa096b418f>
2026 Middle School Nominees Flyer
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=81065ebdf9&e=aa096b418f>
2026 High School Nominees Flyer
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=f2eeb17b10&e=aa096b418f>
...And the 2026 Nominees Are:

*2026 Elementary Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:*

   - *Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular* by Polly Owen, art by Gwen
   Millward
   - *The Egg Incident* by Ziggy Hanaor, art by Daisy Wynter
   - *Feathers Together* by Caron Levis, art by Charles Santoso
   - *Great Carrier Reef* by Jessica Stremer, art by Gordy Wright
   - *Henry, Like Always* by Jenn Bailey, art by Mika Song
   - *The Iguanodon's Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back
   Together Again and Again... and Again* by Sean Rubin
   - *Just Harriet* by Elana K. Arnold, art by Dung Ho
   - *The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish* by Chloe Savage
   - *The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale* by Jon Klassen
   - *The World's Best Class Plant* by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick,
   art by Lynnor Bontigao

*2026 Intermediate Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:*

   - *Air* by Monica Roe
   - *The Carrefour Curse* by Dianne K. Salerni
   - *The Dog Knight* by Jeremy Whitley, art by Bre Indigo, colors by
   Melissa Capriglione
   - *Dogtown* by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, art by
   Wallace West
   - *Frizzy* by Claribel A. Ortega, art by Rose Bousamra
   - *Grounded* by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow,
   & S.K. Ali
   - *It Found Us* by Lindsay Currie
   - *Moongarden* by Michelle A. Barry
   - *Speak Up!* by Rebecca Burgess
   - *Trex* by Christyne Morrell

*2026 Middle School Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:*

   - *Alone *by Megan E. Freeman
   - *Concealed* by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
   - *Don't Want To Be Your Monster* by Deke Moulton
   - *The Door of No Return* by Kwame Alexander
   - *Hamra and the Jungle of Memories *by Hanna Alkaf
   - *The Last Cuentista* by Donna Barba Higuera
   - *The Lost Year *by Katherine Marsh
   - *Simon Sort of Says* by Erin Bow
   - *Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena* by Julia C. Dao
   - *What Happened to Rachel Riley?* by Claire Swinarski

*2026 High School Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:*

   - *The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons*
   - *For Lamb *by Lesa Cline-Ransome
   - *Gather *by Kenneth M. Cadow
   - *The Girls I've Been* by Tess Sharpe
   - *The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School* by Sonora Reyes
   - *Lunar New Year Love Story* by Gene Luen Yang & Leuyen Pham
   - *The Silence That Binds Us* by Joanna Ho
   - *Spin *by Rebecca Caprara
   - *The Spirit Bares Its Teeth* by Andrew Joseph White
   - *Throwback* by Maurene Goo

2026 Promotional Materials:
Leveled stickers are available to purchase on our website. The nominee
stickers are solid colors with the words Nutmeg Book Award and the level
nominee. There is a different color for each level. See examples here:
Nominee bookmarks and award winner foil seals are also available to
purchase online. We allow electronic credit card or PayPal payments through
our website. For more information on this, please go to our promotional
materials page
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=d68cf2e7b6&e=aa096b418f>
.

If you still prefer to print, fill out and send a check, you will be able
to access that form on our website soon.

For questions regarding the orders of Promotional Materials, please contact
Kristin Raiche, Nutmeg Book Award Treasurer at: kraiche at enfield.org.
*Nutmeg Book Award Highlights From Around CT:*

Are you or your library doing something extra special to highlight the
Nutmeg Book Awards?  We want to hear about it!  Send your highlight to the
Nutmeg Book Award Steering Committee at nutmegbookaward1993 at gmail.com
<nutmegbookaward1993 at gmail.com?subject=Nutmeg%20Book%20Award%20Highlights>
to be featured in our next newsletter.

*Book Nominee Concerns:*

Selecting the books for the Nutmeg Book Award is a long and challenging
process that includes the input of librarians, educators, and students from
across the state.  We understand that these selections may not match the
preference of every individual, but hope that encouraging reading across
all ages and interests stays at the forefront of this Award.  Should you
have concerns about a title, please contact the appropriate committee
chairs.  The Nutmeg Book Award Selection Committee Chairs can be found
here: Committee Members Directory.
<https://nutmegaward.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=15c8f45575e25dc8d6a0aaf1a&id=1c65040044&e=aa096b418f>

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