Here in Connecticut, it’s likely someone on your staff is familiar with Becky Spratford. If you’re not, one of the things she blogs and presents on is ways to up your reader’s advisory game by using award lists. So, I’m here with a plug for using the All CT Reads Kids lists. This annual list consists of four titles, one primary and three short list, all published within 3 years prior to the award year. The titles are suggested and read by librarians across the state and focus on inclusivity, addressing universal social issues, and striking a balance between literary merit and appeal. Titles on the list lend themselves to sustained, spirited, and in-depth discussions and are perfect selections for book clubs or classroom reads.  

2026 is the fifth-year anniversary of the inception of All CT Reads which means there are 20 unique titles geared towards kids ages 10-12. If you’re not sure your patrons know about this list, let me assure you that they do-especially for libraries that include the lanes created by Brad Bullis for eGo and the Palace Project app. Why not take advantage of the interest and connect readers to programming and the rest of your collection?  

A good book is a good book, even more so if it’s on multiple lists, so some of the titles may look familiar because they were also included on either the Intermediate or Middle School Nutmeg lists. This also means that for most titles, there are multiple book sets available to borrow from MLSC. Included below are the 20 titles for kids. The top row is the award year, the second row is the primary title, and the following rows are the short list titles. [View the MLSC Equipment Catalog]

An easy lift would be to display all the titles together and then back fill with an author’s other works or read-a-likes and include information about the award. The display could be used as a countdown to the release of the 2027 titles. If you've got access to readers advisory tools, such as NoveList, you'll see come crossover and connections for several titles in different years.

Each year, the new lists are announced in November, and the virtual author launch and book set availability occurs the following January. Authors of the primary titles are invited to speak in conversation with a member of the selection committee for that age bracket. Questions are solicited from committee members and the audience. The launch lends itself to individual viewing or hosting a livestream event party at your library or in the classroom. After the full recording is posted to the All CT Reads Playlist on YouTube, curated recordings are made available for specific audiences. 

Another fun way to display them is in bookstore style-with borrowed copies from MLSC stacked together. This supports and encourages buddy reading for those kids or families that like to read the same book together but don’t want to wait until a copy gets finished. Whichever your preference, the All CT Reads current and past year titles are on the radar of readers across the state.

Happy Reading!

Questions on borrowing? Reach out! Cathy Potter at catherine.potter@ct.gov.

Cathy Potter

Librarian I

Connecticut State Library | Division of Library Development (DLD)

Middletown Library Service Center | 786 South Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457

Office: (860) 704-2208 | Fax: (860) 704-2228

catherine.potter@ct.gov | DLD Homepage