After finding that many children lose interest in books after reaching the intermediate grades, Dr. Helen Constant founded the Massachusetts Children's Book Award program in 1975. Designed for Massachusetts schoolchildren in grades 4-6, the program briefly included grades 7-9 from 1978 through 1983.
Today, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-graders are given a "master list" of book titles. After reading five of the books, students may vote for their favorite. The list is compiled from nominations of participating teachers, librarians and interested publishers. A selection committee works with the nominations and chooses 25 titles to appear on the master list. http://www.salemstate.edu/academics/schools/3698.php
At Proctor, our students were encouraged to read at least five of the nominated books so that they could participate and vote in mid-March. We had quite a turnout at the "polls" and I am looking forward to sharing the results with my classes this week!
MCBA 2013 winner
