Have you ever wondered about book awards? Where do those medals on the cover come from, and who decides which book gets which? The answer is: librarians!
Every year, librarians who are members of the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) and its parent organization, the American Library Association (ALA), form committees to decide which books and authors receive prizes like the Newbery and Caldecott medals. The Michigan Library Association (MLA) also gives out Michigan-specific awards.
We asked three CPL librarians currently serving on award committees to tell us a little about these processes.
Michelle Neuwirth Gray is currently on the MLA Mitten Award Committee. The Mitten Award is given to exceptional picture books published in that year. In the past, she has also been on the MLA Michigan Author Award Committee, which honors a particular author’s entire body of work.
What is the process for the Mitten Committee?
"We read all the picture books that got two or more starred reviews in the 2024 publishing year. We break them down into three-month increments so that it isn’t so overwhelming, list our top ten favorites for that time period, and approximately once a month, we meet over Zoom to talk about the items that got the most votes amongst the committee. The ones that received the top votes after the discussion then move on for us to discuss again at the end when we have to pick the winner."
What do you enjoy most about serving on these committees?
"I have been exposed to books and authors I would not have picked up or simply didn’t get a chance to read due to the volume of materials published every year. I have found some real favorites among the books that I would love to share with my kids or in storytime. Also, when I see a past winner getting checked out, it gives me a warm feeling knowing we picked that particular book, and patrons really are enjoying it, like we hoped they would."
Lisa Boyd is currently a member of the MLA’s YouPer Award book group, which awards middle-grade chapter books. She has also been on the committee for the ALSC Batchelder Award, which honors internationally published books for children, and the MLA’s Thumbs Up Award committee, which recognizes exceptional Young Adult books.
What are the processes like for those committees?
"It’s an intense yet rewarding experience. It involves reading tons of books within a specific timeframe, often across various genres or themes. This requires a love of reading and the ability to analyze each book critically, weighing its literary quality, relevance, and appeal to the intended award audience. Committee discussions are in-depth, and every member brings unique perspectives, making for lively debates as we strive to reach agreements on the top books. Sometimes, I joke that the YouPer award group is my book club, and I get to discuss titles with peers who have become friends over the years."
What do you enjoy most about it?
"Being on a committee offers a unique insider’s view into the publishing world, often allowing access to early copies of books and interactions with publishers and authors. Aside from scoring advanced copies of books, the best part of serving on a book award committee is discovering and championing outstanding books that might otherwise go unnoticed. It’s incredibly rewarding to help bring deserving stories to a wider audience, knowing that our choices can inspire, entertain and make a lasting impact on readers."
Paris Kelvakis is on the 2025 ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture Award Selection Committee (CHLL). He has also served on the Kerlan Award Committee, administered by the Children’s Literature Research Collections at the University of Minnesota, and the Nene Award Selection Committee in Hawaii.
What are the processes like for the CHLL committee?
"This CHLL award is different from other book awards. The prize can go to anyone who has contributed to the field of Children’s literature. Authors, illustrators, publishers, editors and professors can receive the award. Kyle Lukoff, who we selected as the winner for 2025, jokingly referred to it as 'the homework award' because the recipient of the CHLL award is tasked with writing 'a paper considered to be a significant contribution to the field of children’s literature' that will be delivered as a lecture in the Spring. Because of this, when evaluating prospective winners, we have to examine not just books they may have had a hand in creating but also the strength of their academic writing and ability to be an engaging speaker. It’s a prestigious honor to be given this particular homework."
What do you enjoy most about it?
"Getting to have a hand in shaping the modern canon of Children’s Literature. Decades from now, educators and librarians will be looking back at what high-quality literature from this period in history looked like, and awards like these will be their first stop in that research. It’s kind of a powerful responsibility."
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