SPONSORS

The Blue Spruce Award Committee would like to thank the following organizations for sponsoring Colorado's teen book award:

 

• Colorado County International Reading Association

 

• Colorado Language Arts Society

 

• Colorado State Library

 

• Colorado Association of Libraries

 

WORDS from our NOMINATED AUTHORS

From Akemi Dawn Bowman, author of Starfish:

Oh wow, thank you so much for including Starfish in such great company! I’m honored to see Kiko’s story nominated, and so very grateful to everyone who voted. A lot of people call this a quiet book, but I think the emotions in it are loud—it’s about trauma, invisible scars, and trying to find a place where you fit in the world. Knowing this story is reaching readers means the absolute world to me, so thank you times infinity!

From Ann Aguirre, co-author of Honor Among Thieves:

Wow, I can't express how excited I am that Honor Among Thieves was nominated. I'm so full of gratitude and elation that teens voted for our weird, lovely book.  If you enjoy quirky science fiction chock full of sisterhood, unconventional love, big action, high stakes, attitudinal robots, and just the right amount of snark, I hope you'll check out Honor Among Thieves. Writing this with Rachel Caine was a dream come true, but now that The Honors has been honored like this, I couldn't ask for anything more. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

GET INVOLVED

Are you doing something super cool to promote the Blue Spruce Award at your location?  Let us know!  Fill out our contact form or email us at: 

coloradobluespruceaward@ gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

From Rachel Caine, co-author of Honor Among Thieves:

When Ann and I set out to write this series, we were delighting our inner 14-year-old selves who craved space adventure, but space adventures that centered unusual characters and feelings and discoveries and challenges. Most of all, we wanted to take teens along on an adventure with us, one where finding yourself--whoever you might be--is part of the journey. We wanted to talk about love outside of the lines. Grungy space pirates. Soaring, beautiful ships. Singing alien creatures. Space swarms. But most of all, we wanted to talk about how to see the person you're becoming in the middle of all of that stardust and struggle. And I hope that Colorado teens will hop on board and take that journey with us to the stars. We're so honored to be part of this!

From Jennifer Latham, author of Dreamland Burning:

Writing fiction is a strange job. For months—years, even—you sit alone with your thoughts and your computer, inventing a story filled with people who live only in your head. If you’re lucky, that story becomes a book. And if you’re extraordinarily lucky, people might even want to read it and spend some time inside the world you’ve created. The fact that teen readers in Colorado nominated Dreamland Burning for the Blue Spruce Award means to the world to me. I feel extraordinarily lucky and extraordinarily honored. Thank you!

From Kendare Blake, author of Three Dark Crowns:

Thank you so much for letting me know that my book, Three Dark Crowns, has been nominated for the Blue Spruce Award. It's a special thrill to be nominated...I mean, it's always a thrill to be nominated for anything, but the fact that this nomination came from the student readers themselves, is very, very cool. I checked out the list of other nominees, and dang! Your readers have some really great taste.

From Rick Riordan, author of The Ship of the Dead:

A big Viking thank you for nominating THE SHIP OF THE DEAD for the Colorado Blue Spruce Award! Magnus Chase, Alex Fierro, and the rest of the squad from the Hotel Valhalla send their regards. I hope you enjoy their adventures, and remember, kids, do NOT try this at home. Dying and getting resurrected as einherjar so you can stop Loki from starting Ragnarok is NOT as easy as it sounds!

From Claire Legrand, author of Furyborn:

I can't tell you how much it means to me that the teens of Colorado have nominated Furyborn for a Blue Spruce Award. I've been working on this series since I was 18 years old. I often refer to this series as "the books of my heart" because it is that dear and precious to me. Rielle and Eliana come from the deepest parts of my soul, and to know that teens are reading and loving their story is an incredible and humbling honor. Thank you so much!

From Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood and Bone:

Thank you to the committee for this wonderful nomination! It was very important to me to write a book that I would've loved reading growing up, so I'm grateful to each educator who has shared this book with their classrooms!