Readers, we want you to know that we listened. Over the last two to three years, we heard from many readers that the MCBA list didn't seem to be as good as it used to be, and honestly, we agreed. So last spring, we decided to do something about this problem!
For the first time, we (the school librarians) asked you (the upper grade readers) what books you wanted to see on this year's MCBA list. We asked your teachers, too. Here's what we did next:
1. We examined the official MCBA list put out by Salem State University.
2. We decided which titles we wanted to keep and which we didn't. We based these decisions on our experience reading the books, our students' experience reading the books, and reviews we read.
3. We chose 8 titles to remove and 8 titles (nominated by students and teachers) to add.
We added a graphic memoir (El Deafo) and a graphic history (The Underground Abductor). We added a memoir in verse that won multiple awards (Brown Girl Dreaming). We added more titles with diverse characters (Zane and the Hurricane, Better Nate Than Ever), and we kept many awesome books we know many of you will love!
We hope this is the best MCBA list in recent history. And one more exciting thing: we get to host the Books in Action party this year! So read 5 and get ready to celebrate!
MCBA meets SES: 25 books, 50 readers, 1000s of pages, and dozens of activities!
