Middle School Students Give “Fernbery” Literature Award
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Jan. 29, 2014)
Surrounded by the books of the Ferndale Public Library, teens from Ms. Ferrini’s class at Ferndale Middle School held The Fernbery Award on Tuesday to recognize great works of literature for this year and to vote on their favorite.
The Fernbery Awards are a mock ceremony in honor of the Newbery Medal.
Students spent the last few months reading books that were potential winners for the Newbery, and voted on their favorite. The Fernbery Award went to Hokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli, a book about a boy whose bike is stolen by a girl in a world without grown-ups to help.
Once the Fernbery winner was chosen, the students watched a live webcast of the American Library Association Youth Media Awards ceremony in Philadelphia, where the official Newberry Medal was awarded to Kate DiCamillo for Flora and Ulysses. The book is about a cynical girl and a superhero squirrel.
Jillean McCommons, Head of Youth Services, was excited to host the middle school students. “It gave them an opportunity to read books that received glowing reviews from librarians and judge them for themselves. They got to be the experts. It was exciting to see them take on that role with enthusiasm and a lot of seriousness,” McCommons said. “They offered really valuable insights into what makes a book appealing to them. It was really fun and inspiring to witness that. We have a great group of avid readers in Ferndale.”
For more on The Ferndale Public Library visit http://www.ferndale.lib.mi.us/.
For more on The Newbery Award go to http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.