Congratulations to Tanya Lloyd Kyi and Heather Smith, whose books THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON STEREOTYPES: How Science is Tackling Unconscious Bias and BARRY SQUIRES, FULL TILT have been shortlisted for the 2021 Canadian Children’s Book Centre Awards! The CCBC Book Awards represent the exceptional quality of the work by Canadian authors and illustrators from across the country.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON STEREOTYPES by Tanya Lloyd Kyi (Kids Can Press) is a finalist for the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction! From the jury deliberation:
“An excellent resource showing us the science behind stereotyping and how we can work to change our thinking to become less biased in our lives… Weaving history and present-day events and influences, this is a good look at a subject we should be more aware of… Colourful artwork complements copious research distilled into readable, accessible sections, in learning about how brains are wired and how we can work at removing inherent biases.”
Tanya Lloyd Kyi writes both fiction and nonfiction on topics related to science, pop culture, social history — or a combination of the three. Her recent books include Under Pressure, Prince of Pot, and Mya’s Strategy to Save the World. Tanya lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with her family. Tanya is represented by Amy Tompkins.
BARRY SQUIRES, FULL TILT by Heather Smith (Penguin Teen Canada) has been shortlisted for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People! From the jury deliberation:
“Rarely have I read a book that has encompassed so much humanity. I laughed, I cried, I related on so many levels as our young protagonist marched, or should I say danced, to the beat of his own drum… Smith delivers a toe-tapping story filled with tenacity, tension, humour and heart… She brilliantly set the scenes, transporting the reader back to small-town Newfoundland, where every single word of this story rang true.”
Heather Smith is originally from Newfoundland, and now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her husband and three children. Her east coast roots inspire much of her writing. Her novel, The Agony of Bun O’Keefe, won the Ontario Library Association’s White Pine Award and the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, and was shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction. It also received starred reviews from Kirkus and Quill & Quire and was named a best book of 2017 by Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, The Globe & Mail and Quill & Quire (honorable mention), as well as selected as an Outstanding International Book by USBBY (United States Board on Books for Young People). Heather is represented by Amy Tompkins.
To see the full list of nominees, please visit: https://bookcentre.ca/news/2021-shortlists-ccbc-book-awards#tdaward