About The Award

The Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Award is a literary program designed for young readers in Atlantic Canada. Each year, thousands of children aged nine to twelve (grades four to 6) read from the selection of outstanding Canadian books and vote for the winners. The award is designed after similar successful programs in Ontario (The Silver Birch Award) and British Columbia (The Red Cedar Award).

The Hackmatack Award was established with young readers in mind and serves to achieve the following objectives:

to promote and advance reading and literacy among school-aged children in Atlantic Canada
to participate in and promote a regional program in schools that will encourage young readers
to foster the development and appreciation of writing in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, in both official languages, through a reading program
to work with public libraries to encourage readers through a developed reading program
to encourage a greater official public recognition of the work of Canadian writers

The Hackmatack Selection Committee nominates renowned Canadian books for young readers to the Hackmatack shortlist. The forty books nominated for the Hackmatack Award are divided into four categories - English Fiction, English Nonfiction, French Fiction and French Nonfiction. Children in registered reading groups read the nominated books and vote for the winners of the award in the spring of each year. The winners of the Hackmatack Award in each category are announced at the final award ceremony in May.

Students, especially those at non-participating schools, may participate on-line through the P.E.I. Provincial Library Service's on-line bookclub.

Jump ahead: Hackmatack Project Kit | Eligibility | Voting | Timeline | Group Size | Book Selection | Financial Support | Bookstores.

Hackmatack Project Kit

The project manuals are designed annually and contain information on the nominated books and their authors, reading charts, activity ideas and much more:

About the Hackmatack Award
Reading progress charts: Fiction and Non-Fiction
Ballots (English)
Reading Logs
Voting Sheets
Hackmatack English Nominations
Hackmatack French Nominations
Clip Art
English Fiction - Books and Authors
English Non-Fiction - Books and Authors
French Fiction - Books and Authors
French Non-Fiction - Books and Authors

Please note changes to the program.

NEW! Print your own book spine stickers. (Carr McLean, 2009 catalogue p. 21 Spine Labels, 1 1/2" x 1", L96-119, 56 labels per sheet, 100 sheets per box).

Eligibility

Who can participate?

grade 4, 5, or 6 class in a school
group formed by staff in a public or school library
group formed by a parent or a community organization

Not part of a group? Ask at your public library for how to participate on your own. Organizers may add children who are either younger or older if they feel that they would benefit from the program.

Voting

How it works:

groups buy books at bookstores or borrow from public libraries
groups can choose to read from either English or French selections or both
each reader casts votes for their favourite books in the spring
to be eligible to vote, children must be enrolled in a registered reading group or participating through their public library
each reader is entitled to one vote in each category in which they have completed at least 5 titles. Organizers should encourage children to read as many books as they can to make informed decisions. However, organizers may be flexible and exercise their discretion to encourage all readers' participation.
group coordinators enter the results of their readers' voting on the official tally sheet and submit this sheet to the Hackmatack office. Votes for each book are counted by the Hackmatack Award Committee and the winner in each category (Fiction, Nonfiction and French) is determined by the number of children's votes. The winners in all three categories are presented the Hackmatack Award at the May ceremony.

Hackmatack Timeline 2012/2013

February 2012 - nominated book selections
September 2012 - registration brochure and poster mailouts
September 2012 - Kit becomes available online
Deadline for registrations: December 31, 2012
September 2012 to March 2013 - reading
February 2013 - Voting reminder, bookings to host author readings and attend award ceremony
April 1, 2013 - Deadline for voting
May 6 - 9, 2013 - Nominated author reading tours in Atlantic region
May 10, 2013 - Award Ceremony, Halifax, NS, 10 am - 12 pm
May 10, 2013 - Press releases out re award winners

Group Size

Although there is no set minimum of readers to form a group, we recommend a minimum of 10 readers. The recommended maximum group size is approximately 30 children (one class).

Book Selection

Each year, the Hackmatack Selection Committees review dozens of books submitted by Canadian publishers in each category. The books on the nominations list are chosen for their reader's appeal, quality of writing, subject matter and other criteria. The final list is carefully selected to appeal to readers with a variety of interests and to accommodate different reading levels.

Financial Support

Need support for book purchases or increased access to the nominated books? Try asking your Parent-Teacher Association or local business for their support. Your local public libraries are involved with the Hackmatack program and are interested in collaborating with schools to support reading groups.

The NS Teacher's Association for Literacy and Learning offers Hackmatack book-buying grants to teachers attending their inservice in late October each year. Contact Bonnie Boulter, bjboulter@eastlink.ca for more information.

Participating Bookstores

Several independent bookstores in Atlantic Canada carry complete sets of Hackmatack-nominated titles. Hackmatack selections can be found in the following stores:

New Brunswick

Benjamin's Books: 1 Gondola Point Rd., Ste 1, Rothesay, NB E2E 5J6; tel: (506) 848-1234; fax: (506) 847-3971; benbooks@nbnet.nb.ca; www.benjaminsbooks.nb.ca (French and English titles)
Books Inn Inc.: 144 Newcastle Boulevard, Miramichi, NB E1V 2L7; tel: (506) 622-1185; fax: (506) 622-1205; booksinn@nbnet.nb.ca (English titles only)
Librairie acadienne: Édifice Taillon, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9; tel: (506) 858-4140 (French titles only)
Librairie Pelagie: 231A Boul. J.D. Gauthier, Shippagan, NB E8S 1N2; tel: 1-888-735-2443; fax: (506) 336-9778 (French titles only)
Tidewater Books: 4 Bridge St., Sackville, NB E4L 3N5; tel: (506) 536-0404; fax: (506) 536-0881 (French and English titles)
Westminster Books: 445 King Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 1E5; tel: (506) 454-1442; fax: (506) 452-9330 (French and English titles)

Newfoundland

The Bookery on Signal Hill: Sweet Relic, 42 Powers Court, St. John's, NLÊ A1A 1B6; tel: (709) 739-4223 fax: (709) 739-3367 (English titles only)

Nova Scotia

The Inside Story: 1910 Greenwood Mall, Greenwood, NS B0P 1N0; tel: (902) 765-6116; fax: (902) 765-6484 (English titles only)
Magasin a Campus: Université Ste Anne, Church Point, NS B0W 1M0; tel: (902) 769-3562; fax: (902) 769-3167 (French titles only)
R&C Sagors Bookstore: 686 King St., Bridgewater, NS B4V 1B4; tel: (902)543-4204 (English titles only)
Tattletales Books: Penhorn Mall, 535 Portland Street, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 5B1; tel: (902) 463-5551; fax: (902) 463-5552 (French and English titles)
Woozles Bookstore: 1533 Birmingham Street, Halifax, NS B3J 2J6; tel: (902) 423-7626; fax: (902) 420-0418 (French and English titles)

Prince Edward Island

Bookmark: Confederation Court Mall, 172 Queen Street, Charlottetown, PEI C1A 4B5; tel: (902) 566-4888; fax: (902) 368-3651 (English titles only)