If you're looking for a book you'd like to read or if you have an assignment to fulfill, the library's trained youth services staff can make an excellent, personal recommendation just for you. Please call or come into the library! You may also find one of the following lists of recommended titles helpful.
The Rhode Island Children's Book Award started in 1990 as a joint project of the Rhode Island State Council of the International Reading Association (RISC/IRA), the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA), and the Rhode Island Educational Media Association (RIEMA) under the coordination of the Office of Library and Information Services (OLIS). Many public schools in Rhode Island encourage students in grades 3-5 to read at least 3 of the nominated titles and vote on the one they like best. These votes are collected and counted at the state level, and the school with the most participation gets to host the author of the winning title. The Cranston Public Libraries often hold RICBA related events to encourage more children to get involved. The RICBA nominees also appear on the Cranston Public School recommended summer reading lists.
The Rhode Island Middle School Book Award was created in 2016 "to encourage children in Grades 6-8 in Rhode Island to read for enjoyment and to promote the use of libraries and media centers." A founding committee made up of librarians, school librarians, teachers and community members who work with this age group was established in June 2016. The founding committee created a mission statement, bylaws, and procedures over the summer and transitioned to a nominating committee in September of 2017. The first list of nominated titles was announced in Spring 2017.
According to the RITBA website (opens in a new tab): "The Rhode Island Teen Book Award is a collaborative project of the School Librarians of Rhode Island (SLoRI) and the Rhode Island Library Assocation (RILA). The goal of the Rhode Island Teen Book Award is to promote quality literature for teens by highlighting well-written books that will be of interest to those between the ages of 14 and 18 years of age. It is the hope of the committee that by allowing teens to select the winner from each year's list of nominees, teens will be encouraged to not only read more, but also discuss the books they are reading with their friends and family at school, the local library, and at home." The Rhode Island Teen Book Award nominees frequently appear on the Cranston Public Schools recommended summer reading lists.