Hackmatack Book Awards Lets Students be Critics

Students across the province will have a chance to practice their literacy and critical thinking skills as book reviewers when choosing the winners of the Hackmatack Children's Choice 2013-14 Book Awards.

The Hackmatack program provides students in grades 4 to 6 in Atlantic Canada with the opportunity to read from a selection of Canadian authors and vote for their favourites.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development delivered two sets of 2013-14 English fiction and non-fiction nominated titles to a group of students at Elizabeth Sutherland School in Halifax today, Sept. 25. Schools across the province will get the books over the next two weeks.

"A solid foundation in reading is important for every student," said Kim Wilson, principal of Elizabeth Sutherland School. "Hackmatack offers students a unique opportunity to celebrate Canadian authors and create a connection to literacy across the province."

Each year, the Hackmatack selection committee, made up of teachers, librarians and young readers, nominates a list of Canadian children's books for young people to read. On April 1, they will vote for their favourite and winners will be announced in May.

Every fall, the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development provides elementary schools with two sets of the English titles selected for the Hackmatack Children's Choice Book Awards program. Schools in the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial and schools that offer early French immersion will also receive two sets of the French titles.