Mock Awards

This Monday's award announcement is like the Oscars of the library world.  I will admit to hoarding a stack of books the week or 2 before the announcement because they are ones that I think will win.  There's nothing like a shiny award seal or a display of winners.  So if you are like me and you just can't wait, here are some sites you may want to visit:

ALA Youth Media Awards Webcast
http://cdnlive.webcastinc.com/ala/2013/live/
If you can't make it to Seattle to watch it live at 8 a.m. PT (or 11 a.m. ET), this is the next best thing.  If you are doing this, I would also recommend being logged into Twitter and following #ALAyma.  This is great if you can't write the titles fast enough (like me).

If you are looking for ways to come up with your own list of possible winners, start by looking at books that get multiple starred reviews.  Every November-December, the "Best of" lists are published.  I like to watch Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, Amazon, New York Times, Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, and the National Book Awards.  Each brings a little something different to the table, from criticism to popularity.  Then watch the blogs.

• Allen County Public Library (ACPL) has been running mock awards since 1997 and they tend to be right on or close.  They run many Mock Book Awards, from Sibert to Newbery.
• In more recent years, the Heavy Medal blog appeared on the School Library Journal web site.  They provide a lot of book information, but also bring up concerns about the books. 
• Well, if you have a Newbery blog, you need a Caldecott one too.  Calling Caldecott is run on The Horn Book web site.  What is fun here is that they let anyone vote!
• While not a mock awards blog, Elizabeth Bird provides a lot of book information on her A Fuse 8 Production blog.  I like to follow her, because not only does she review books, she highlights all kinds of award winners and tells you about books coming out that have the potential to be hot.  Plus, she is extremely entertaining.