Do you like to read? Do you like to give your opinion? Are you between the ages of 8-14? If you answered yes to all three of those questions, we would love for you to be a Cartwheel Reader! Read on for more information, and sign up here if you want to be a reader.

What are the Cartwheel Book Awards? We like to consider them the Kids’ Choice Awards for middle grade (and now middle school) books. We are looking for kids who love to read who would be interested in becoming Cartwheel Reader and voters.

What are readers supposed to do? READ! And vote. Readers will be asked to read ten books during 2020. That comes to an average of about one book per month, depending on when they join. All readers will read the same ten titles and the titles have already been decided. You can find them here. Readers will be emailed a link to a form where they can vote for their choices in four categories: Favorite Book, Best Written, Favorite Character, and Best Ending. They may vote any time before December 31 (after they finish reading the ten books, of course).

Who can be a reader? Anybody can be a reader but we are really looking for kids who LOVE reading. Readers can reside anywhere. Also, we choose books from a variety of genres (mystery, fantasy, adventure, etc.) and hope that our readers are willing to give every book a try – even if they are “sure” they won’t like it! They might be surprised…

Why should I become a reader? One reason is that you will be able to read some of the best newer books around. (All considered books for the 2021 Cartwheel Book Awards were published in the U.S. in 2019.) Also, we hope some of the authors will meet with us virtually so we can get to know them a little bit. Here are some past author interviews.  

What is your parents’ role? Parents are expected to obtain copies of the books through local libraries or by other means. Also, please do not pressure your child to join. We want the Cartwheel Book Awards to be fun; if being a Cartwheel Reader starts to feel like homework to your child, it is totally okay if they choose to no longer serve. Please let us know if you signed up but your child decides to no longer participate. 

Questions? Email Mr. Steve at librarymrsteve@gmail.com.