Cast Your Vote for the 2025 Charlotte Award!
This month’s caregiver tip highlights the importance of student choice and the power of their voices. What better way to engage these skills than by encouraging students to cast a ballot for The 2025 Charlotte Award. Established in 1990 by the New York State Reading Association (NYSRA), The Charlotte Award celebrates excellence in children’s literature. Students of all ages are encouraged to vote for their favorite nominated book across four categories: Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, and High School. Here are the 2025 nominees in the Primary category:
Rock the Vote!
Voting Requirements:
In order to become qualified voters, students can either read the books on their own or have the books read to them.
Students are encouraged to read all of the titles in a given category (Primary, Intermediate, Middle School, and High School), but it is not a requirement.
Each reader is entitled to one vote per category.
Students may read books — and therefore vote — in multiple categories, but still may only cast one vote per category.
Votes must be received by May 15, 2025.
March Madness at any Time of Year
Looking for a fun way to inspire reading and engagement this spring? Use the Charlotte Award nominees to bring the excitement of March Madness into your home or school at any time of year. A creative librarian at Bennett Elementary School in Onteora, NY created a March Madness bracket using the Primary Charlotte Award nominees. She introduced all ten books to students during their lunch periods, allowing them to preview and vote for their top eight picks. These initial votes determined the seeding for the bracket.
Each week, the librarian read aloud two books—starting with the first and eighth seeds—followed by thoughtful discussion and student voting. As of now, A is for Axolotl by Catherine Macorol and Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan are battling it out in the school championship, with only a one- or two-vote difference separating them. This interactive activity has brought the school community together through a shared love of great books. Students regularly stop by the bracket board, engaging in meaningful conversations about their favorite stories.
A Note of Thanks to NYSRA
We would again like to extend our heartfelt thanks to NYSRA for awarding JOYcabulary with the 2024 Literature Mini-Grant award. We used a portion of the grant money to purchase all ten picture books nominated for the 2025 Charlotte Award in the Primary category. We’re so excited to incorporate these high-quality texts in our upcoming book pairings and to continue our mission of spreading the joy of vocabulary acquisition to educators, caregivers, and students alike.
What book will take home the 2025 Charlotte Award? There’s still time—cast your vote and join the celebration of student voice and great literature!
