Garden State Teen Book Awards

Criteria for Nomination List

The GSTBA ballot will be compiled from a master list of nominated titles, which aims to expose teens to books that are both appealing and well-written. The GSTBA ballot also serves as a readers advisory tool to librarians and teachers serving teen readers. The GSTBA ballot should be representative of the diversity of socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and interests found in the state of NJ. The GSTBA ballot should reflect a balance in the diversity of reading interests of teen readers.

1. Selection of the master list of GSTBA nominees will be made by the GSTBA Committee, with the cooperation of the YA Section Executive Board as necessary.

2. The GSTBA master list of nominees will be chosen on a point system. One point will be assigned to each title for each of the following. Typically, fiction titles with 2 or more points and nonfiction titles with 1 or more points will be included on the master list.

Amazon Editors’ Picks, Best Children’s Books

Amazon Editors’ Picks, Best Teen and Young Adult Books

Amazon Best Books of the Year, Top 100 Picks

Booklist, Best of

The Early Word, Children’s Best Book Selections

Entertainment Weekly, Best Fiction

Horn Book Fanfare

International Reading Association Children’s and Young Adult Book Award

Kirkus, Best Children’s Books

Kirkus, Best Teen Books

National Book Foundation’s National Book Awards, Young People’s Literature

National Science Teachers Association, Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

New York Times, Best Illustrated Books

New York Times, Notable Children’s Books

Publisher’s Weekly, Best of Children’s Fiction, Nonfiction and Pictures Books

Robert F. Sibert Award

School Library Journal, Best Books of

VOYA, Nonfiction

VOYA’s Perfect Tens

VOYA, Pure Poetry

VOYA, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror

VOYA, Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers

Washington Post KidsPost

YALSA Great Graphic Novels, Fiction

YALSA Great Graphic Novels, Nonfiction

YALSA Quick Picks, Fiction Top 10

YALSA Quick Picks, Nonfiction

3. Nominees that have a publication date that is three years prior to its appearance on the GSTBA ballot will be considered. (i.e. The GSTBA ballot for which winners are announced in 2015 would be completed in early 2014 and would contain titles published in 2012.)

4. Only print publications are considered for nomination.

5. The fiction nominees will be chosen from books that were published as teen titles (when published in America). Nonfiction nominees will be chosen from books that were reviewed as appropriate for Grade 5 or older by the majority of professional review journals.

6. Fiction series titles (including prequels and sequels) are not considered unless the committee determines that they clearly stand alone. (These titles can later be removed if the majority of readers believe that the title does not stand alone outside of the series.) Note: The inclusion of series titles in some way is under discussion by the committee.

7. The master list may reflect books nominated by committee members throughout the state through a GSTBA nomination form within a designated time period prior to discussion meetings. Nominations from all avenues (publishers, etc.) may also be considered provided that they fall within the established criteria, as determined by the committee.

8. GSTBA nominations should feature books that are accessible to public and school libraries throughout NJ. Titles may be excluded off the list if owned by less than 5 library systems in NJ.

9. Information on the list of potential nominations should include: title of book, author, page numbers, genre, publication year, format (if applicable), and reflection of the award/list warranting its inclusion on the list. The master list must be completed by the first YA Section meeting of the fiscal year (typically September).

10. Only titles that appear on the master list will be discussed for consideration on the final ballot. Following discussion by readers from the YA Section, the GSTBA ballot will include a maximum of twenty nonfiction books for grades 6-12, a maximum of twenty fiction books for grades 6-8, and a maximum of twenty fiction books for grades 9-12.

Back to the Garden State Teen Book Awards main page

Back to the Young Adult Services Section Homepage