The Red Cedar is British Columbia’s Young Reader’s Choice book award.
Every year, thousands of children between grades 4 and 7 from across the province are invited to read books from the nominated lists of non-fiction and fiction titles and vote for their favourite.
The purpose of the program is threefold:
- To enrich and broaden students’ reading experiences
- To promote literacy through the reading of quality Canadian literature
- To encourage students’ thoughtful evaluation of these reading materials
The Red Cedar Book Awards are officially “launched” in mid-November each year, and students have the next six months to read and decide which one of the titles on the list they feel is the best Canadian book of the year.
Voting takes place in Late April, and the award winners are announced in May. Students may read books in either the fiction or the information category (or both if they’re really avid readers!). Two awards are given annually to the book from each list receiving the most votes.