About
the Book Selection Program
This program is a guide to multicultural literature
for all of those seeking excellent selections for readers ranging
from kindergarten through high school.
The Notable Books for a Global Society (NBGS)
Committee, part of the IRA CL/R SIG, selects each year
a list of outstanding trade books for enhancing student understanding
of people and cultures throughout the world. Winning titles include
fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written for students in grades K-12.
The winning titles each year are announced at the
International Reading Association Convention. An article describing
the selections is included in the fall issue of The Dragon
Lode.
The first list was published in 1996. Dr. Yvonne Siu-Runyan is the
IRA CL/R SIG member who conceived the idea and shepherded
the creation of this award list.
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Criteria
To be eligible for selection, a trade book
must have been published in the United States for the first time
during the year of copyrights under consideration. For example,
books selected for the 2007 list must have a 2006 copyright date.
Part I
(Meet one or more criteria from this
section.)
Portray cultural accuracy and authenticity
of characters in terms of (a) physical characteristics,
(b) intellectual abilities and problem solving capabilities, (c)
leadership and cooperative dimensions, and (d) social and economic
status;
Be rich in cultural details;
Honor and celebrate diversity as well as common bonds in
humanity;
Provide in-depth treatment of cultural issues;
Include characters within a cultural group or between two
or more cultural groups who interact substantively and authentically;
Iinclude members of a minority group for a purpose
other than filling a quota.
Part II
(Meet all criteria from this section.)
Invite reflection, critical analysis, and
response;
Demonstrate unique language or style;
Meet generally-accepted criteria of quality for the genre
in which they are written; and
Have an appealing format and be of enduring quality.
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Book Lists:
What Books Have Been Selected?
Twenty-five (25) books are selected each year.
Click on a year to reach the list of books honored as Notable
Books for a Global Society.
•
2007 (selected from books published in 2006)
• 2006 (selected
from books published in 2005)
• 2005 (selected
from books published in 2004)
•
2004 (selected
from books published in 2003)
2003
(selected from books published in 2002)
2002
(selected from books published in 2001)
2001 (selected
from books published in 2000)
2000 (selected
from books published in 1999)
1999 (selected
from books published in 1998)
1998 (selected
from books published in 1997)
1997 (selected
from books published in 1996)
1996 (selected
from books published in 1995)
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Committee Members
There are nine (9) members of the Notable
Books for a Global Society (NBGS) Committee, including the Chair
and the Co-Chair. Additionally, the past Chair serves as an advisor
and the President-Elect is the Executive Committee liaison. Three
new members are appointed annually at the beginning of each calendar
year by the President of the IRA CL/R SIG and the incoming NBGS
Chair from among candidates who respond to the call for members
for the Committee published in the fall issue of The Dragon
Lode and on the website. The Co-Chair, selected by the incoming
Chair and the current President, becomes Chair in the succeeding
year.
As far as possible, the Committee members are representative of
the SIGs membership through gender, regions of residence,
and professional positions (classroom teachers, teacher educators,
etc.) Preference is given to applicants who have not served previously
on the committee.
Committee members are obligated to attend meetings of the Committee
both at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Convention in November and the International Reading Association
(IRA) Convention in May.
Each committee member reads over 500 books in preparation for the
selection of books for the Notables list.
The NBGS Committee solicits nominations for the award, prepares
annotated lists of the winners for publication in The Dragon
Lode and other related publications, orally presents the
books at the annual Convention of IRA, notifies publishers
when their books have won, and conducts other activities to promote
this award. In our lists of committee
members, two lists of NBGS Committee members are included
because in a given year committee members are busy with tasks related
to more than one award year.
Comprehensive
list of those serving on this committee.
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Annotated
Reprints
Each year The Dragon Lode publishes
the list of Notable Books for a Global Society. Included
in the article are annotations for each winning book, teaching ideas
for each title, and related books for each of the 25 selections.
Reprints of the articles are available for $2.50 per list. Order
your reprints
today!
Also use the Subscription
and Membership Form so you can subscribe to The
Dragon Lode and not miss forthcoming lists in this excellent
series!
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Book Award
Stickers
Distinctive seals for the Notable Books
for a Global Society books are available for a modest fee. Obtain
your set of distinctive Notable
Seals to affix to the books in your collection to easily
identify them as well as to assist in publicizing this award collection.
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Nominating Books
Nominations for a forthcoming list of Notable
Books for a Global Society are welcomed! The committee seeks
very recent titles to read to consider for this award, and you may
know of a highly deserving new book. Please let us know about it.
To nominate a book which you believe meets the criteria, please
send to the chair
of the appropriate committee
the title, author, publisher, and ISBN number if possible.
Nominations must be received by November 15.
Please remember that books which are announced in May as Notable
Books for a Global Society for that year have a copyright
date of the preceding year (therefore, for books selected
for the 2006 list must have a 2005 copyright date).
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