WNBA Announces Pannell Award Nominees

The Women's National Book Association this week announced the nominees for the 2010 WNBA Pannell Awards, recognizing retail bookstores that excel at inspiring the interest of young people in books and reading.

This year's awards, to one general bookstore and one children's specialty store, will be presented in May at BookExpoAmerica in New York.

This year's Pannell nominees are:

• Big Blue Marble Bookstore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas

• Bookshelf at Hooligan Rocks in Truckee, California

• Books, Inc. in San Francisco, California

• Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, New York

• Hicklebee's in Willow Glen, California

• Ladels Children's Book Boutique in Detroit, Michigan

• Literary Life Bookstore in Grand Rapids, Michigan

• Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia

• Parkplace Books in Kirkland, Washington

• Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina

• The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado

• Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington

The two winners will be selected by a jury of five book industry professionals who will look at each store's demonstration of creativity, responsiveness to community needs, passion, and understanding of making the connection between books and young people. The winner in each category will receive a check for $1,000 and a framed piece of original art by a children's book illustrator.

The awards, which were established by WNBA in 1981 to honor Lucile Micheels Pannell, a model book woman and children's bookseller, are also sponsored by Penguin Young Readers Group.