Kids' Indie Next List to Debut This Fall: Nominations Needed Now

This Friday, July 11, is the deadline for nominations for the Fall Children's Indie Next List, which will be the debut kids' Next List.

"The last children's list showcased such great titles as Ingrid Law's Savvy, The Penderwicks of Gardam Street, and Madeleine L'Engle's The Joys of Love," said Dan Cullen, editor-in-chief of the Indie Next Lists, "and, with solid bookseller participation, the upcoming list will highlight a wealth of intriguing and fun titles for the fall. Booksellers have been telling us they love the new format for the Indie Next List, and, with their participation, we'll be able to compile a children's lists that will make their customers very happy."

Any ABA member bookseller can e-mail nominations to indienextlist@bookweb.org [1], or they can use a convenient online nomination form [2]. (The URL has changed for the online nomination form; so booksellers are encouraged to bookmark the new URL.) There's additional information about the Next List here [3], and more information about IndieBound here [4].

Friday is also the deadline for nominations for the Banned Books Top Ten, which is timed so booksellers will be able to incorporate selected titles in Banned Books Week displays and at related events. (Banned Books Week will be celebrated this year from September 27 to October 4.) The list aims to highlight outstanding titles (both for adults and for children) that have been banned or challenged in bookstores and/or libraries. Banned Books list nominations can be either hardcover or paperback titles, frontlist or backlist.

"Freedom of expression and the crucial importance of First Amendment rights is a bedrock principle for independent booksellers," said Cullen, "and we hope that the Banned Books Top Ten can be part of a compelling in-store display for Banned Books Week."

According to the American Library Association, the list of the 10 most challenged titles for 2007 includes And Tango Makes Three, The Golden Compass, Olive's Ocean, and The Chocolate War. (More information about Banned Books Week is available from ABFFE [5] and from ALA [6]).