CYRM

​​​California Young Reader Medal

CYRM"The California Young Reader Medal program, established in 1974, introduces young readers in California to a variety of book genres and formats, gives them an opportunity to honor their favorite books and authors, and develops and cultivates a love of recreational reading.

The CYRM committee encourages California students to read, read, read!  Each year, students, teachers, and librarians send recommendations of their favorite books to the CYRM committee.  The committee members read the nominated books and then meet to discuss the merits of each book and their appeal to children.  Finally, the committee decides upon a well-balanced list of nominees.  Students from all over the state have the opportunity to read all the nominated books in a category and vote for their favorite. 

CYRM is supported by the California Reading Association, the California Association of Teachers of English, California Library Association, and the California School Library Association." Click here​ to go to the CYRM Program website.​

​"Primary" Nominees 2021-2022

CYRM HAS BEGUN!

 
 
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​CYRM Primary​
CYRM Older Readers

Grades K-3

All are welcome

All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold​

Celebrate diversity and inclusion with this New York Times bestselling picture book about a school where all are welcome Look under the jacket for a poster, and don't miss the fold-out page at the end of the book.

Follow a group of children through a day in their school, where everyone is welcomed with open arms. A scho​ol where kids in patkas, hijabs, and yarmulkes play side-by-side with friends in baseball caps. A school where students grow and learn from each other's traditions and the whole community gathers to celebrate the Lunar New Year.​


Drawn Together

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Drawn Together by MINH LÊ

When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words. With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picture book about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.

Dreamers


Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Dreamers is a celebration of making your home with the things you always carry: your resilience, your dreams, your hopes and history. It's the story of finding your way in a new place, of navigating an unfamiliar world and finding the best parts of it. In dark times, it's a promise that you can make better tomorrows.

Hair Love


Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry

​It's up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters, from former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison. Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her—and her hair—happy. Tender and empowering, Hair Love is an ode to loving your natural hair—and a celebration of daddies and daughters everywhere. ​
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Sulwe
Sulwe byLupita Nyong'o
From Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o comes a powerful, moving picture book about colorism, self-esteem, and learning that true beauty comes from within.

Sulwe has skin the color of​ midnight. She is darker than everyone in her family. She is darker than anyone in her school. Sulwe just wants to be beautiful and bright, like her mother and sister. Then a magical journey in the night sky opens her eyes and changes everything.




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​"Picture Books for Older Readers" Nominees 2021-2022

Grades 4-6

Before she was harriet

Let the Children March
The Skydiving Beavers ​​​
Before She Was Harriet
by Lesa Cline- Ransome

Who was Harriet Tubman before she was Harriet?

We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken. As Araminta she was a young girl whose father showed her the stars and the first steps on the path to freedom.

Let the Children March
by Monica Clark- Robinson

Told from a child's point of view, this moving historical picture book focuses on a monumental moment in the civil rights movement: the Children's Crusade of 1963. Thousands of African American children and teens marched through the streets of Birmingham, Alabama to end segregation and to inspire change and hope for the future. Written by debut author Monica Clark-Robinson and illustrated by Coretta Scott King Honor-winning artist Frank Morrison. 

The Skydiving Beavers: A True Tale
by Susan Wood

Just after World War II, the people of McCall, Idaho, found themselves with a problem on their hands. McCall was a lovely resort community in Idaho's backcountry with mountain views, a sparkling lake, and plenty of forests. People rushed to build roads and homes there to enjoy the year-round outdoor activities. It was a beautiful place to live. And not just for humans.

For centuries, beavers had made the region their home. But what's good for beavers is not necessarily good for humans, and vice versa. So in a unique conservation effort, in 1948 a team from the Idaho Fish and Game Department decided to relocate the McCall beaver colony. In a daring experiment, the team airdropped seventy-six live beavers to a new location.

 
​"Intermediate" Nominees 2021-2022

Independent Chapter Books for Grades 4-6

Other Words for Home

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
Wishtree
Other Words for Home
by Jasmine Warga

A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in verse about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed. Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US and her new label of Middle Eastern, an identity she’s never known before. But this life also brings unexpected surprises; there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise
By Dan Gemeinhart

Five years.

That's how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, criss-crossing the nation.

It's also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.

Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns that the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished—the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box—she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days...without him realizing it.

Along the way, they'll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there's Gladys...

Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all...but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after.”
Wishtree
by Katherine Applegate

Trees can't tell jokes, but they can certainly tell stories. . .

Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"—people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow named Bongo and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood.

You might say Red has seen it all.

Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experience as a wishtree is more important than ever.

Funny, deep, warm, and nuanced, this is Katherine Applegate at her very best—writing from the heart, and from a completely unexpected point of view.​



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​CYRM Winners of 2020-2021

Poor Louie

Reckless
restart


Poor Louie
by Tony Fucile

Poor Louie! Life is perfect for this pup until Mom's belly starts getting bigger. . . . A funny and touching tale for big siblings from the illustrator of the Bink and Gollie series.

Louie's life is great! A walk on the leash every morning, ice cream on Sundays, snuggling in bed at night with Mom and Dad. Even the playdates with Mom's friends—despite their little crawling creatures who pull Louie's ears—aren't all that bad. But then things get weird: cold food on the floor, no room in the bed, and lots of new stuff coming into the house in pairs—two small beds, two little sweaters, two seats in the stroller. Does that bode double trouble ahead, or could there be a happier surprise in store for Louie? With perfect visual pacing, Tony Fucile takes a familiar story and gives it a comic spin.
Sergeant Reckless
by Patricia McCormick

The inspiring true story of Reckless, the brave little horse who became a Marine.

When a group of US Marines fighting in the Korean War found a bedraggled mare, they wondered if she could be trained to as a packhorse. They had no idea that the skinny, underfed horse had one of the biggest and bravest hearts they'd ever known. And one of the biggest appetites!

Soon Reckless showed herself more than willing to carry ammunition too heavy for the soldiers to haul. As cannons thundered and shells flew through the air, she marched into battle--again and again--becoming the only animal ever to officially hold military rank—becoming Sgt. Reckless—and receive two Purple Hearts.

Restart
by Gordon Korman

Chase's memory just went out the window.

Chase doesn't remember falling off the roof. He doesn't remember hitting his head. He doesn't, in fact, remember anything. He wakes up in a hospital room and suddenly has to learn his whole life all over again . . . starting with his own name.

He knows he's Chase. But who is Chase? When he gets back to school, he sees that different kids have very different reactions to his return.

Some kids treat him like a hero. Some kids are clearly afraid of him.

One girl in particular is so angry with him that she pours her frozen yogurt on his head the first chance she gets.

Pretty soon, it's not only a question of who Chase is—it's a question of who he was . . . and who he's going to be.​