A better than six-decade-old tradition in the Emporia community will be continuing this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 68th annual William Allen White Book Awards is going virtual this year and will again be recognizing two books and their authors selected by local schoolchildren. This year’s award winners are “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” by Dusti Bowling and “Restart” by Gordon Korman.
“Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” details the story of a young girl named Aven who was born without arms. Aven teams up with one of her classmates who also suffers from a disability to solve a mystery.
“Restart,” tells the story of Chase, a bully who suffers amnesia after an accidental fall and must not only rediscover who he is, but also what kind of person he was.
Michelle Hammond, dean of ESU University Libraries and Archives says the annual award has constantly put reading at the forefront of several generations. She says she often has adults who will approach her and discuss the award program and the associated books from their childhood.
This year’s awards will be taking place over the course of two days with a virtual “read by the fire event” on Friday, Oct. 2 and the actual awards ceremony streaming on Youtube on Saturday, Oct. 3.
For more information on the William Allen White Book Awards visit http://www.wawchildrensbookaward.com.
