Miriam Körner's Yellow Dog among best books of the year, as chosen by Saskatchewan students
Saskatchewan students named Yellow Dog by Miriam Körner the winner of the Snow Willow Award at the SaskEnergy Willow Awards on May 23, 2019.
The Snow Willow Award is for the best book for readers in Grades 7 and up. It is one of three awards that are part of the SaskEnergy Willow Awards, also known as the Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards.
The Willow Awards celebrate children's literature from across Canada, but are voted for by students in Saskatchewan. Approximately 12,000 students across the province took part this year.
Körner is a wilderness guide and writer from northern Saskatchewan. Yellow Dog follows Jeremy who befriends a sled dog and an old man who is its mysterious owner.
Saskatchewan-born writer Claire Eamer won the Shining Willow Award, for readers up to Grade 3, for her book Underneath the Sidewalk. The picture book, which is illustrated by Thomas Gibault, follows a nameless young girl who falls through a crack in the sidewalk and discovers that the monsters below the surface of the street aren't so fearsome after all.
Laura Monster Crusher by Wesley King won the Diamond Willow Award for readers in Grades 4 to 6. After experiencing bullying in a new town, protagonist Laura discovers monsters in her closet who only she can defeat.
The finalists and winners were celebrated at St. Angela School in Saskatoon, where students performed skits of their favourite books.