Jenny Hubbard’s book, “And We Stay,” has been nominated for the North Carolina Young Adult book Award for 2015-2016 (high school list). Each year students nominate titles to be included in a middle school and high school nominee list.

As a member of this select list, her book will be read by students across the state. Students then participate in the awards selection by voting on their favorite title in March of 2016. The North Carolina School Library Media Association will begin promoting the books by kicking off the award at the North Carolina School Library Media Association conference in October.

The award was initiated in 2008 to encourage reading at the middle and high school levels by involving students in the process of selecting and voting on the best books for their age group. Studies consistently show that reading for pleasure begins to wane as children reach middle school age and the goal of this award is to get these kids interested in reading good, current books that appeal to their age level.

Each year the committee selects 10 books for middle school readers and 10 for high school readers to make up the two lists. The titles are chosen from nominations of books published within the last three years that have been submitted by students and media coordinators across the state. Throughout the school year, students are encouraged to read from the lists and think critically about what they read.

High School

1. And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard, Delacorte Press (January 28, 2014)
2. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Page, HarperCollins, 2014
3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, St. Martin’s Griffin (February 26, 2013)
4. The Finisher by David Baldacci, Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (March 3, 2015)
5. I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, Dial Books (September 16, 2014)
6. The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson,  Viking Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (January 7, 2014)
7. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, First Second (May 6, 2014)
8. Walk to Beautiful by Jimmy Wayne with Ken Abraham, Thomas Nelson (October 7, 2014)
9. We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (December 23, 2014)
10. We Were Liars by E Lockhart, Delacorte Press; First Edition edition (May 13, 2014)
11. When We Wake by Karen Healey, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013 

Poet honored for work

William Sherrill, a poet and frequent contributor to Poetryfest publications, has received the Poet of the Year award from that organization.

He’s being honored for  “Flights of Angels: Our 50 Brightest Stars in Poetry.”

Sherill, a former Salisbury resident and veteran, writes poems about history, nature, God and other subjects. He has been commissioned by churches to write commemorative poems and writes poems for friends’ birthdays and anniversaries.

A graduate of Shaw University, he continues to study theology and is an avid reader of several news magazines, newspapers and other current events publications.