The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award is a testament to our eager, diligent, thoughtful Colorado youth readers. It is testament to our Colorado youth librarians and teachers who listen to and believe in our Colorado youth.

1985, the Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award was created by a group of secondary educators who saw the need for more of an emphasis on reading. The stated mission of the CBSA was to stimulate, promote and encourage reading among young adults. It was unusual among state YA book awards, because students both nominated the books eligible for the award and chose the winning book. Every year, hundreds of teens participated by reading nominated books and placing their votes. In 2020, the committee was no longer able to host the award.

Partners in Literacy, a grassroots nonprofit founded in 2011, is now stewarding the award. Between 1985 and 2020, the winning book received the most votes from student voters. The emphasis was on the popularity of the book. We shall continue to have a popular choice award, the CBSA Readers’ Choice Award. You can learn more about the CBSA Readers’ Choice Award tab on this website.

Now, however, there will be two awards. The second award will be a juried award. We are soliciting help from students in grades 7-12 from all parts of the state to form “book teams”. Between September and the end of January, each regional book team will read (at least) two books. They will make a book talk on their favorite. That will be their team’s nomination for the award. Between the end of January and the beginning of April, each team will read (at least) one book nominated by another team. There will be a winter and spring remote conversation between teams. Everyone will vote to choose the winning book. Both winning books will be announced at the Colorado Teen Lit Conference held in Denver in April.

In the past four years, all of our book teams have been splendid. They chose diverse books and argued passionately for their choices. (We are especially appreciative of our rural teams.) For a book to be considered for the 2025-2026 award, it must be posted on our Padlet, an electronic bulletin board. Judges, mentors, librarians, teachers, writers and publishers may all post on the Padlet. (Eligible books must be PUBLISHED IN 2024 or 2025, But NOT: First MADE AS A MOVIE, NOT SELF PUBLISHED, NOT IN THE SAME SERIES As A PREVIOUS WINNER.) You can find out more on https://www.cpr.org/2025/04/07/report-teens-reading-less-some-disagree/the Eligible Book Padlet on this website.

If you choose to join us as someone who adds books to the CBSA Padlet, as a judge or as mentor, or as a librarian who promotes the Readers’ Choice award, know that this is award is a movement. It is a movement that believes kids’ voices should be amplified and heard. That this award is new each year with what we have learned from the previous year. If an award can be open source, this one hopes to be. Every suggestion that you give us, makes the award better for the next year. Other states aren’t doing this. Maybe they should be.

If you have questions or comments, email us at pil2011@partnersinliteracy.org.