Literary

On Thursday, May 19 at 9:30 a.m., the Bank Street Center for Children's Literature will award two prizes for outstanding children's books as chosen by young readers themselves. This year's Irma Simonton Black Award for best read-aloud picture book for first and second grade goes to "It's Only Stanley" by Jon Agee. The Cook Prize for science, engineering, technology, and math goes to "Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France" by Mara Rockliff, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. The keynote speaker is Scott Magoon.

Tickets are available online.

In the city of Quill, when all 13-year-olds are labeled either Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted, twin boys Alex and Aaron receive different fates, forcing them to separate and ultimately reunite after discovering what their labels actually mean to their lives. Regina reads a passage from "The Unwanteds" by Lisa McMann on Wednesday, May 25 at 5:00 p.m. and encourages a lively discussion with listeners from nine to 14 years old and their families.

Set on a plantation in the deep South, the story of Abbey and her friend Bee involves a mystery dating all the way back to the Civil War. These two sleuths are especially curious about the no trespassing signs they notice and the holes being dug in the ground around Felony Bay so they set out to investigate -- and possibly unravel an age-old tale of slavery and buried treasure. Regina reads a passage from "Girl from Felony Bay" by J. E. Thompson on Wednesday, May 18 at 5:00 p.m. and encourages a lively discussion with listeners from nine to 14 years old and their families.

A zero-tolerance policy of no weapons at Sierra's school does not excuse her mistake of bringing a paring knife in her lunch bag. Sierra is suspended when she admits the error to the school principal, causing a range of opinions and emotions from serious to humorous. Regina reads a passage from "Zero Tolerance" by Claudia Mills on Wednesday, May 11 at 5:00 p.m. and encourages a lively discussion with listeners from nine to 14 years old and their families.

When eighth-grader Edward and three of his science classmates touch what they think is a rock, they cause a rip in the fabric of space and time. Since the fetch, as it is called, keeps the boundaries between universes intact, the four students must work together to keep space from collapsing around them. Regina reads a passage from "Time Fetch" by Amy Herrick on Wednesday, May 4 at 5:00 p.m. and encourages a lively discussion with listeners from nine to 14 years old and their families.