The Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award
The Abraham Lincoln Award is awarded annually to the author of the book voted as most outstanding by participating students in grades nine through twelve in Illinois. The award is named for Abraham Lincoln, one of Illinois' most famous residents and himself an avid reader and noted author. The award is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association (ISLMA).The Abraham Lincoln Award is designed to encourage high school students to read for personal satisfaction and become familiar with authors of young adult and adult books.
Nomination Form
Nominations—2010
Students, librarians, and educators from schools or public libraries that are registered participants in the ALIHSBA program may nominate books for the award. To be eligible for the list, books must meet the following criteria:
- First published within the past five years
- Currently in print in paperback
- Author living at time of selection for the Master List
- Fiction, non-fiction, or poetry
- May not be a textbook, a translation, or an anthology by more than one author
- May not be a previous Rebecca Caudill Award winner
- May not have appeared on a previous ALIHSBA Master List
- If part of a series, must be the first volume unless it can stand by itself without reading the previous titles in the series
Past Master Lists Compilation
Nomination forms for the 2010 award will be accepted from April 1 - October 15, 2008.
Registration/Participation
Any Illinois school serving students in grades nine through twelve may register and participate in the award program. If any local school chooses not to participate, public libraries may register to provide access for their students, as well as for home schooled students. Participating schools and libraries must:
- Submit registration form (below) by November 15
- Provide a minimum of 12 of the 22 titles on the Master List
- Provide student voting forms
- Tally student voting forms and report the results by the deadline shown in the Timeline (below)
To register, complete the form below and send it with the $10.00 annual fee to the address provided.
Volunteering for Abe Committees
Adults interested in working on an Abe Award committee should complete and send the application from the link below. We are always looking for new people to serve on the Nominations Committee, Reader Panel, and in other capacities. Even if we can’t use you immediately in your preferred area, we will keep your application on file and work you in as soon as possible. Most of our Abe committee work is done via email, with the exception of the March selection meeting of the Abe Reader Panel, which is held on a Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., usually in the Bloomington/ Springfield/ Peoria area.
Adult Volunteer Application
PDF | Online Application
High school students interested in serving a one-year term as a Student Member of the Abe Award Reader Panel should complete and send the application from the link below. If more than one student from the same area of the state applies, preference will be given to seniors; younger students’ applications will be held in a waiting file for following years. Requirements and duties of the Student Readers are described on the application form.
Student Reader Panel Volunteer Online Application
PDF * Online Application
Voting
Voting is coordinated in the schools by the school library media specialist or teacher. If the school has no library media specialist or interested teacher, the library paraprofessional may coordinate the voting and submit results to ISLMA. In a public library, a librarian may collect votes for students who are not involved in the program at school or another library.
To be eligible to vote, a student must have read or listened to at least four books on the Master List. Each student will vote for his or her favorite book from the nominees. The official Vote Reporting Form must be submitted electronically via the ISLMA website by the deadline shown in the Timeline. Statewide results will be tallied and the winner will be announced at the DuKane Institute, by email, on ISLMANET-L, on the ISLMA website, and through the regional library systems.
Resources
The links below are to resources you may wish to use in promoting the Abe Award at your library. You may print and use these in any creative way that works for you!
PR/Motivational Ideas
Abraham Lincoln Bookmark
Abe Logo Bookmark
Small Abe Logo Bookmark
2009 Master List Bookmark
Abraham Lincoln Image
Abraham Lincoln Brochure Cover Image
Abraham Lincoln Image (Small)
2008 Student Reading Certificate
Abe Award Spine Labels & Cover Seals
Round cover seals (black Abe portrait on a gold foil background) may be purchased at the conference store during the annual ISLMA conference or ordered from Kay Maynard, P.O. Box 598, Canton, IL 61520. Checks should be payable to ISLMA. The seals are 50c for a strip of 5.
Master sheets for printing your own Abe spine labels are available at the links below. You can print these on Avery label stock, or simply print on plain paper, cut them apart, and tape them onto your Abe books.
Abe Spine Labels Master Sheet
Abe 2009 Logo Labels Master Sheet * (Word Format)
Timeframe
Nomination period for 2010 Master List – April 1 - October 15, 2008
Student reading period for 2009 Award - March, 2008 – February, 2009
Official Vote Reporting Form due - February 25, 2009
Announcement of 2009 winner – February, 2009
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominees—2009
AFTER THE WRECK, I PICKED MYSELF UP, SPREAD MY WINGS AND
FLEW AWAY -- Joyce Carol Oates
THE BONEMENDER – Holly Bennett
CATCH – Will Leitch
CRANK – Ellen Hopkins
DAIRY QUEEN – Catherine Murdock
THE GIRLS – Lori Lansens
HAWKSONG – Amelia Atwater Rhodes
I AM THE MESSENGER – Markus Zusak
IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY – Ned Vizzini
JENNIFER GOVERNMENT – Max Barry
THE LIGHTNING THIEF – Rick Riordan
LOOKING FOR ALASKA – John Green
A NORTHERN LIGHT – Jennifer Donnelly
PEEPS – Scott Westerfeld
RAIDERS NIGHT – Robert Lipsyte
SOLD – Patricia McCormick
SUCH A PRETTY GIRL – Laura Wiess
TAKEN – Chris Jordan
THE TENTH CIRCLE – Jodi Picoult
THREE CUPS OF TEA – Greg Mortenson
THE WARRIOR HEIR – Cinda Williams Chima
WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? –Gail Giles
Administration
The Abraham Lincoln Award is administered by the ISLMA High School Book Award Executive Committee:
Chairperson - Kathy Shannon, retired from Thornwood High School
Jane Lenser, Prairie Area Library System
Carolyn Roys, Lake Park High School
Gayl Smith, Waubonsie Valley High School
(Registration form)
The Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award
Illinois High School Students’ Choice Award
Registration for the 2008-2009 Award Year
I would like to register my school/public library for the 2008-2009 Abraham Lincoln Award Program. Enclosed is $10.00 (checks made out to ISLMA).
Name:______________________________________________________
Position:____________________________________________________
School or Public Library Name:__________________________________
Street Address:________________________________________________
City:______________________________ IL Zip:___________________
Phone Number:_______________________________________________
Fax Number:_________________________________________________
Email Address:_______________________________________________
Library System Name:_________________________________________
All ALIHSBA participant resources will be available on the ISLMA website at www.islma.org.
Send completed form and payment to:
Abraham Lincoln Award
C/O ISLMA
P.O. Box 598
Canton, IL 61520
