Every year, independent booksellers across the country vote on the books

that best reflect the spirit of independent bookstores. These are books that independent booksellers love to recommend because their passion for these books is off the charts. Here are the winners of the 2012 Indies Choice Book Award for Young Adults, as well as the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards which reflect the playful, well-paced language, the engaging themes, and the universal appeal to a wide range of ages embodied by E.B. White’s collection of beloved books.

Indies Choice Young Adult Book of the Year

Winner:

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

 “The full extent of Stalin’s genocide will never truly be known, but it certainly had no boundaries. Ruta Sepetys stunningly portrays the devastation of Lithuania through the eyes of 15-year-old Lina and the story of her family’s deportation to Siberia. The camp scenes not only accurately display the horror of the Great Terror but also show the courage and resilience of those who survived this colossal crime. ” —Bill Cusumano, Nicola’s Books, Ann Arbor, MI

Young Adult Honor Books:

Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick

by Joe Schreiber

Legend

by Marie Lu

A Monster Calls: Inspired by an Idea From Siobhan Dowd

by Patrick Ness & Jim Kay

Shine

by Lauren Myracle

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories

by Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award: Middle Reader (tie)

Winner:

The Apothecary

by Maile Meloy & Ian Schoenherr

“It’s 1952 and 14-year-old Janie Scott has just moved from Los Angeles to London. Here, she meets a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows—a fascinating boy who’s not afraid to stand up to authority and who dreams of international espionage. Breathtaking illustrations accompany their adventures hot on the trail of Russian spies!” —ABC Recommendation (Ages 10+)

Winner:

Wildwood

by Colin Meloy & Carson Ellis

“The first book in an epic middle grade fantasy series is full of magic, wonder, and danger. Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary, until her brother is abducted by a flock of crows and taken to impassable Wilderness- known to the local creatures and mystics as Wildwood. It’s a place no outsider has ever entered, or if they did- ever returned to tell of it.”  —ABC Recommendation (Ages 8-12)

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award: Middle Reader Honor Books

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy, Randall Wright & Barry Moser

The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson, John Paterson & John Rocco

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver & Kei Acedera

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award: Picture Book

Winner:

I Want My Hat Back

by Jon Klassen

“An utterly irresistible, completely adorable tale of a bear who just wants his hat back, but can't remember where in the forest he could possibly have left it. This is a bear who really, really loves his hat, and will stop at nothing to see its return. Clever, funny, and perfectly illustrated, it is delightful book.” —Flannery Fitch

E.B. White Read-Aloud Award: Picture Book Honor Books

King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen

Press Here by Hervé Tullet

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray & Marla Frazee

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner & Christopher Silas Neal

Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker & Tom Lichtenheld

Bookshop Santa Cruz, local and independent since 1966, has an extensive children’s book section. Generations of young readers have grown up there, riding the rocking horse and discovering the wonder of books.