Procedures

Collection Development Statement
The Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List includes titles for grades 3 – 6 and is not designed to support any particular curriculum. Librarians are not required or expected to purchase every book on the list to participate in the voting program. Due to the diversity in age range and topics, librarians should follow their collection development policies and guidelines when considering which titles to purchase for their library.

How the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) Master List Is Selected

The TBA selection committee is responsible for the selection of the books on each year’s master list. Suggestions are solicited from librarians, teachers, parents, students and other interested persons. A new list of twenty books is released each year at the Texas Book Festival in November.

In selecting titles, the committee considers student interests, relevant content, reputable reviews, and literary quality. Both fiction and nonfiction books are represented. The author must be a living U.S. citizen or an author who resides and publishes in the United States. Books considered for the master list must have been published in the United States. Only titles published within the three years prior to the master list release date are considered. Textbooks and new editions of existing titles are not eligible.

TBA Policies and Procedures

How to Participate

Those wanting to start a TBA program at their school or library must register their institution each year to participate. You may register online (if paying by credit card) or mail in the printable registration form (if paying by check). Purchase orders are not accepted as payment. Registration may occur at any time during the year, prior to the beginning of voting on January 1.

Many resources are available on TBA’s Google Site to aid you in creating activities to promote the master list, including book reviews, videos, Reader’s Advisory, and Book Talk (activities vary). Additional resources are available on this website, including a student reading log and student reading chart for readers to chart their progress.

Librarians, teachers, and parents may also develop their own original ideas to enrich the TBA reading program. To assist with various promotional activities, promotional supplies are available for purchase from TBA, such as pencils, spine labels, bookmarks, and certificates. You may place supply orders online (if paying by credit card) or mail in your order (if paying by check). Purchase orders are not an accepted form of payment.

TBA Voting

Eligible readers will cast votes for their favorite TBA book anytime during the month of January. Eligible voters are readers in grades 3-6 who have read (or heard read aloud) at least 5 of the master list titles and are enrolled in a TBA-registered institution. All votes must be submitted by midnight on Feb. 10, 2024. (CST). Each registered institution may choose either to conduct online voting or paper ballot voting.

Presentation of the TBA Award to the Winning Author

The author of the winning book is presented with the Texas Bluebonnet Award at the TLA Annual Conference in April. During the TBA luncheon, the author (and sometimes the illustrator, as well) shares insights on his/her writing and accepts the year’s award from the youth representatives. The representatives are chosen at random and have participated in the TBA program at their institution.

TBA Committees

The Texas Bluebonnet Award Committee is comprised of two subcommittees: the selection committee and the program committee. The selection committee is charged with reading all suggested titles and selecting the final master list. The program committee is charged with publicity work, creating activities for each title, and selecting at random the children that present the award to the winning author.

For information on how you could become a committee member on the selection or program committee, please see our committee application form.