Hello readers!

My name is Annisha Jeffries and I am the Youth Services Manager at the Cleveland Public Library. Since this is my first blog post, I wanted to introduce myself.

I have worked at the Cleveland Public Library for over 23 years, I currently chair the Norman A. Sugarman Children’s Biography Award, which is given biennially by Cleveland Public Library and presented to a writer and/or illustrator of a new biography for children’s grades Kindergarten through 8th grade. I served on the the 2018 Caldecott Committee and I have the honor of chairing the Committee for 2021. I will be joining Roxanne and Steven as contributors on this blog, posting and discussing new titles that you have read and perhaps, overlooked. I have followed the Heavy Medal blog since it began, and I always felt an openness to the opinions of readers to contribute in the discussions from September to January.

Now, I have the opportunity to share my selections with you, and whether you agree with me or not, I open this platform as a way to let us know if there is a book we may have overlooked.

With so many diverse titles that have been published early this year and are forthcoming, it can get a bit overwhelming, but fear not because Roxanne, Steven and I will get the discussion going. We may not agree on a book or if it merits Newbery statist of course it is up to the selection committee.

So, now off with the gloves, crack open your books and let the reading begin!

Filed under: Intro