- Who chooses the winner of the Mark Twain Readers Award?
Children choose the award-winning book. Each year, fourth, fifth, and sixth-grade students in Missouri choose among a selection of twelve nominees to be the winning novel.
- What are the eligibility requirements for the Mark Twain Readers Award?
Eligible books must be written by an author currently living in the United States, and the winning book must be a work of high literary quality. While other literary awards presented to authors of children's books have been criticized for choosing books that are too complex for such young readers, that accusation has never been targeted at the Mark Twain Readers Award, simply because actual children choose the winning book.
- Which authors have won the Mark Twain Readers Award in the past?
Past winners have included Lois Lowry for All About Sam, Betty Ren Wright for The Dollhouse Murders, and Thomas Rockwell for How to Eat Fried Worms.
- What is the significance of the Mark Twain Readers Award?
Even though the Mark Twain Readers Award may not be the most prestigious literary award one could win, it will always hold a special place in the hearts of the young readers who choose the winning book.
