News and Information

2026 Readers’ Choice Award Winner Announcements

Each year thousands of students in K to 12th grades from across the state of Illinois vote to choose the best books in their level. AISLE presents the Readers’ Choice Award on their behalf. This year 85,743 students casted their vote for their favorite book. And the winners are…

The Monarch Award, a K-3 award, was won by Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator by Emma Bland Smith & Jennifer Potter with 12,501 votes, followed by Hamsters Make Terrible Roommates by Cheryl Klein & Abhi Alwar with 7,045 votes and Butt or Face?: A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game for Kids by Kari Lavelle with 6,466 votes.

The Bluestem Award, a 3-5th grade award, was won by Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money by Tom Sullivan with 2,171 votes followed by Butt or Face?: A Hilarious Animal Guessing Game for Kids by Kari Lavelle with 1,809 votes and Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd & Michelle Mee Nutter with 1,336 votes.

The Rebecca Caudill Award, a 4-8th grade award, was won by Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang with 480 votes followed by Final Season by Tim Green with 326 votes and Ghost Book by Remy Lai with 308 votes.

The Lincoln Award, a 9-12th grade award, was won by Promise Boys by Nick Brooks with 89 votes followed by This is My America by Kim Johnson with 82 votes and As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh with 71 votes.

To view our full announcements check out bit.ly/26RCWinners or our YouTube Playlist.

To view the voting results please click here.

2027 Readers’ Choice Awards

AISLE is proud to announce the 2027 Readers’ Choice Lists are here! The committees, made of school librarians and educators (as well as teens for the Lincoln) have spent the past year reading and evaluating the nominated books to narrow down from hundreds of possibilities to the final 20 books on each of these lists.  We hope you are just as excited!

2027 Illinois Monarch Award Master List

2027 Illinois Bluestem Award Master List

2027 Illinois Rebecca Caudill Award Master List

2027 Illinois Lincoln Award Master List

Don’t forget to vote for your school’s favorite 2026 book for all four awards by March 15th.

2026 Annual Conference

Join us for our 2026 AISLE Conference, Thursday-Saturday, November 12-14, 2026, at the Westin in Lombard, IL.

This year the theme is Stronger Together. Click here to learn more about conference.

AI Resources for School Librarians

This document provides a curated list of AI-related resources, cut down to be concise and highly relevant for school librarians. The goal is to equip librarians with introductory information on AI, its ethical implications, and practical applications in an educational setting.

Joint Statement on IMLS

Please read a joint statement from AISLE, CARLI, IHLS, ILA, and RAILS on the Institute of Museum and Library Services here.

It’s All About Advocacy

Click here to explore tips and action plans with ready-to-go resources to assist you in advocating for your students, staff and library program. These ideas will highlight the value of school libraries and the library staff—stressing the importance of partnering, collaborating and communicating. See a snapshot of what advocacy should look like in your school library and why it is so crucial to maintain a thriving library program.

School Library Month Trivia

Do you have any interesting facts about libraries or books? Please add to the trivia sheet brought to us by Christine Cannata. These can be used with your students or staff.

Thank you for being members or followers of the Association of Illinois School Library Educators. School Librarians have one of the most versatile teaching roles in your school district. One of their many responsibilities is being an advocate for school libraries, and they cannot do this important work alone. Unfortunately, during the 2021-22 school year Illinois School Librarians reported book challenges, budget cuts, and position removals across our state. We cannot stand by in silence and let this trend continue!

The time is NOW to advocate for every child to have access to a library in their school. The time is NOW to advocate for a certified school librarian in every school library. Your colleagues need you. We need your voice. Make 2022-23 the year we come together as one organization to promote the importance of a certified school librarian to the stakeholders in each of our communities. We need our stakeholders to understand the necessity of a school librarian in EVERY Illinois school.

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AISLE & Member Library Highlights

Salt Creek Primary School: This amazing “The Hat” display was created by our former librarian Bobbie Kocim. Our students love it!

Woodland Middle School: Have you completed your Wordle today? Maybe these 5-letter titles from the Woodland Middle School collection can help?

Spring Ave Library: Originally a gym, the Spring Ave Library’s renovations of the space and the collection transformed it into the GEM of the building. Full of readers, books, and plants, our library is a lively place of growth, learning, and joy.