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Forest of Reading 2023

The Forest of Reading® is Canada’s largest recreational reading program with over 270,000 readers taking part every year. This initiative by the Ontario Library Association (OLA) offers ten reading programs, each of which is associated with a grade/age range. Each program consists of popular Canadian fiction and non-fiction titles, and is offered in both English and French.
Participants have the opportunity to read and to vote on their favourite books. Readers in the Blue Spruce and Le Prix peuplier program must read all ten titles. The remaining age categories only need to read five of the ten titles to be eligible to vote in April.
Voting will take place in April 2023, and the Ontario Library Association will announce the winners in May 2023. To participate, students can register for the Forest of Reading Challenge in Beanstack.  
To search for or borrow a nominee from MPL, click on a title below!

Each Friday from March 24, to April 21, 2023, join us online and watch one of this years Forest of Reading nominees talk about their book. Each pre-recorded presentation is approximately 30 minutes long. 

The links will be shared each Friday at 1pm, and will remain active until April 24, 2023. 

Blue Spruce Award JK - Grade 2, picture books

The Blue Spruce Award™ program brings recently published Canadian children's picture books to children between the ages of 4 and 7. For many children, this is their first introduction to the world of books. This program promotes reading for enjoyment and begins to develop a child's skill in evaluating a picture book based on story, text and pictures.

Silver Birch Express Grades 3-4, fiction, non-fiction

The Silver Birch Express Award is unique in providing a mix of fiction and non-fiction titles for readers at different reading levels. Especially for those young people in Grades 3 to 4, or the reluctant reader.  This program is sure to get them excited about reading!

Yellow Cedar Grades 4-8, non-fiction

The Yellow Cedar Award is composed of non-fiction books geared towards readers in Grades 4 to 8. These books contain real life stories and facts.  They are great conversation starters. 

Silver Birch Fiction Grades 5-6, fiction

The Silver Birch Fiction Award® is meant for readers aged 8 to 12, (Grades 3-6) but geared towards those in Grades 5 and 6. One of the Forest of Reading's most popular award programs, this is the one that started it all!  Fantastical, fun titles to serious, life-learning tales, this program provides a variety of stories for readers to enjoy.

Red Maple, Grades 7-8, fiction

The Red Maple Award reading program is offered for the enjoyment of students ages 12 to 13, in Grades 7 and 8. This program includes a Fiction list every year. This program aims to get readers engaging in conversation around the books and encourages them to use critical thinking while reading.