SAN ANGELO, Texas —
Amy Dennis received what she described as the ‘highest honor in the state’ for someone in her position when the Texas Library Association appointed her to serve on its Texas Bluebonnet Award selection committee.
Dennis – Tom Green County Library System youth services librarian – and nine other librarians considered more than 800 children’s books and compiled a 20-book master list of titles. Children in grades three through six will vote for their favorites before a winner is chosen in spring 2025.
“It’s so rad. I’m so excited,” Dennis said. “When I first got the call, I was shocked. I just couldn’t believe it. It’s an amazing honor.”
A consistent reader from a young age, Dennis credits “The Dollhouse Murders” by Betty Ren Wright with pushing her to expand her reading as a child. Wright’s novel won the 1986 Texas Bluebonnet Award.
Dennis said she often reads five or six books at a time and finishes about four each week. Dennis said she hoped her application reflected her professional commitment as a librarian. She said her responsibility is to make sure children are represented in the books they read and they have access to those stories.
Dennis is excited for the opportunity to learn from her peers and improve in her craft.
“I’m being mentored by some of the most effective and amazing librarians in the whole country,” she said. “It’s pretty awesome to work with these people.”
2023’s Texas Bluebonnet Award winner was “Memoirs of a Tortoise,” by Devin Scillian; illustrated by Tim Bowers.