IASL (Iowa Association of School Librarians) Awards
Each year, IASL has book awards for each of the following categories:
Iowa Goldfinch Awards (K-3)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (Grades 3-6)
Iowa Teen Award (Grades 6-9)
Iowa High School Book Award (Grades 9-12)
The books in each category were voted on by Iowa students. Each center at Benton Community has all of the award nominee books in their library that are appropriate to the ages served in that center.
For more information, you can go to the IASL website.
2024-2025 IASL Award Winners
The Nominees For 2025-2026 Are.....
The Iowa Goldfinch Award nominees.
The Iowa Children's Choice Award nominees.
The Iowa Teen Award nominees.
The Iowa High School Book Award Nominees
Crying Laughing
Description and Recommendation by Chris Frimml
Have you ever experienced an event that went terribly wrong? This event went so horribly wrong that it made you not want to do it again. This is what happened to Winnie in the book Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin. Winnie is a high school student that has always lived a life in comedy. She was always funny, and her father was even a former comedian who she adores. One day she performed a comedy routine at her Bat Mitzvah and that went terribly wrong. She vowed to never perform again in front of people. That starts to change when she meets the popular boy Evan who convinces her to join the Improv Troupe that he was involved with at school. Winnie decides to join, and was excited to tell her father about it. However, at the moment she was going to break this exciting news to her father, her father had news of his own. He tells her that he has ALS (Lou Gehrig ’s disease). This was devastating to Winnie. Winnie’s dad continues to crack jokes, and decides that this disease will not get him down. He continues to encourage Winnie to continue with her comedy, and she does. There are several chances for her to perform, and become a better comic.
Crying Laughing explores some dark realities of life. However, Lance Rubin does a great job sprinkling in funny lines, and gives the reader hope. This book is a must read for anyone who wants comedy, hope, and a way to deal with some heavy issues.
Book Recommendation by Chris Frimml, Benton Teacher Librarian
If you are looking for a great book to read, here is our first recommendation. This recommendation is for the young adult book Crying Laughing by Lance Rubin. This book is in the Middle and High School Library.