The finalists for the 2012 Children's Choice Book Awards were recently announced. I'm excited to say that books written by four of JacketFlap's members are among the finalists! Please join me in congratulating the four finalists by clicking their names below and leaving a congratulations comment on their profiles:Zombie in Love, written by Kelly DiPucchioSidekicks, written and illustrated by Dan SantatPirates Don't Take Baths, written and illustrated by John SegalDORK Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star, written and illustrated by Rachel RussellLaunched in 2008 by the Children's Book Council and Every Child A Reader, The Children's Choice Book Awards is the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by children and teens of all ages. Young readers can vote for their favorite books, author, and illustrator of the year at BookWeekOnline.com until Thursday, May 3, 2012. Educators, booksellers, and librarians can also tally and enter kids' votes as a group. This year, more than 20,000 children and teens nationwide determined the finalists: children spent months reading and rating books in the classroom through the IRA-CBC Children's Choices Program; teens made their voices heard through voting hosted by TeenReads.com. The Author and Illustrator of the Year finalists were selected by the Children's Book Council from an evaluation of best-seller lists with an emphasis on Bookscan. The award winners will be announced live at a gala celebration in NYC hosted and presented by kid lit heavyweights on May 7, 2012 as part of Children's Book Week (May 7-13th, 2012), the nation's longest-running literacy initiative.