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IODE Violet Downey Book Award 2020
Five Canadian Books on Short List

Through the generosity of IODE member, the late Mrs. Violet Downey, IODE established The National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award in 1984. The first award was presented in 1985.  This Award is offered annually for the best English language book containing at least 500 words of text (preferably with Canadian content) in a category suitable for children age 13 and under.  Members and specialists made up the panel of judges, including IODE members and specialists in the field of children’s literature, annually select the award-winning book.

The short list for The National Chapter of Canada IODE Violet Downey Book Award, valued at $5,000 has been selected from among submitted books published in Canada in 2019.

The winner will be announced at IODE Canada's 120th National Annual Business Meeting, Friday, 22 May 2020. 
Broken Strings 
Written by Eric Walters and Kathy Kacer
​Published by Penguin Random House

A violin and a middle-school musical unleash a dark family secret in this moving story by an award-winning author duo.
 
It's 2002.  In the aftermath of the twin towers and the death of her beloved grandmother, Shirli Berman is intent on moving forward. The best singer in her junior high, she auditions for the lead role in Fiddler on the Roof, but is crushed to learn that she's been given the part of the old Jewish mother in the musical rather than the coveted part of the sister.  But, there is an upside: her "husband" is none other than Ben Morgan, the cutest and most popular boy in the school.
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Deciding to throw herself into the role, she rummages in her grandfather's attic for some props.  There, she discovers an old violin in the corner strange, since her Zayde has never seemed to like music, never even going to any of her recitals.  Showing it to her grandfather unleashes an anger in him she has never seen before, and while she is frightened of what it might mean, Shirli keeps trying to connect with her Zayde and discover the awful reason behind his anger.  A long-kept family secret spills out, and Shirli learns the true power of music, both terrible and wonderful.
Dog Driven
Written by Terry Lynn Johnson
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

From the author of Ice Dogs comes a riveting adventure about a musher who sets out to prove her impaired vision won't hold her back from competing in a rigorous sled race through the Canadian wilderness.

McKenna Barney is trying to hide her worsening eyesight and has been isolating herself for the last year.  But, at the request of her little sister, she signs up for a commemorative mail run race in the Canadian wilderness a race she doesn't know if she can even see to run.

Winning would mean getting her disease and her sister's national media coverage, but it would also pit McKenna and her team of eight sled dogs against racers from across the globe for three days of shifting lake ice, sudden owl attacks, snow squalls, and bitterly cold nights.
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A page-turning adventure about living with disability and surviving the wilderness, Dog Driven is the story of one girl's self-determination and the courage it takes to trust in others.
​Stand on the Sky
Written by Erin Bow
Published by Scholastic Canada

A gripping new read from Erin Bow, acclaimed and bestselling author of Plain Kate and The Scorpion Rules!

Aisulu is a Kazakh nomad girl living in Mongolia.  She has always been a bit different, she likes girl things well enough and milks the yaks and fetches water as a daughter should, but she also likes math and a fast ride on her horse, Moon Spot, which she tamed herself.

But, when her brother Selik breaks his leg trying to catch an eagle, and is discovered to have osteosarcoma, everything changes!  While her parents rush off to the city with her brother, Aisulu moves in with her aunt and her uncle, a former Burkitshi (eagle hunger).  Seeing her attachment to a rescued eaglet, her uncle begins training Aisulu to become an eagle hunter herself, even though she is a girl, and girls do not become eagle hunters.
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Aisulu is not sure she can do it, but when she finds out that there will be a Festival in town with a prize that could help buy her brother an expensive prosthetic leg, she knows she has to try!  The odds are stacked against her, but Aisulu is determined to prove herself and help her family.
​The Collected Works of Gretchen Oyster
Written by Cary Fagan
Published by Tundra Books

Who is Gretchen Oyster?  The discovery of a series of mysterious handmade postcards distracts Hartley from trouble at home. 

Hartley Staples, near graduate of middle school, is grappling with the fact that his older brother has run away from home, when he finds a handmade postcard that fascinates him.  And soon he spots another.  Despite his losing interest in pretty much everything since Jackson ran away, Hartley finds himself searching for cards in his small town at every opportunity, ignoring other responsibilities, namely choosing a topic for his final project.  Who is G.O. and why are they scattering cards about the town?
The Vegetable Museum
Written by Michelle Mulder
Published by Orca Book Publishers

Thirteen-year-old Chloë left her whole life back in Montreal, including her mom and her best friend.  Now she's stuck in Victoria with her dad and her estranged grandfather, Uli, who recently had a stroke.  When Chloë agrees to help Uli look after his garden, she's determined to find out why he and her dad didn't speak to each other for years.  For decades Uli has collected seeds from people in the community, distinct varieties that have been handed down through generations.  The result is a garden full of unusual and endangered produce, from pink broccoli to blue kale to purple potatoes.  But, Chloë learns that the garden will soon be destroyed to make way for a new apartment complex.  And the seed collection is missing!  Chloë must somehow find a way to save her grandfather's legacy.
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