Congrats to Mini City favorite Northshire Bookstore!
The Women’s National Book Association is pleased to announce the 2018 WNBA Pannell Award winners.
General Bookstore Category: NORTHSHIRE BOOKSTORE in Saratoga Springs, NY
Children’s Specialty Bookstore Category: RED BALLOON BOOKSHOP in St. Paul, MN
Upon hearing the good news, Nancy Scheemaker from Northshire Bookstore exclaimed, “We are deeply honored and so thrilled to be chosen for the WNBA Pannell Award. To be singled out from the prestigious list of nominees this year is all the more extraordinary. I cannot think of a stronger form of encouragement for a young and growing bookstore. We are so grateful and so excited!” Jurors noted that the store is one the most energetic bookstores and lauded its passionate staff and year-round schedule of creative programs and events.
Holly Weinkauf from Red Balloon Bookshop, upon hearing the news, said “We are thrilled to win the WNBA Pannell Award! What an incredible honor for our talented and hardworking booksellers, as well as our community that has supported us for 34 years. We are deeply grateful.” Jurors praised Red Balloon Bookshop for its outstanding service to authors, children, and the community.
This year, dozens of bookstores across 16 different states received enthusiastic nominations from loyal customers, authors, bookstore employees, and publishing professionals. A five-member jury selected the 2018 WNBA Pannell Award recipients. The winning stores will each receive a check for $1,000 and a piece of original art from a children’s book illustrator, to be presented at BookExpo America’s Children’s Book and Author Breakfast on Friday, June 1, 2018.
The WNBA Pannell Award jurors for 2018 are:
- Brenda Bowen, literary agent, Greenburger Associates
- Susan Katz Radin, publisher emeritus, HarperCollins Children’s Books
- Emily Romero, senior vice president of marketing, Penguin Young Readers
- Roger Sutton, editor in chief, The Horn Book
- Lisa Von Drasek, curator of Children’s Literature Research Collections, Univ. of Minnesota
The Pannell Award co-chairs are Susan Knopf, President of Scout Books & Media, and Sally Kim, Marketing Director at Callisto Media.
Since 1983, the Women’s National Book Association (WNBA) has awarded one of the most prestigious honors in children’s bookselling. Along with WNBA, Penguin Young Readers Group co-sponsors the award, which was established in honor of Lucille Micheels Pannell, founding member of one of the WNBA chapters.
