SMART helps kids become confident readers by providing them with individual volunteer attention and take-home books.

About the SMART Book Award

The SMART Book Award is awarded annually by the nonprofit SMART (Start Making A Reader Today) and 100 percent chosen by emerging readers.

In February of each year, thousands of children across the state in the SMART reading program read five nominated books and vote for their favorite. Voting is conducted by secret ballot and the results are revealed at an awards ceremony in Portland, Ore, in March. Scholastic, in addition to providing SMART with discounted monthly take-home books, donates nearly 7,000 books so each child may take home a copy of a nominated book.

The nonprofit initiated the SMART Book Award in 2000 to further inspire an interest in books and reading. While national book award winners are selected by adult panels, the SMART Book Award is the only award that is 100 percent kid-selected.

About SMART

SMART recruits thousands of volunteers to read one-on-one with K-3 children in need of literacy support. Every week for seven months, volunteers read aloud with kids to help them gain confidence in their reading ability. To encourage reading outside the classroom, SMART gives each child 14 new, take-home books—two per month during the course of the program. Since 1992, SMART has served 130,000 children, given away 1.8 million books, and volunteers have logged over 2.8 million hours reading with children. The vision of SMART is an Oregon where every child can read and is empowered to succeed.

Become a reading mentor or donate to SMART to support children's literacy in your community.