Young Reviewers Program

Young Ambassadors

Mission Statement

To support the Children’s Book Committee (CBC) in:

  • promoting reading and literacy for young readers (0–18) across genres and formats
  • reflecting the voices of young readers
  • spreading the work of the CBC and recruiting more Young Reviewers (YRs)
  • amplifying the voices of the target audience of young readers (0–18)
  • ensuring that books appropriate for all ages are on the Best Books List
  • supporting the Annual Award process.

Our Young Ambassadors

  • Luci

    Luci is a sophomore in high school in the San Francisco Bay Area. She loves to run, play guitar, and hang out with friends. As a volunteer at her local library, she sees how reading can bring people together and form a strong community. As a youth reviewer, she has found many new authors and genres to explore, and although she especially loves fiction, she has found her passion for other genres as well.

    Favorite Series

    • Keeper of the Lost Cities (Shannon Messenger),
    • Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling),
    • Percy Jackson Series (Rick Riordan),
    • American Royals (Katharine McGee),
    • The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins).

    Favorite Books

    • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J. K. Rowling),
    • Things We Never Got Over (Lucy Score),
    • The War that Saved My Life (Kimberly Brubaker Bradley).
  • Quade

    Quade Kelley lives in California and was born in 2009. He has served as a Youth Reviewer since 2020.

    • Quade is a national service leader and received The Congressional Award, Gold Medal in 2025. He is one of the youngest students in the country to receive this award since it was established in 1979.
    • He has read more than 400 biographies and was named the first Who Was? History Bee Champion in 2020.
    • Quade was a national kid reporter for Scholastic Kids Press from 2020-2023
    • He is a student member of the American Library Association and Young Adult Library Services Association and reads over 100 books a year.
    • He served on the School Library Journal Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Committee in 2024 and 2025.
    • Quade advocates for the benefits of reading in his role as a mental health advocate on the national advisory boards for Athletes For Hope, the Kevin Love Fund and Morgan’s Message.
    • He has been named to the USA Water Polo Olympic Development Program Pipeline from 2023-2025.
    • Quade’s career goal is to study neuroscience and be a human performance specialist.

    The Bank Street Book Committee has given me the opportunity to amplify my voice as a Youth Reviewer since 2020. I am carving a space to make a positive difference in the world. That means juggling my identity as a student-athlete and community service leader with my value system and interest in neuroscience and human potential. Reading is a key daily tool because of the profound impact books make in opening the door to new perspectives and empowering imaginative solutions for the future. Stories are a powerful tool to strengthen the mind and ignite spirit. I encourage children of all ages to read daily and non-discriminately and to share what they learn. Young voices are valued and essential life-giving forces in our world because they symbolize the pure power of hope to make positive change.

    Favorite Books

    • The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho),
    • Foundations Edge (Isaac Asimov),
    • Call of the Wild (Jack London),
    • The Notorious Benedict Arnold (Steve Sheinkin)

    Favorite Newbery Medalist

    • The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin),
    • Number the Stars (Lowis Lowry)

    Favorite Graphic Novel

    • A First Time for Everything (Dan Santat),
    • American Born Chinese (Gene Luen Yang),
    • Family Style (Thien Pham)

    Favorite Author

    • Jules Verne,
    • C. S. Lewis,
    • Jason Reynolds,
    • Ruta Sepetys

    Favorite Bank Street Award Recipient

    • I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys
  • Vimala

    Vimala is a senior at the Bronx High School of Science. She’s involved in her school community as a leader on her school’s Speech and Debate team and Student Diversity Committee. When she’s not memorizing Latin conjugations or completing organic chemistry labs, she can be found curled up with a good book (typically fantasy or sci-fi), hunting down gluten free bakeries across New York, and dreaming of cat ownership. To find out more, read Vimala’s Reading Recommendations blog post.

    Favorite Books

    Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
    Similar to The War that Saved My Life, The Patron Thief of Bread, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and World Made of Glass.

    Mistborn by Brian Sanderson
    Similar to The Many Assassinations of Samir, The Seller of Dreams, The Screaming Staircase, Seraphina, and Unraveller.

    Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
    Similar to Daughter of the Deep, The Infinity Particle, Where the Lockwood Grows.

    World of Wonders by Aimee Nezhukumatathil 
    Similar to At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems, and God Got a Dog.

Press Release

The Inaugural Youth Choice Award 2025

Louder than Hunger
Author: John Schu
Publisher: ‎ Candlewick

The Children’s Book Committee (CBC) and the Young Ambassadors are delighted to announce the winner of the Inaugural Youth Choice Award winner, selected from the Best Books of the Year List honoring a book of outstanding literary merit on sensitive subjects written for a youth audience. This award is presented to Louder Than Hunger written by John Schu.

The Young Ambassadors developed criteria for selecting a shortlist of books that are inspiring and resonate with their peers from CBC-approved titles during 2024. The CBC is most grateful to the Young Ambassadors for their commitment to ensuring that youth choices are heard.