Award time

Everybody has reasons for liking the winter...for most people it has something to do with being outside.  Other people appreciate the idea of winter being a good time for being inside by a roaring fire, drinking warm things and wearing bulky sweaters.  Then there's me...I like winter because it means that the American Library Association Awards are announced.   Today was that day and I was up bright and early (like when I was a kid and got up early to watch cartoons on a Saturday) to get the computer set to go and listen to the award announcements live from Boston.

This past year there were so many amazing books that were released that I don't envy anyone on the committee trying to make such a tough decision.  I had my favorites from this past year and some of them made the list and others did not but that's the way awards go.  I'll be curious to hear the buzz from others about what they think about today's honorees.  Anyway...enough of my babble here are the winners for today's ALA awards.

First the Andrew Carnegie Medal which is for an outstanding Children's Video.  This year the winner is Don't Let The Pigeon Drive The Bus done by Weston Woods Studios.  If you've ever seen the Scholastic DVD Box set in stores....those are Weston Wood DVDs and they do wonderful work.  They are well worth the investment and a great way for kids to get a different view of a favorite story.

Next up the Alex award which is presented to 10 books that are written for adults but have appeal to 12-18 year olds.  These are the 10 books that recieved the honor this year: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff, Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr., The Good Soldiers by David Finkel,
The Kid's Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, My Abandonment by Peter Rock, Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger, Stitches: A Memoir by David Small, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

Next is the Mildred L. Batchelder award which is given to a  children's book originally printed in a foreign language in a foreign country and subsequentally published in the United States in English.  (I have found some great books this way including Brave Story by Miyuki Miyabe).  This year's winner is A Faraway Island  by Annika Thor. 

The Excellence In Non Fiction for Young Adults award is given to non fiction books geared towards young adults (12-18) published during a November 1-October 31 publishing year.  This year the award was given to Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman. (This years finalists were outstanding as well.  If you go to http://www.ala.org/ and click on awards, grants and scholarships you can find a full list of the awards).

The Theodore Seuss Geisel award is awarded to the best beginning reader books.  This year the ALA awarded 4 honor titles as well as a winner.  The honor titles are I Spy Fly Guy! by Tedd Arnold, Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith, Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends by Wong Herbert Yee,
Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day by Kate McMullan.  The winner is Benny and Penny in the Big No-No! by Geoffrey Hayes.

Coretta Scott King Book Awards were designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Further, the Award encourages the artistic expression of the black experience via literature and the graphic arts in biographical, social, and historical treatments by African American authors and illustrators. (Thank you to the ALA for this description where this was taken from-they describe it much better than I could!)  This year's honor title for writing is Mare's Ware by Tanita S. Davis.  This year's winner for writing is Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.  The honor for illustration went to The Negro Speaks of Rivers illustrated by E.B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes and the winner for illustration is My People illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr., written by Langston Hughes.

The Michael L. Printz award is awarded to an outstanding book in young adult literature.   This year there were four honor titles as well as the winner.  The four honor titles are Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman, The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey, Punkzilla by Adam Rapp and Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes.  This year's Printz award winner is Going Bovine by Libba Bray.

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is awarded to a distinguished children's informational book.  This year's winner is Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.

The John Newbery Award is awarded to the author of the book that is considered to be the most distinguished for the the past publishing year.  This year in adition to the winner there were four honor titles named.  The honor titles for 2010 are Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice written by Phillip Hoose,
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate written by Jacqueline Kelly, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg written by Rodman Philbrick, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin.  This year's winner is When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the illustrator of a book considered to be the most distinguished for the past publishing year.  This year the committee named 2 honor titles as well as a winner.  The honor titles are All the World illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon, and Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman.  The Caldecott Medal winner for 2010 is The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

This year has been a great year for books and I can tell you that both the Newbery and Caldecott winners are outstanding.  It couldn't have been easy to choose, especially for the Newbery award.  If you get a chance pick up some of these books and give them a try and then drop a comment to tell me what you thought of them.  

Happy Reading!
Melinda