Award Winners!

Today The American Library Association announced the 2014 awards for the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, Coretta Scott King(s), and the Geisel Award.

And the big winners are as follows:

The winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature is:



Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Four Newbery Honor Books were also selected:

“Doll Bones,” by Holly Black

“The Year of Billy Miller,” by Kevin Henkes

“One Came Home,” by Amy Timberlake

“Paperboy,” written by Vince Vawter

The winner of the Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children is:

“Locomotive,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca

Three Caldecott Honor Books also were also selected:

“Journey,” written and illustrated by Aaron Becker

“Flora and the Flamingo,” written and illustrated by Molly Idle

“Mr. Wuffles!” written and illustrated by David Wiesner

The winner of the Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults is:

“P.S. Be Eleven,” by Rita Williams-Garcia

Three Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books were also selected:

“March: Book One,” by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin

“Darius & Twig,” by Walter Dean Myers

“Words with Wings,” by Nikki Grimes


The winner of the Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award is:

“Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me,” illustrated by Bryan Collier and  written by Daniel Beaty

One Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book was also selected:

“Nelson Mandela,” illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson



The winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults is:

“Midwinterblood,” by Marcus Sedgwick

Four Printz Honor Books also were also selected:

“Eleanor & Park,” by Rainbow Rowell

“Maggot Moon,” by Sally Gardner

“Kingdom of Little Wounds” by Susann Cokal

“Navigating Early,” by Clare Vanderpool

The winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished book for beginning readers is:

“The Watermelon Seed,” written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli, is the Geisel Award winner.

Three Geisel Honor Books were also selected:

“Ball,” by Mary Sullivan

“A Big Guy Took My Ball!” by Mo Willems

“Penny and Her Marble,” by Kevin Henkes


For more information on the rest of the ALA youth media awards and notables (there are lots!), visit the ALA's Youth Media Awards official announcement.

Awards, awards, awards!

The 2013 award-winners are here! The American Library Association (ALA) officially announced the top books, video and audiobooks for children and young adults on Monday of this week at its midwinter meeting in Seattle, Washington. This list includes the Newbery, Caldecott, and Printz awards! And here they are!

The winner of the 2013 John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature is:

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

And the three Newbery Honor Books are:

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage


This year's winner of the The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children is:

This Is Not My Hat illustrated and written by Jon Klassen
And the five Caldecott Honor Books are:
Creepy Carrots! illustrated by Peter Brown and written by Aaron Reynolds

Extra Yarn illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett

Green illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

One Cool Friend illustrated by David Small and written by Toni Buzzeo

Sleep Like a Tiger illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski and written by Mary Logue

The 2013 Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults is:

In Darkness by Nick Lake
Four Printz Honor Books also were named for this year and they are:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

For the full list of this year's award-winners, including the Geisel Award, Coretta Scott King Awards, and Laura Ingalls Wilder Award read the American Library Asscociation's press release here.

90 Second Newbery

Every year since 1922, the American Library Association has awarded the very prestigious Newbery Medal. Now that we've already learned of our 2011 winner, a quick calculation tells us that there are 89 Newbery Medal books in all! That's a lot! Have you read them all?

Me neither.

But wouldn't it be nice to say that you did? Well, it might not be exactly the same as reading the book, but check out a 90 second reenactment of the 1963 winner, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle:



Get it? Want to make your own? Check out: 90secondnewbery.com for more information about the program, which is run by teen author James Kennedy.

Happy acting!

2011 Award Winners!

What an exciting day for youth literature! This morning The American Library Assossiation announced the 2011 winners for 23 different youth literature awards, including the Newbery Medal, Caldecott Medal, and Printz Award!

And now for the big winners...

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature goes to...

Moon over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool

Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:

Turtle in Paradise, by Jennifer L. Holm

Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus

Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night, by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults goes to...

Ship Breaker, written by Paolo Bacigalupi

Four Printz Honor Books also were named:

Stolen, by Lucy Christopher

Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King

Revolver, by Marcus Sedgwick

Nothing, by Janne Teller

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children goes to...

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead

Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill

Interrupting Chicken, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein

To view the complete list of awards and winners, click here!

And be sure to put this year's Newbury and Printz winners and honor books on reserve! Happy 2011!

Newbery Winner and Newbery Honor books!

The American Library Association (Association for Library Service to Children) has announced the official Newbery Winner and Newbery Honor books for 2010!

And the winner is...
"When You Reach Me," written by Rebecca Stead, published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books.

And here are this year's Newbery Honor books:
"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" written by Phillip Hoose, published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group

"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" written by Jacqueline Kelly, published by Henry Holt and Company

"Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" written by Grace Lin, published by Little Brown and Company Books for Young Readers

"The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg" written by Rodman Philbrick, published by The Blue Sky Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.