A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

SKIPPYJON JONES, FOILED AGAIN:  After a year's absence, Christy in NYC is back for the fifth time to sum up the American Library Association's annual awards for the best in children's publishing. Without further hesitation, here goes:

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My friends! Remember last year, when the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced, and Adam wrote to me reminding me to write my annual guest post, but I was so feverish that I had just that morning tried to use a cell phone to call someone in the next room but couldn't because I had it upside down? So there was no way I could write something coherent, let alone publishable? I sort of remember that, vaguely. But this year I am strong as a horse! And ready to show you the list of books that won this morning, the biggest morning in children's publishing, the announcement of the 2012 ALA Youth Media Awards! Here are the biggies:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. Honors went to Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Li (which had already taken gold in the National Book Award Young People's Literature category this past fall) and Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children: A Ball for Daisy, illustrated and written by Chris Raschka. There were three honors for the Caldecott: Blackout by John Rocco, Grandpa Green by Lane Smith, and Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. This also took the top prize for the Morris Award for a debut YA novel.

Coretta Scott King Award for authors went to Kadir Nelson for Heart and Soul, which also got an honor in the illustrator category. But the winner for illustrator went to Shane W. Evans for Underground.

There are many, many more winners and honors on the list, and depending on the needs of the young readers in your life (or just your own literary tastes), there are plenty of wonderful books to discover, sorted into neat little categories. Also of interest might be the Alex Award Winners, for adult books that could have special appeal to young adults.

If I were to sum up (and here I go), I would say that this year's list of winners and honors is a surprise, not so much for what's on the list, but for what's not. While there are very few books here that didn't get award buzz, the ones that were arguably getting the most buzz do not show up, or show up in unexpected places.

A few examples: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen was among the most buzzed Caldecott candidates, along with Me...Jane and Grandpa Green, but it ended up appearing on the Theodor Seuss Geisel honor list for beginning readers. Many would have said the Newbery was for Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt (who has won several Newbery honors but never gold) to lose. The only place it appears is on the Odyssey honor list for best audio books. Amelia Lost and A Monster Calls, two very common picks of the higher-profile mock Newbery committees this year are nowhere to be found. And there are certainly many YA books I thought might show up on the Printz list that didn't, but I'm not sure which I would have expected to not be there instead.

So, friends? What were your favorite books for young readers in 2011? What are your kids loving? And do you see those books on this list?