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My friends! It’s that time of year again. Yesterday was the Monday morning when the tweets about Downton Abbey, Girls, and SAG dresses in my feed were drowned out by anxious, anxious book publishing people. The announcement of the Youth Media Awards at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting! Here are your big winners:The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults went to In Darkness by Nick Lake.But there are many more awards and honors to mine here for your next favorite book. A few more things I’ll highlight about the whole list:
The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children went to Jon Klassen for This is Not My Hat.
The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature went to The One and Only Ivan by Katharine Applegate.
Jon Klassen, winner of the Caldecott Medal, also won a Caldecott honor for Extra Yarn.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz cleaned up, winning the Pura Belpré author award, the Stonewall Award, and a Printz honor.
On the non-fiction side, Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin likewise cleaned up, winning the Sibert Informational Book Award, the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, and a Newbery honor.
Also a big year for Andrea Davis Pinkney, who won both the Coretta Scott King author award and the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award.I’m dying to know what you all think. Were your favorite 2012 kids’ books recognized yesterday? How about your kids’ favorites?
I'm excited to read "This Is Not My Hat," as "Extra Yarn" has been a big hit in our house.
ReplyDeleteI knit and I love Mac Barnett's books (and have attended a small signing by him in a bookshop where he was charming and awesome) and so I gotta give an extra plug to Extra Yarn which he wrote. (Though I love the Brixton Brothers and Oh No books more, and also Chloe and the Lion, and also... well, all of it). I don't get why a Caldecott Honor doesn't also honor the author, but I'm sure Mac wouldn't care, and so I don't.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, for people who haven't kept up with children's books, hearty rec to things with the name Mac Barnett (and also his frequent collaborator Adam Rex, though now that he's hooked up with Neil Gaiman and Disney is filming his Smekday book, he doesn't need my recommendation).
I was happy with all the Newbery Honor books, and especially excited about "Three Times Lucky," a delightful book which which I hadn't expected to win anything. "Bomb" is tremendously compelling and exciting non-fiction that reads like a thriller. I was sorry not to see Rebecca Stead's "Liar and Spy" win anything.
ReplyDeletePrintz Honor "Dodger" is a must-read for Terry Pratchett fans (though much less light-hearted than most of his) and Dickens fans.
Stonewall Honor "Drama" is a terrific graphic novel, especially for middle-school / late elementary kids with any interest in theater.