Jerry Pinkney's Lion prepares for his Caldecott Award acceptance speech...
While many of us were relaxing over the 3-day weekend, authors, librarians, and publishers were busy at ALA Midwinter, the American Library Association’s 4-day, nonstop bookfest filled with meetings, events, and awards. While the meetings were no doubt exciting, we’ll ignore those and focus on the major awards: the John Newbery Medal, the Randolph Caldecott Medal, and the Michael L. Printz Award.
Newbery Medal – When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The Newbery Medal is arguably the most famous children’s lit award, given annually to the “most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.” This year’s winner wasn’t a huge surprise to those in the book world, since librarians and kids have been praising When You Reach Me since it came out in July. The book is a puzzle-like adventure reminiscent of A Wrinkle in Time, with a young, female protagonist and time travel.
“In this taut novel, every word, every sentence, has meaning and substance. A hybrid of genres, it is a complex mystery, a work of historical fiction, a school story and one of friendship, with a leitmotif of time travel running through it.” – Monica Edinger, New York Times
Caldecott Medal – The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney
Jerry Pinkney is no stranger to the Caldecott Medal–this is his 6th win in the “most distinguished American picture book for children” category, and his illustrations are as strong as ever. The Lion & the Mouse is a retelling of the classic fable, only with very few words. The words included are all sound effects, like ““screeeech” for the mouse and “putt-putt-putt” for the Jeep, but Pinkney’s illustrations are enough to keep your eyes and the story moving.
“The art of Jerry Pinkney’s new picture book is commanding enough to do without the author’s name or even the title on the front cover.” – Roger Sutton, New York Times
Printz Award – Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Libba Bray’s Going Bovine was probably the most surprising winner of the award ceremony, nabbing the Printz award for “excellence in literature written for young adults.” In the book, slacker teen Cameron is diagnosed with mad cow disease and decides to make the most out of the short life he has left. What follows is a crazy roadtrip involving a punk fairy, lawn gnomes, gross boy humor, and, most importantly, inspired thoughts on living life to the fullest.
“Going Bovine is a weird mix of string theory, classic literary references, and teenage sarcasm that actually works—in fact, it works quite well.” – Em’s Bookshelf
More Awards…
The above are just 3 of the many ALA youth book awards announced Monday, so see the ALA website for a complete list of winners and honors. For reactions to the award picks, check out PW’s Shelf Talker blog.
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