ALA Announces Newbery and Caldecott Medal Winners

What happens when you find out you've won the Newbery Medal?

"You are on a speakerphone with at least 14 teachers and librarians and suchlike great, wise and good people, I thought. Do not start swearing like you did when you got the Hugo. This was a wise thing to think because otherwise huge, mighty and fourletter swears were gathering. I mean, that's what they're for. I think I said, You mean it's Monday?"

(Thanks to Monica at educating alice for linking to this excerpt from Neil Gaiman's journal today. She loves The Graveyard Book as much as I do.)

The American Library Association (ALA) announced all their children's literature awards this morning, including the prestigious Newbery and Caldecott Medals, which are basically like the Oscars of kid's books.

For those of you who aren't glued to the kid-lit blogs, there has been a fair amount of controversy about the Newbery Medal recently, kicked off last fall when a "children's book expert" complained that recent winners skewed more toward librarian favorites than books that are popular with kids. School Library Journal touches on this in their run-down of this year's awards (in fact, the title of their article is, "Surprise! The Newbery Goes to a Popular Book"). They also highlight a few favorite titles that people were surprised not to find on the lists this year. 

Here are the winners for most of the awards:

Newbery Medal
honoring the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children

winner:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

honor books:
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle For Freedom by Margarita Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law
After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal
honoring the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children

winner:
The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes, written by Susan Marie Swanson

honor books:
Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee
How I Learned Geography by Uri Shulevitz
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

Michael L. Printz Award
for literary excellence in young adult literature

winner:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

honor books:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Coretta Scott King Awards
given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions

author award:
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

illustrator award:
The Blacker the Berry illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas

honor books (same for authors and illustrators)
Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award:
Shadra Strickland, illustrator of Bird by Zetta Elliott

Pura Belpré Awards
honoring a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose works best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth

author award:
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

author honor books:
Reaching Out by Francisco Jimenez
Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales
The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos by Lucia Gonzalez, illustrated by Lulu Delacre

illustrator award:
Just in Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book by Yuyi Morales

illustrator honor books
Papa and Me, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, written by Arthur Dorros
The Storyteller’s Candle / La velita de los cuentos, illustrated by Lulu Delacre, written by Lucia Gonzalez
What Can You Do with a Rebozo? illustrated by Amy Cordova, written by Carmen Tafolla

(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award
honoring the most distinguished American book for beginning readers 

winner:
Are You Ready to Play Outside? by Mo Willems

honor books:
Chicken Said, 'Cluck!' written by Judyann Ackerman Grant, illustrated by Sue Truesdell
One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Stinky by Eleanor Davis
Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator written by Sarah C. Campbell, photographs by Sarah C. Campbell and Richard P. Campbell

Sibert Award
honoring informational books

winner:
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson

honor books:
What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Bodies from the Ice by James M. Deem

Mildred L. Batchelder Award
for books translated into English and published in the U.S.

winner: 
Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Nahoko Uehashi, translated by Cathy Hirano

honor books:
Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis, translated by Anthea Bell
Garmann’s Summer by Stian Hole, translated by Don Bartlett

William C. Morris Award
for a debut YA novel

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce


Alex Awards
best adult titles for teen readers

City of Thieves by David Benioff
The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Over and Under by Todd Tucker
The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck

See the ALA website for a full list of ALSC awards for children's books, and YALSA for more about the teen awards. --Heidi