Tag Archives: ALA Youth Media Awards

YMA Predictions

26 Jan

I have only predicted the Newbery once – the year The One and Only Ivan won.  I cried because I loved that book so much.

I now know that it is foolish to make predictions. A different group of people in each of the room where decisions were made yesterday might select different books. That is the reality of awards. So, rather than predicting a winner, here are some books I hope receive some love tomorrow.

Young Adult Books

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fountains of Silence  by Ruta Sepetys
Lovely War by Julie Berry
Dig  by A. S. King
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliot
With the Fire on High  by Elizabeth Acevedo
Infinite Hope by Ashley Bryant

Middle Grade Books

Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
Pay Attention, Carter Jones  by Gary D. Schmidt
The Bridge Home  by Padma Venkatraman
The Line Tender by Kate Allen
Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis
Stargazing by Jen Wang
For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington
New Kid by Jerry Craft

Picture Books

Hey Water! by Antoinette Portis
Saturday by Oge Mora
Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, ill. by
Juana Martinez-Neal
My Papi Has a Motorcycle  by Isabel Quintero, ill. by Zeke Peña
Nine Months: Before A Baby is Born by Miranda Paul, ill. by Jason Chin
The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper., ill. by Carson Ellis
A Stone Sat Still by Brendan Wenzel
Wait, Rest, Pause: Dormancy in Nature by Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Sea Bear: A Journey for
 Survival by Lindsay Moore
Bear Came Along  by Richard T. Morris

You can watch the Youth Media Awards live tomorrow, starting at 8 a.m Eastern. I am getting up at 4:30 so I will be ready, coffee in hand to watch it all unfold. You can watch by clicking on this link.Slide1

 

#alamw16 Youth Awards Eve

11 Jan

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Day 3 opened with a 6:45 breakfast hosted by Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (MCPG). Thanks goodness it took place in my hotel so I got up later than people coming from other hotels. There was a lovely breakfast spread with lots of choices, followed by presentations by the editorial directors of MCPG’s imprints

Farrar, Strauss and Giroux

Feiwel and Friends

Swoon Reads

Henry Holt

Roaring Book Press

First Second

Upon exiting we were given a lovely bags of arcs making for a very worthwhile morning out. I went straight back to my room and packed up the books I wanted to send home and walked over to the post office in the exhibition hall.

The hall seemed really empty when I arrived. When I got to the post office, there was no one there, which was quite a change from the summer when I waited over an hour in line. Funnily enough, when I got up to the counter, I commented on the absence of others and the clerk replied that they weren’t really open yet, but would take care of me. I asked the time and was surprised to discover it was only 8:50. I hadn’t checked the time and assumed it was later that it was.

I had planned to spend the rest of the day as tourist, exploring Boston, but it was raining sideways so I decided that I’d sit in on a few sessions then go back to the hotel for a break.

After resting, I changed clothes for my evening event, but ventured back to the convention center for one sore session with 2017 debut authors. It was interesting but a little sad, because the 2017 Morris  committee  is tasked with reading and thinking about these authors.

From there, I went to another MCPG event at a restaurant called The Merchant.

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This was a small event with the MCPG editors and directors interspersed with the people from various committees. we had a choice of salads (mixed greens or arugula) and main courses (beef, chicken or swordfish). I had the swordfish. It was all followed by strawberry shortcake. The food was delicious but the conversation was fantastic.

I was home by 9:30 to pack and get ready for tomorrow. The Morris Committee has to be at the convention Center for a group photo at 6:20. That means I have to check out by 6:00. Monday is pretty much booked with Morris related activities until 3, then I go to the airport.

I hope you take the time to watch the live webcast of the Youth Media Awards. they start at 8:00 AM ET today. If you live on the west coast and can’t watch live you can watch the rebroadcast later.

How I did on the ALA Youth Media Awards

2 Feb

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This morning the ALA Youth Media Awards were announced. I got a few right.

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The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet won the Sibert Award and  Caldecott Honor.

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Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith won a Printz Honor Award.

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Gabi A Girl in Pieces  by Isabel Quintero won the Morris Award.

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Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson won several awards.

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El Deafo  by Cece Bell got a Newbery Honor.

If you missed the live webcast, you can watch it here, or read below.

Here are the details:

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:

The Crossover written by Kwame Alexander, is the 2015 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Two Newbery Honor Books also were named:

El Deafo by Cece Bell, illustrated by Cece Bell and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Brown Girl Dreaming written by Jacqueline Woodson and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend illustrated by Dan Santat, is the 2015 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was written by Dan Santat and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Six Caldecott Honor Books also were named:

Nana in the City illustrated by Lauren Castillo, written by Lauren Castillo and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

The Noisy Paint Box: The  Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky’s Abstract Art illustrated by Mary GrandPre, written by Barb Rosenstock and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett and published by Candlewick Press.

Viva Frida illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Yuyi Morales and published by Roaring Brook Press, a Neal Porter Book.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

This One Summer illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, written by Mariko Tamaki and published by First Second.

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

Brown Girl Dreaming written by Jacqueline Woodson, is the King Author Book winner. The book is published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Three King Author Honor Books were selected:

Kwame Alexander for The Crossover published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

Marilyn Nelson for How I Discovered Poetry illustrated by Hadley Hooper and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Books (USA) LLC.

Kekla Magoon for How It Went Down published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award:

Firebird illustrated by Christopher Myers, is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Misty Copeland and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Two King Illustrator Honor Book were selected:

Christian Robinson for Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, by Patricia Hruby Powell, published by Chronicle Books LLC.

Frank Morrison for Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, by Katheryn Russell-Brown, published by Lee and Low Books, Inc.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award:

When I Was the Greatest written and illustrated by Jason Alexander, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

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

I’ll Give You the Sun, written by Jandy Nelson, is the 2015 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, a Penguin Random House Company.
Four Printz Honor Books also were named:

And We Stay, by Jenny Hubbard, and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., a Penguin Random House Company.

The Carnival at Bray, by Jessie Ann Foley, and published by Elephant Rock Books.

Grasshopper Jungle, by Andrew Smith, and published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, a Penguin Random House Company.

This One Summer, by Mariko Tamaki, illustrated by Jillian Tamaki, and published by First Second.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:

A BOY AND A JAGUAR written by Alan Rabinowitz, illustrated by Catia Chien and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, wins the award for children ages 0 to 10.

RAIN REIGN written by Ann M. Martin and published by A FEIWEL AND FRIENDS BOOK, is the winner of the middle-school (ages 11-13).

The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is Girls Like Us, written by Gail Giles and published by Candlewick Press.

 

Pura Belpre (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:

Viva Frida, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, is the Belpre Illustrator Award winner.  The book was written by Yuyi Morales and published by Roaring Brook Press, a Neal Porter Book.

Three Belpre Illustrator Honor Books were named:

Little Roja Riding Hood, illustrated by Susan Guevara, written by Susan Middleton Elya, and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Green Is a Chile Pepper, illustrated by John Parra, written by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, and published by Chronicle Books LLC.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh, and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Pura Belpre (Author) Award honoring Latino authors whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience:

I Lived on Butterfly Hill is the 2015 Pura Belpre (Author) Award winner. The book is written byMarjorie Agosin, illustrated by Lee White and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division

One Belpre Author Honor Book was named:

Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes, written by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Raul Colonand published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, written by Jen Bryant, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Five Sibert Honor Books were named:

Brown Girl Dreaming, written by Jacqueline Woodson, and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia, written by Candace Fleming, and published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker, written by Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated byChristian Robinson and published by Chronicle Books LLC.

Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands, written and illustrated by Katherine Roy, and published by David Macaulay Studio, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press.

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience:

This Day in June, written by Gayle E. Pitman, Ph.D., illustrated by Kristyna Litten and published by Magination Press, an imprint of the American Psychological Association, is the winner of the 2015 Stonewall Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award.

Three Honor Books were selected:

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out, by Susan Kuklin, photographed by Susan Kuklin and published by Candlewick Press.

I’ll Give You the Sun, written by Jandy Nelson, published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC.

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, written by Christine Baldacchio, pictures by Isabelle Malenfant, published by Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book:

You Are (Not) Small, written by Anna Kang and illustrated by Christopher Weyant, is the Seuss Award winner. The book is published by Two Lions, New York.

Two Geisel Honor Books were named:

Mr. Putter & Tabby Turn the Page, written by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Arthur Howard, and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Waiting Is Not Easy! written by Mo Willems, illustrated by Mo Willems, and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

Gabi, a Girl in Pieces, written by Isabel Quintero, is the 2015 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Cinco Puntos Press.

Four other books were finalists for the award:

The Carnival at Bray written by Jessie Ann Foley and published by Elephant Rock Books.

The Story of Owen: Dragon Slayer of Trondheim, written by E.K. Johnston and published by Carolrhoda Lab™, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.

The Scar Boys written by Len Vlahos and published by Egmont Publishing.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender written by Leslye Walton and published by Candlewick Press.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: 

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek, written by Maya Van Wagenen, is the 2015 Excellence winner. The book is published by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Four other books were finalists for the award:

Laughing at My Nightmare written by Shane Burcaw, and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan’s Children’s Publishing Group.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion & the Fall of Imperial Russia written by Candace Fleming, and published by Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

Ida M. Tarbell: The Woman Who Challenged Big Business-and Won! written by Emily Arnold McCully, and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights written by Steve Sheinkin, and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

ALA Youth Media Awards

1 Feb

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Tomorrow is the big day when the Youth Media Awards are announced. I hope to watch them live, but that means I will have to get to school extra extra early. Or take the morning off. You can watch them live here.

There are many books I hope to see honored at the ALA YMA and I think today is a good day to share a few of  them with you, in no particular order.

Unknown-1 The Story of Owen by E. K. Johnston

images Poisoned Apples  by Christine Heppernan

Unknown The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus by Jen Bryant

Unknown The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

Unknown El Deafo by Cece Bell

Unknown Gaston  written by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Christine Robinson

Unknown I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

20615330 Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Unknown Going Over  by Beth Kephart

Unknown-1 The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee

Unknown Nuts to You  by Lynne Rae Perkins

Unknown Audrey (Cow)  by Dan Bar-El (this can;t win a Newbery because Bar-El is Canadian)

20702546 Gabi A Girl in Pieces  by Isabel Quintero

Unknown-2 Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Summing up 2014 with ALA

15 Jan

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Each year the American Library Association honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Book Awards, guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.

The announcement of the 2015 Youth Media Awards will take place at 8:00 a.m. Central time on Monday, Feb. 2, 2015, during the ALA Midwinter Meeting & Exhibition in Chicago.

You can watch the LIVE WEBCAST like I will. It’s funny to think that I will be at next year’s presentation, having been a part of the decision-making process.

I’m still reading a few and will post my list of 2014 favorites soon.

ALA Youth Media Awards Predictions & Musings

24 Jan

They’ll be here Monday.

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8 am ET, so 5 am here, I will be up & ready to watch before I go to work. You can, too, by clicking HERE.

What are the ALA Youth Media Awards, you might ask. My funny answer is the OSCARS of the youth book world: The Newbery, Caldecott, Prinz, to name a few. The YALSA Morris/Nonfiction Challenge I;ve been reading is about the nominees for 2 YA awards. So, let me begin with those.

1. Morris Award for a debut YA novel: I really hope Sex and Violence  by Carrie Mesrobian wins this and I think it will.

2. YALSA Nonfiction Award: This is more complicated. I want Neal Bsscomb’s  The Nazi Hunters to win

but I am pretty sure that Courage Has No Color by Tanya Lee Stone or Imprisoned:The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War  II by Martin W. Sandler will win.

3. The Caldecott is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.I’m torn here between The MightyLalouche and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.

4. The Newbery is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. You have to be American to win this one. As much as I’d like to say Kevin Henkes’ The Year of Billy Miller  will win this one, I think it’s intended audience is to young & the committee won’t pick it. I also wish they’s pick Flora and Ulysses  by KAte Di Camillo, but humor rarely wins. That said, I’d like it to be The Center of Everything  Linda Urban but it will probably be The Thing About Luck  by Cynthia Kadohata, which I still have not read because I can’t get into it.

5. The Prinz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. I hope Reality Boy by A S King os somewhere on the list.

6. The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.My top 2 are Loteria  and  The Ocean at the End of the Lane.

7. The  Pura Belpre Award   is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. Hands down, Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina should win this one. I also predict that Yuyi Morales will win for Niño Wrestle the World. 

8.The Robert F. Sibert Award goes to the the most distinguished informational book published in English. This one always overlaps with the YALSA Nonfiction award, so my prediction there also applies here. I hope to see Elizabethe Rusch’s  Eruption  as well. This list also includes informational books for younger readers so I’d like to add a  A Splash of Red by Jen Bryant or  Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909  by Michelle Markel or Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone.

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