Chapter Seven. Awards
An excellent way to find
interesting and worthy reads is by using awards lists as reference. Chances are
that if a book has received an award, it is a worthy read. One may not
necessarily aware of just how many different awards are out there. When I took
a Children’s Lit class in college I became familiar with the Newberry Medal and
that was pretty much it. When I took Children’s Lit last semester, I learned a
bit more about other awards. Looking at this list is a bit overwhelming and
fascinating at the same time. It even makes me think that since there are so
many awards out there, that if I were to write a book, which I fully intend on
doing, I have a chance to receive a recognition, haha. The interesting part
about all these awards is that the types of awards cover pretty much every
different kind of category, meaning that if you’re not particularly fond of a
certain type of ook, etc., there are many lists from which one can go off of in
selecting reads. For instance, YALSA launched a Teen Book Finder Data base
which is a “one-stop” shop to find selected lists and award winners. The
resource is free and it is easy to use. All the user has to do is search the
database by award, list, name, year, author, genre, and more. This new resource
is soon to replace the individual award and list web pages currently used on
YALSA’s site that are not searchable and are only organized by year. YALSA’s portfolio of book and
media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by
identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library
workers to share with the teens in their communities.
PRINTZ
The Michael L. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for
teens based entirely on its literary merit. The Printz Committee names up to
four honor books that also represent the best writing in young adult literature.
The award's namesake was a school librarian in Topeka, Kansas, and an
active member of YALSA. He had a passion for books and reading. He also
appreciated the authors who wrote books for young adults and demonstrated this
by initiating an author-in-residence program at his high school. The award is
sponsored by Booklist, a publication
of the American Library Association.
YALSA's Award for Excellence in
Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages
12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. The winner is announced
annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the
first week of December.
The Great Graphic Novels for
Teens is only a list that recommends graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction
for those ages 12-18. This list is prepared on a yearly basis by YALSA.
YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young
Adults Committee presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past
16 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. The purpose of the
annual list it to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use
for collection development and reader’s advisory purposes.
The committee evolved from a
committee established under the School Libraries Section of ALA, which was
charged with producing a list of 1930's "Best Books for Young
People." The committee has undergone several changes of focus and
names over the years, including the Book Selection Committee (1954), and later
the Committee for the Selection of Significant Adult Books for Young People
(1963). It became the Best Books for Young Adults Committee (BBYA) in 1966. As
publishing for the young adult market grew exponentially (over 2,000 titles per
year in 2008) and seven other YALSA selection and award lists for young adults
were created since its inception, Best Books for Young Adults was restructured
and named Best Fiction for Young Adults by the YALSA Board of Directors at the
Midwinter Meeting in 2010.
The Margaret A. Edwards Award, established
in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her
work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.
The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine. It recognizes an author's work in
helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about
their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world.
The Edwards award celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2013.
The Alex Awards are given to ten
books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12
through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's
publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and
became an official ALA award in 2002.
The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust. Edwards pioneered
young adult library services and worked for many years at the Enoch Pratt
Library in Baltimore. Her work is described in her book Fair Garden and the
Swarm of Beasts, and over the years she has served as an inspiration to many
librarians who serve young adults. The Alex Awards are named after Edwards, who
was called “Alex” by her friends.
This annual award will be given
to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young
adults, available in English in the United States. The selection
committee may also select honor titles. The Odyssey Award is jointly
given and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children
(ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of
ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist.
The selection committee consists
of nine members: four members appointed by ALSC; four members appointed by
YALSA; a chair, whose appointment alternates between ALSC and YALSA divisions;
and a consultant from the staff of Booklist magazine who works
with audiobooks. The consultant may participate fully in all book
discussions but may not participate in voting.
The William C. Morris YA Debut
Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut book published by a first-time
author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult
literature. The award's namesake is William C. Morris, an influential
innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for
children and young adults. Bill Morris left an impressive mark on the field of
children’s and young adult literature. He was beloved in the publishing field
and the library profession for his generosity and marvelous enthusiasm for
promoting literature for children and teens.
The books on this list offer
opportunities to discover new ideas, and provide an introduction to the
fascinating variety of subjects within an academic discipline. Readers will
gain an understanding of our diverse world and build a foundation to deepen
their response to that world. This list is developed every five years.
A YALSA committee of public,
secondary school, and academic librarians selects the list. Revised
every five years as a tool for several audiences (students preparing for
college, educators, librarians, and parents) it offers opportunities for
independent reading and lifelong learning. Use it to round out your reading as
you prepare for college entrance exams and courses, to strengthen your
knowledge in a variety of subject areas and enhance appreciation for different
cultures and times.
Each year, the Popular Paperbacks
committee creates lists of books to encourage young adults to read for
pleasure. The lists of popular or topical titles are widely available in
paperback and represent a broad variety of accessible themes and genres.
The Quick Picks for Reluctant
Young Adult Readers list identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading among
teens who dislike to read for whatever reason. The list selects both fiction
and nonfiction.
YALSA’s Readers’ Choice list
seeks to engage a wide audience of librarians, educators, teens and young adult
literature enthusiasts in choosing the most popular teen titles in a given
year, as organized by broad genres. The list will also provide librarians
with a timely means of identifying popular teen titles on an ongoing
basis. Nominations will be posted monthly, with a final vote taking place
each November. Any individual, provided he/she is not the author or an
employee of the publisher, or a current member of the Readers’ Choice List
Committee may nominate a title via an online form, while only YALSA members are
eligible to vote for the final ballot, which is sent in the November issue of
YALSA E-News.
The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens
nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are
members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the
country. Nominations are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens
across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve
to eighteen will vote online between August 15 and Teen Read Week™ (October
9-15, 2016) here on the Teens' Top Ten site. The winners will be announced the
week after Teen Read Week.
Each year, YALSA's Amazing
Audiobooks committee selects and annotates an annual list of notable audio
recordings significant to young adults from those released in the past two
years. The name of the list became Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults with the
2009 list and was previously known as Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults.
Since 1987, the Young Adults' Choices project has developed an annual
list of new books that will encourage adolescents to read. The books are
selected by the readers themselves, so they are bound to be popular with middle
and secondary school students. The reading list is a trusted source of book
recommendations, used by adolescents, their parents, teachers, and librarians.
The
Texas Lone Star list is a recommended reading list developed by public and
school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table. The purpose of the list is
to encourage students in grades 6, 7, or 8 to explore a variety of current
books. The Lone Star list is intended for recreational reading, not to support
a specific curriculum. Due to the diversity of this age range, Texas librarians
should purchase titles on this list according to their individual collection
policies.
The original
idea for what would develop into the Tayshas Reading list came from Dallas area
librarians, Gracelyn Shea, YART Chair, and Monta Skaggs, YART Chair-Elect. They
knew they wanted a high school reading list for the State of Texas and they
knew just the man to get the job done. In 1996, they approached San Antonio
librarian, Jack Alton Strawn and asked him to bring their idea to life. Mr.
Strawn was given just a couple of months to create the program, develop guidelines,
design a logo, name the program, and find committee members. In fact, he was
even given the daunting task of selecting the first list by himself so it would
be ready to feature at that year’s conference. The Tayshas Reading List was
developed to motivate young adults, grades 9-12, to become lifelong readers and
to participate in the community of young adult readers throughout Texas. Year
first list was published in 1996.
Maverick
Graphic Novels History Brief History of the Texas Maverick Graphic Novels
Reading List. The Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List was the brain child of
then library school students Alicia Holston and Tuan Nguyen, who both share a
passion for reading graphic novels. With the help of librarians Renee Dyer
(Weslaco ISD), Wylaina Hildreth (Denton Public Library), Laura Jewell (Plano
Public Library) and Jennifer Smith (East Central ISD), the Maverick Graphic
Novels Reading List was created and approved in 2009 to encourage young adult
readers, grades 6-12, to explore a variety of current books in graphic novel
format. The name, “Maverick” was chosen for this reading list because Texas was
the first state to create a graphic novel reading list- we were the Mavericks
in the field. Year first list was published in 2010.
Each spring, Mystery Writers of America present the
Edgar® Awards, widely acknowledged to be the most prestigious awards in
the genre.
All books, short stories and television
shows in the mystery, crime, suspense, and intrigue fields are eligible for
Edgar® Awards in their respective category if they were published or produced
for the first time in the U.S. during the 2017 calendar year. Books from
non-U.S. publishers are eligible if they are widely distributed in the U.S. and
are readily available on the shelves in brick-and-mortar stores for the first
time during 2017 (“Special order” titles would not qualify).
It is the
ultimate responsibility of the publisher/author to ensure that works are
submitted to the correct category. A regularly updated list of works submitted
by category can be found here. Submission
of a work to the wrong category can result in that work’s disqualification from
Edgar consideration.
The NCTE
Poetry Award was established in 1977 to honor a living American poet for his or
her aggregate work for children. The award was given annually until 1982 and
every three years until 2009. The NCTE Poetry Committee selects the winner
every two years based upon the appeal to children, literary merit (art and
craft of aggregate work), contributions, and evolution of the work.
The Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for
Children recognizes books which demonstrate excellence in the "writing of nonfiction for children." It
is awarded annually by the National Council of Teachers of English to one American book published the previous year. Up to five titles may be designated as
Honor Books. The award is named after the book considered to be the first picture book for children, Orbis Pictus (The World in Pictures), by John Amos Comenius, which was published in 1657.
The Batchelder Award is given to the most outstanding children’s book
originally published in a language other than English in a country other than
the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in
the United States.
In 1982, Scott O'Dell established The Scott O'Dell
Award for Historical Fiction. The annual award of $5,000 goes to an
author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children
or young adults. Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage
other writers--particularly new
authors--to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to
increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has
helped to shape their country and their world.
The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina
librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in
1996, is presented annually 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. It is co-sponsored by
the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the
American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to
Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking,
an ALA affiliate.
The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or
illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability
experience for child and adolescent audiences.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is
awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished
informational book published in the United States in English during the
preceding year. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time
President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois. ALSC
administers the award.
The first and most enduring award for GLBT books is the Stonewall Book
Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
and Transgender Round Table. Since Isabel Miller's Patience
and Sarah received
the first award in 1971, many other books have been honored for exceptional
merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.
The Stonewall Book Award-Barbara Gittings Literature Award, the
Stonewall Book Award-Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award and the Stonewall Book
Award-Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
are presented to English language works published the year prior to the
announcement date. The award is announced in January and presented to the
winning authors or editors at the American Library Association Annual
Conference in June or July. The award winners each receive a commemorative
plaque and $1,000.
Anyone may suggest a title to the Stonewall Book Awards Committee for
consideration. Members of the Stonewall Book Awards Committee may not recommend
a book that they have contributed to, edited, or in any other way been
affiliated with, or a book authored or edited by a member of their immediate
family or anyone with whom they currently share a household. A short statement
describing why the book is being recommended should accompany the request.
