2011 Youth Media Award Winners Announced!

Culture

Author:

By Megan Humphrey

The amount of energy in the room at the announcement of the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards was off the charts. It’s the biggest event in children’s literature, with thousands of librarians and educators – both at a live event and watching live online - waiting to see if their favorite book published in 2010 is among the youth media award winners. Just to give you an idea of the excitement level: tears (of joy!) were shed.

You might not know the youth media awards, but if you have ever spent time in a school library as a kid, you do know at least one winner. Think of classic children’s books: Madeleine L'Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, Lois Lowry’s The Giver, Beverly Cleary’s Dear Mr. Henshaw, all past winners of the Newbery Medal for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. Think of The Polar Express, Jumanji,Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears and Make Way for Ducklings. All are previous winners of the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book of the year.

The 2011 winners of these and other awards for youth will become part of children’s literature history, favorites passed down from parents to children over time. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, these awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. All awards are selected by librarians and other children’s and young adult experts.

The list of this year’s winners is deep, leaving plenty of room for children, teens and parents to find a new favorite. Please welcome the class of 2011!

book cover: Moon Over Manifest John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature

Moon over Manifest
by Clare Vanderpool

book cover: A Sick Day for Amos McGee Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children

A Sick Day for Amos McGee,
illustrated by Erin E. Stead,
written by Philip C. Stead

book cover: Ship Breaker Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

Ship Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi

book cover: One Crazy Summer Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults

One Crazy Summer
by Rita Williams-Garcia

book cover: Dave the Potter Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave, illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill

book cover: Zora and Me Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award

Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon

book cover: Seeds of Change Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Illustrator) Award

Seeds of Change illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, written by Jen Cullerton Johnson

book cover: The Pirate of Kindergarten Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

The Pirate of Kindergarten written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril (ages 0-10)

Other Schneider Family Book Award winners:

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick (ages 11-13)
Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John (13-18)

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences

The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel by Aimee Bender
The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel by Helen Grant
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video

Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard of Weston Woods, producers of The Curious Garden

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States

A Time of Miracles, originally published in French in 2009 as Le Temps des Miracles, the book was written by Anne-Laure Bondoux and translated by Y. Maudet

Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States

The True Meaning of Smekday, produced by Listening Library. The book is written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award honoring a Latino writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience

The Dreamer, by Pam Muñoz Ryan

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

Grandma’s Gift, illustrated and written by Eric Velasquez

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children

Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot by Sy Montgomery

Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award for English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book

Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile

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

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, honoring the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.