Post: Award-Winning Reads
Award-Winning Reads
Awards season is here for everyone, including children's books, and we're rolling out the red carpet for this year's winners. We're rolling out the red carpet for this year's winners. It'll truly be a night to remember for these A-list titles. Younger stand-outs sport glorious illustrations by today's top artists, while older-skewing honorees keep it simple in elegant dust jackets. Read about these glamorous stars of the page.
Newbery Awards
This annual award from the Association for Library Service to Children is one of the most coveted. It goes to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children."
Newbery Winner
The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron
For ages: 9-12
Parents should know: Some librarians are in an uproar over the word "scrotum" in this book. The main character overhears the word on the first page in reference to a dog getting bitten by a snake. Good to know if you'd hate to hear kids repeat the word, but too bad it overshadows this year's winner.
Who will enjoy it: As with any book of this type, it's not for every kid. Those who need plot-driven action will likely find it dull. But kids who loved Kate DiCamillo's Because of Winn-Dixie will probably love this one, too.
Newbery Honor Titles
Penny from Heaven by Jennifer Holm
For ages: 9-12
Who will enjoy it: This beautifully written, nostalgic book starts slowly. It's not for reluctant readers, but the patient will be rewarded with more action in the second half.
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
For ages: 10-12
Who will enjoy it: This riveting frontier survival story has a heroine girls will love and a pace that will appeal to most tween readers.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
For ages: 9-12
Who will enjoy it: For kids with an autistic sibling or siblings with other challenges, this is a must-read. It will also appeal to introspective readers who like heart-warming themes.
Caldecott Awards
The Caldecott is the most notable prize for book illustrations. Like the Newbery, it's awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association.
Caldecott Winner
Flotsam by David Wiesner
For ages: 4+
Who will enjoy it: Everyone! And repeatedly. This wordless book is full of imaginative touches that will keep kids pointing and talking about what they see.
Caldecott Honor Titles
Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet by David McLimans
For ages: 8+
Who will enjoy it: This one is about the art, not the accessibility. It's not for kids learning ABCs, especially since the animals are obscure and the text talks about each endangered animal's plight. But for tweens who love art class or are involved in their school's environmental groups, this could be a rewarding choice.
Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
For ages: 6+
Who will enjoy it: The strong spiritual elements make this one a good fit for religious families and their young children. The book's focus on African-American history and heroes makes it a good fit for older kids, too.
Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
This award for a book "that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature" is sponsored by the ALA publication Booklist.
Michael L. Printz Award Winner
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
For ages: 13+
Who will enjoy it: Avid graphic novel readers. This is the first graphic novel to win this award.
Michael L. Printz Honor Titles
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
For ages: Mature teens
Who will enjoy it: For gifted teens with a taste for high-level language, extended philosophical discourse, and complex literary structure, this will be a rare treat. But for others, this can be a tough read thanks to its complexity and its disturbing level of violence.
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
For ages: 14+
Who will enjoy it: This isn't for everyone. There's no plot to speak of, no action except for one fight, and reading it assumes at least a tolerance of, if not interest in, the "geeky" things that interest the main character. But for bright kids who like intriguing characters and intellectual play, it's lots of fun.
Surrender by Sonya Harnett
For ages: 13+
Who will enjoy it: Tolerance for ambiguity is one of the prerequisites for enjoying this book. There's not much that would be considered objectionable for teens, but it won't be to all of their tastes. With shimmering prose, a uniquely strange plot, and a surprising, confusing ending, this will be a joy to some and frustrating to others.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
For ages: 14+
Who will enjoy it: While the publisher recommends this book for ages 12 and up, it's written in a style that most kids under 14 will simply find too dense. This is a devastatingly powerful book that bears several rereadings, and it should become a staple of literature discussion groups for sophisticated teen and adult readers.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Award
This new award for 2006 -- given in honor of the man who brought us The Cat in the Hat -- goes to distinguished beginning-reader books, recognizing both the author and illustrator "who demonstrate great creativity and imagination in his/her/their literary and artistic achievements to engage children in reading."
Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Award Winner
Zelda and Ivy: The Runaways by Laura Kvasnosky
For ages: 4-6
Who will enjoy it: Beginning readers just hitting their stride. Though some of the words are challenging, the three stories in this book move right along. Plenty of friendly illustrations reward all their hard work.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Beginning Reader Honor Titles
Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
For Ages: 2+
Who will enjoy it: Toddlers will love it as a read-aloud, and very early readers will gain confidence with the repetition. Everyone will enjoy the cute-as-a-bunny illustrations.
Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont
For ages: 5+
Who will enjoy it: Early readers who like wacky animal tales.
Margaret A. Edwards Award
This annual award sponsored by the School Library Journal "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."
Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner
The Giver by Lois Lowry
For ages: 11+
Who will enjoy it: This 1994 Newbery Award-winner is for avid readers and thinkers, from tweens to adults. It's a riveting and thought-provoking read perfect for triggering discussions.
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award
This is an award for an American publisher of an outstanding children's book "originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States."
Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner
The Pull of the Ocean by Jean-Claude Mourlevat
For ages: 11+
Who will enjoy it: This French children's book is engrossing and unsettling. It's for adventurous kids who don't need a happy ending.
Still to come: Reviews of Coretta Scott King Award winners Copper Sun by Sharon Draper, The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes, Jazz by Christopher Myers, Poetry for Young People: Langton Hughes illus. by Benny Andrews, and Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones. Also, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award-winner Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh.
This piece was written by book editor Carrie R. Wheadon. For more on the controversy caused by this year's Newbery winner, click here.