Jan 23, 2012

ALA Children's Book Awards 2012

In case you somehow missed it, the American Library Association's Association for Library Service to Children announced the 2012 book & media awards today. Congrats to all the authors, illustrators, editors, publishers, voice actors, translators, and everyone else involved!

Newbery Medal

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos, whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is "grounded for life" by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack's way once his mom loans him out to help a fiesty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder. Endlessly surprising, this sly, sharp-edged narrative is the author at his very best, making readers laugh out loud at the most unexpected things in a dead-funny depiction of growing up in a slightly off-kilter place where the past is present, the present is confusing, and the future is completely up in the air.

Newbery Honor Books



Caldecott Medal

The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
  • A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka, published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Here's a story about love and loss as only Chris Rashcka can tell it. Any child who has ever had a beloved toy break will relate to Daisy's anguish when her favorite ball is destroyed by a bigger dog. In the tradition of his nearly wordless picture book Yo! Yes?, Caldecott Medalist Chris Raschka explores in pictures the joy and sadness that having a special toy can bring. Raschka's signature swirling, impressionistic illustrations and his affectionate story will particularly appeal to young dog lovers and teachers and parents who have children dealing with the loss of something special.

Caldecott Honor Books

  • Blackout illustrated and written by John Rocco, published by Disney/Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group
  •  Grandpa Green illustrated and written by Lane Smith, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing
  •  Me...Jane illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

Batchelder Award

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States.

  • Soldier Bear written by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Laura Watkinson, published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.


Batchelder Honor Books

  • The Lily Pond written by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.


Belpre (Illustrator) Award

The Pura Belpré Medal honors 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.


Belpre (Illustrator) Honor Books



Belpre (Author) Award

  • Under the Mesquite written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, published by Lee and Low Books Inc.


Belpre (Author) Honor Books


Carnegie Award

The Andrew Carnegie Medal honors the producer of the most outstanding video production for children released during the preceding year.


Geisel Award

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.
  • Tales for Very Picky Eaters written and illustrated by Josh Schneider, published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company


Geisel Honor Books

  • I Broke My Trunk written and illustrated by Mo Willems, published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group
  • I Want My Hat Back written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, published by Candlewick Press
  • See Me Run written and illustrated by Paul Meisel, published by Holiday House

Odyssey Award

The Odyssey Award will be awarded annually to the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
  • Rotters produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. (Written by Daniel Kraus; Narrated by Kirby Heyborne)

Odyssey Honor Audiobooks

  • Ghetto Cowboy produced by Brilliance Audio (Written by G. Neri; Narrated by JD Jackson)
  • Okay for Now produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. (Written by Gary D. Schmidt; Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe)
  •  The Scorpio Races produced by Scholastic Inc./Scholastic Audiobooks (Written by Maggie Stiefvater; Narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham)
  • Young Fredle produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. (Written by Cynthia Voigt; Narrated by Wendy Carter)


Sibert Medal

The Robert F. Sibert Medal honors the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published during the preceding year.


Sibert Honor Books

  • Drawing from Memory written and illustrated by Allen Say, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
  • The Elephant Scientist written by Caitlin O'Connell and Donna M. Jackson, illustrated by Caitlin O'Connell and Timothy Rodwell, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

2 comments:

  1. I thought the awards were full of surprises! Have you read Dead End in Norvelt? I hadn't even heard of it before this morning!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Katie, I had heard of it but haven't read it yet. Hurricane Dances interested me most on the list so far.

    ReplyDelete

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