January 2011

You wait for it every year. You look forward to the glitz, the glamour and the celebrities. You try to guess who the winners will be. Some years you even throw a party for your closest friends so you can all revel in the anticipation and the excitement of the moment. And then the Big Day finally arrives…

Am I talking about the Golden Globes? Or perhaps the Grammy Awards? Maybe the Oscars? Nope. I’m talking about the American Library Association’s annual book awards for children and young adults. The winners were announced in mid-January and I’m happy to say that your Beloit Public Library owns just about every book that was on the award list.

Here are just a few of the winners:

The John Newbery Medal Award for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature goes to Moon Over Manifest written by Clare Vanderpool. Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was. (Product Description)

The Randolph Caldecott Medal Award for the most distinguished American picture book for children goes to A Sick Day for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead. Friends come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In Amos McGee’s case, all sorts of species, too! Every day he spends a little bit of time with each of his friends at the zoo, keeping the shy penguin company, and reading bedtime stories to the owl. But when Amos is too sick to make it to the zoo, his animal friends decide to return the favor. (Product Description)

The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults goes to Ship Breaker written by Paolo Bacigalupi. In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when… he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . . (Product Description)

The Coretta Scott King Author Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults goes to One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, … and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. (Product Description)

For a complete list of winners, visit www.beloitlibrary.info and click on the book lists at the bottom of the screen.