2012 ALA Award Winners

(this is going to be a long one...)

2012 Award Winning and Honor Books

Alex Awards
(ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18)

Big Girl Small / Rachel DeWoskin
In Zanesville / Jo Ann Beard
The Lover’s Dictionary / David Levithan
The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens / Brooke Hauser
The Night Circus / Erin Morgenstern
Ready Player One / Ernest Cline
Robopocalypse: A Novel / Daniel H. Wilson
Salvage the Bones / Jesmyn Ward
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures / Caroline Preston
The Talk-Funny Girl / Roland Merullo

Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Winner(s):

• The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery / Steven Sheinkin

Finalists:

• Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition / Karen Blumenthal



• Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein / Susan Goldman Rubin—juvenile



• Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science / Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos



• Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way / Sue Macy

Margaret A. Edwards Award
(honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, that have been popular over a period of time. 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)

Winner: Susan Cooper
(click on her name--above--to see all of the books written by Cooper that are owned by the Cumberland County Library System)

Michael L. Printz Award
(award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature)

Winner:

• Where Things Come Back / John Corey Whaley

Honor(s):

• Jasper Jones / Craig Silvey


• The Returning / Christine Hinwood


• The Scorpio Races / Maggie Stiefvater


• Why We Broke Up / Daniel Handler

Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
(producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States)

Winner:

• Rotters / written by Daniel Kraus; narrated by Kirby Heyborne

Honor(s):

• Ghetto Cowboy / written by G. Neri; narrated by JD Jackson


• Okay for Now / written by Gary D. Schmidt; narrated by Lincoln Hoppe


• The Scorpio Races / written by Maggie Stiefvater; narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham


• Young Fredle / written by Cynthia Voight; narrated by Wendy Carter

Schneider Family Book Award
(honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences)

Middle School Winner(s):

• Close to Famous / Joan Bauer


• Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures / Brian Selznick

Teen Winner(s):

• The Running Dream / Wendelin Van Draanen

Stonewall Book Awards
(English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered experience)

Winner:

• Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy / Bil Wright

Honor(s):

• a + e 4ever / Ilike Merey


• Money Boy / Paul Yee


• Pink / Lili Wilkinson


• with or without you / Brian Farrey

William C. Morris Debut YA Award
(honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature)

Winner:

• Where Things Come Back / John Corey Whaley

Finalist(s):

• Between Shades of Gray / Ruta Sepetys


• Girl of Fire and Thorns / Rae Carson


• Paper Covers Rock / Jenny Hubbard


• Under the Mesquite / Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Best of the Best of 2011

ALA Award Winners

With the New Year comes new award winning books. In anticipation of the upcoming ALA award announcements (TBA on January 23rd, 2012--1 week away) let's check out some of the nominees...

Alex Awards
honors ten adult books with special appeal to teens
Nominees

Morris Award
honors the best book by a previously unpublished author writing for teens
Nominees

Nonfiction Award
honors the best nonfiction written for teens each year
Nominees

Edwards Award
honors an author and specific works by that author for lifetime contribution for writing to teens
Nominees [Unlisted]

Printz Award
honors the best book written for teens each year
Nominees [Unlisted]

Odyssey Award
honors the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States
Nominees [Unlisted]