Red House Children's Book Award Winners Announced
June 9, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Former journalist and editor Sophie McKenzie has scooped the overall prize in the prestigious Red House Children’s Book Award 2009 for her thrilling teen novel, Blood Ties
Announcing the winners, Sinead Kromer, national co-ordinator for the RHCBA, said: “The Red House Children’s Book Award is the only award that truly values the opinion of children and empowers them to make the decisions that collectively decide the winners.
Thousands of children from schools, libraries and nurseries spent 18 months devouring 838 titles to find the shortlisted ten books for the Red House Children’s Book Awards, four in the category for books for younger children, and three each in the younger readers’ and older readers’ categories.
Blood Ties (Simon and Schuster) won both the older readers’ category and overall prizes in the award, which is owned and co-ordinated by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. It’s not a new thing for McKenzie, as her novel, Girl, Missing
The winning novel is a gripping thriller that explores issues of genetic engineering and personal identity.Tightly plotted, readers said they empathized with the teenage characters Rachel and Theo who struggle with their sense of identity. The fast-paced novel keeps readers on the edge of their seats as the protagonists race to survive against the odds.
McKenzie will learn of her win at a glittering awards luncheon at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, which will be attended by 200 people, including more than 80 children from across the country, all of whom were involved in the voting.
Two other category winners in the 29th annual award were also announced today: Allan Ahlberg’s beautiful picture book, The Pencil
An incredible 143,295 votes were cast by children and young adults all over the UK both online and through ballots collated by regional coordinators of the Federation of Children’s Book Groups.
About The Red House Children’s Book Award:
The Red House Children’s Book Award is owned and coordinated by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups. The Federation was launched by Anne Wood, the brains behind children’s TV phenomenon The Teletubbies, in 1968 and the first book award was launched in 1980 – the first winner being Quentin Blake for Mr Magnolia.
For further details, visit Red House Children’s Book Award
The 2009 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winners Announced
June 5, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
The 2009 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were announced on June 2, 2009.Presented annually since 1967, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards reward excellence in children’s and young adult literature and are given in three categories: Fiction and Poetry, Nonfiction, and Picture Book. The 2009 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, October 2, 2009, at the Boston Athenaeum in Boston, Massachusetts. The honored authors and illustrators are expected to be on hand to accept their awards and deliver their acceptance speeches.
All children’s and young adult books published in the United States between June 2008 and May 2009 were eligible for the award. The winning authors and illustrators may be citizens of any country. Winners in each category receive a cash prize and an engraved silver bowl. Honor book recipients receive an engraved silver plate. The acceptance speeches of the award winners will be published in the January/February 2010 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.
The 2009 winners are:
Fiction and Poetry:
Nation
by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins)
Nonfiction:
The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary
by Candace Fleming (Schwartz & Wade/Random House)
Picture Book:
Bubble Trouble
by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar (Clarion)
The judges also selected two honor books in each category:
Fiction and Poetry
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves (Michael L Printz Honor Book (Awards))
by M. T. Anderson (Candlewick)
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
Nonfiction
The Way We Work
by David Macaulay with Richard Walker, illustrated by David Macaulay (Lorraine/Houghton)
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream
by Tanya Lee Stone
(Candlewick)
Picture Book
Old Bear
by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow/HarperCollins)
Higher! Higher!
by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick)
For more info:
The Horn Book
2009 National Green Earth Book Award Winners
April 17, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
This Wednesday is Earth Day, so what better way to teach kids about saving our planet than by reading a good book? If you need help choosing the right book, look no further! The Newton Marasco Foundation in partnership with Salisbury University in Maryland, recently announced the winners of the 2009 National Green Earth Book Award. The Foundation created the Green Earth Book Award to promote books that inspire a child to grow a deeper appreciation, respect and responsibility for his or her natural environment. This is an annual award for books that best raise awareness of the beauty of our natural world and the responsibility that we have to protect it. The Green Earth Book Award is awarded in four categories and the winners in each were:
Picture Book: for books for children from pre-school to age 8 where the pictures and illustrations are as important as the text
Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai (Frances Foster Books)
written and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
(Farrar, Straus, & Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Varmints
written by Helen Ward and illustrated by Marc Craste
(Candlewick Press)
Children’s Fiction: encompasses novels for young readers up to age 12
Night of the Spadefoot Toads
written by Bill Harley
(Peachtree Publishers)
Young Adult Fiction: includes books for readers from age 13 to 21
The Blind Faith Hotel
written by Pamela Todd
(Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Write Naked
written by Peter Gould
(Farrar, Straus, & Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Nonfiction: includes books for readers from infancy to age 21
MySpace/OurPlanet: Change Is Possible
written by the Myspace Community, Jeca Taudte, and Dan Santat
(The Bowen Press)
Honor Books
10 Things I Can Do to Help My World
written and illustrated by Melanie Walsh
(published by Candlewick Press)
Cam Jansen and the Green School Mystery
written by David A. Adler and illustrated by Joy Allen
(published by Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Fern Verdant and the Silver Rose
written by Diana Leszczynski
(published by Random House Children’s Books)
Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life
written by Linda Siversten and Tosh Siversten
(published by Simon Pulse/Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing)
How We Know What We Know About Our Changing Climate: Scientists and Kids Explore Global Warming (About Our Changing Climate)
written by Lynne Cherry and Gary Braasch
(published by Dawn Publications)
Science Warriors: The Battle Against Invasive Species (Scientists in the Field)
written by Sneed B. Collard III
(published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Last Wild Place
written by Rosa Jordan
(published by Peachtree Publishers)
The Wolves Are Back
written by Jean Craighead George and illustrated by Wendell Minor
(published by Dutton Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group)
Tin Lizzie
written and illustrated by Allan Drummond
(published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Whirlwind: The Caretaker Trilogy: Book 2
written by David Klass
(published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
When Santa Turned Green
written by Victoria Perla and illustrated by Mirna Kantarevic
(published by Thomas Nelson Inc.)
Go to the Newton Marasco Foundation to learn more about these award-winning books.
Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
April 15, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
The winner of the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award was recently announced and for only the second time in the history of the Award, two authors’ works have tied for the honor.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz, author of He Forgot to Say Goodbye
The award alternates each year from “Works for Older Children/ Young Adult” to “Works for Younger Children.” The award this year focused on the “Works for Older Children/ Young Adult” category.
He Forgot to Say Goodbye tells the story of Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove who don’t appear to have much in common. Ram lives in the Mexican-American working-class barrio of El Paso called “Dizzy Land.” His brother is sinking into a world of drugs, wreaking havoc in their household. Jake is a rich West Side white boy who has developed a problem managing his anger. An only child, he is a misfit in his mother’s shallow and materialistic world. But Ram and Jake do have one thing in common: They are lost boys who have never met their fathers. This sad fact has left both of them undeniably scarred and obsessed with the men who abandoned them. As Jake and Ram overcome their suspicions of each other, they begin to move away from their loner existences and realize that they are capable of reaching out beyond their wounds and the neighborhoods that they grew up in.
In The Holy Tortilla and a Pot of Beans, Tafolla offers a collection of 16 short stories that explore the human spirit inherent in the bilingual, bicultural world of the Texas-Mexico border. With a fresh sense of humor and human understanding, these stories skillfully bridge the gap between miracles and tragedies, prejudice and transcendence, and oppression and liberation. From the comical exploration of the hypocrisy expressed at funerals to the spiritual mission of a magical tortilla, the collection draws upon a wide range of emotions but comes together in a singular, powerful voice that reflects the holiness found in everyday life.
The award will be presented Thursday, Oct. 29 on the Texas State campus with additional events scheduled in cooperation with the Texas Book Festival to be announced.
For more info:
About the Award
Official Award Website
2009 Golden Kite Award Winners Announced!
March 4, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
Okay, I know it seems like award week here at my blog, but it seems as though every time you turn around, there’s some cool announcement, awards flying around the room, and acceptance speeches to be made. And besides, who doesn’t want to know what all the award-winning books are? Who’s bringing home the gold? Who’s getting all the recognition around here? You get the drift!
The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators announced the winners and honorees of the 2009 Golden Kite Awards yesterday!
The Red House Children’s Book Awards and The Children’s Choice Awards are great because they’re chosen by young readers themselves. But the Golden Kite Award is great in it’s own right in that it’s the only award presented to children’s book authors and artists by their peers! And we all just want to be accepted, right?
Give a round of applause to
THE WINNERS…
Fiction:
Down Sand Mountain
by Steve Watkins
Candlewick Press
Nonfiction:
A Life in the Wild: George Schaller’s Struggle to Save the Last Great Beasts
by Pamela S. Turner
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Picture Book Text:
A Visitor for Bear
by Bonny Becker, illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton
Candlewick Press
Picture Book Illustration:
Last Night
Illustrated and written by Hyewon Yum
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
GOLDEN KITE HONOR RECIPIENTS:
Fiction:
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Nonfiction:
Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes (Scientists in the Field)
by Ellen Jackson; photographed and illustrated by Nic Bishop
Houghton Mifflin
Picture Book Text:
Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane
by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Sean Qualls
Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Picture Book Illustration:
I Love My New Toy! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)
Illustrated and written by Mo Willems
Hyperion
2009 Children's Choice Book Awards Finalists Announced!
March 3, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
You know how I love children’s book awards and I recently posted the finalists for the 2009 Red House Children’s Book Awards, so I had to list the finalists for the 2009 Children’s
Choice Book Awards. Awards, awards, awards–say that ten times fast!!
To fill ya’ in…Finalists were announced on February 26th by the Children’s Book Council. The favorite book finalists were determined by close to 15,000 children and teens. But now it’s in the hands of young readers to cast their votes at www.BookWeekOnline.com from March 16th through May 3rd.
Winners will be announced live at the Children’s Choice Book Awards gala on May 12th in New York City as part of Children’s Book Week (May 11-17, 2009), the oldest national literacy event in the United States.
But without further ado, the finalists are…
Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year:
The Donut Chef (A Golden Classic)
written and illustrated by Bob Staake
(Golden Books/Random House Children’s Books)
Katie Loves the Kittens
written and illustrated by John Himmelman
(Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
written and illustrated by Mo Willems
(Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group)
Sort it Out!
written by Barbara Mariconda, illustrated by Sherry Rogers
(Sylvan Dell Publishing)
Those Darn Squirrels!
written by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
(Clarion)
Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year:
Babymouse #8: Puppy Love
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
(Random House Children’s Books)
One Million Things: A Visual Encyclopedia
One Million Things
by Peter Chrisp
(DK Publishing)
Spooky Cemeteries (Scary Places)
by Dinah Williams
(Bearport Publishing)
Underwear: What We Wear Under There
Underwear: What We Wear Under There
by Ruth Freeman Swain
(Holiday House)
Willow (Picture Books)
written by Denise Brennan-Nelson and Rosemarie Brennan, illustrated by Cyd Moore
(Sleeping Bear Press)
Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year:
100 Most Dangerous Things On The Planet
by Anna Claybourne
(Scholastic Reference)
Amulet, Book One: The Stonekeeper (Bk. 1)
by Kazu Kibuishi
(Graphix/Scholastic)
The Big Field
by Mike Lupica
(Philomel/Penguin Young Readers Group)
Swords: An Artist’s Devotion
by Ben Boos
(Candlewick Press)
Thirteen
by Lauren Myracle
(Dutton/Penguin Young Readers Group)
Teen Choice Book Award:
Airhead
Airhead
by Meg Cabot
(Point/Scholastic)
Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
Breaking Dawn
by Stephenie Meyer
(Little, Brown and Company)
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
(Scholastic Press)
Lock and Key
Lock and Key
by Sarah Dessen
(Viking/Penguin Young Readers Group)
Paper Towns
Paper Towns
by John Green
(Dutton/Penguin Young Readers Group)
Author of the Year:
Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
(Amulet Books/Abrams)
Stephenie Meyer, Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)
(Little, Brown and Company)
Christopher Paolini, Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3)
(Knopf Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books)
James Patterson, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning (Maximum Ride: The Protectors)
(Little, Brown and Company)
Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4)
(Disney- Hyperion Books)
Illustrator of the Year:
Laura Cornell, Big Words for Little People
(Joanna Cotler Books/HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Robin Preiss Glasser, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly
(HarperCollins Children’s Books)
Mo Willems, The Pigeon Wants a Puppy
(Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Book Group)
David Shannon, Loren Long and David Gordon,Smash! Crash! (Jon Scieszka’s Trucktown)
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
John J Muth, Zen Ties
(Scholastic Press)
2009 Red House Children's Book Awards
February 27, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
I just love Children’s Book Awards because I usually find a new book, or two that I haven’t read before and have to put on my list to check out. A unique award, running for 29 years, is the Red House Children’s Book Award (RHCBA) because it’s chosen by children throughout the UK. This year young readers had to choose from 838 submitted books published in 2008!
How cool is that? The kids pick the winners!
Children from schools, libraries and nurseries have spent the last 12 months working with regional testers from the Federation of Children’s Book Groups weeding through the titles, which range from picture books to young adult novels.
Each reader, aged 3 to 16, chose his/her favorites in the 3 award categories: books for younger children, books for younger readers, and books for older readers. Voting is now open to find the category winners and an overall winner. Anyone under the age of 16 who lives in the UK can participate by simply logging onto the RHCBA website and completing the voting form before May 11th.
The shortlisted titles are…
BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN
The Pencil
written by Allan Ahlberg
Illustrated by Bruce Ingman
Walker Books
Beware of the Frog
Written and Illustrated by William Bee
Walker Books
A Lark in the Ark
Written by Peter Bently
Illustrated by Lynne Chapman
Egmont
The Three Horrid Pigs and the Big Friendly Wolf
Written and Illustrated by Liz Pichon
Little Tiger Press
BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS:
Cows in Action: The Wild West Moo-nster (Cows in Action)
Written and Illustrated by Steve Cole
Red Fox
Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos
Daisy and the Trouble with Zoos
Written and Illustrated by Kes Gray
Red Fox
The Cat Who Liked Rain
The Cat Who Liked Rain
Written and Illustrated by Henning Mankell
Andersen Press
BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS:
Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior
Written by Chris Bradford
Puffin
Blood Ties
Blood Ties
Written by Sophie McKenzie
Simon and Schuster
Broken Soup
Broken Soup
Written by Jenny Valentine
Harper Collins
The Cybils 2008-9
February 25, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
In case you haven’t printed it out yet and shared it with your enthusiastic readers, I’m reminding you that the Cybils flyer has been updated and includes all of the 2008 shortlisted titles (without blurbs), and includes the winners in boldface type at the top of each category list.
The front page of the flyer includes a description of what the Cybils are all about, nomination instructions, important dates, and contact information. And for those of you who still need a little convincing of how important the Cybils are, check out these numbers from the Cybils blog:
Total number of nominated books: 843
Percent read by at least one panelist: 98
Percent read by at least two panelists: 92
Number of winning authors and illustrators: 15
Cost, in dollars, of Lanier Classic Fountain Pen for each winner: 65
Page views on opening day, Oct. 1st, 2008: 4,942
Page views on Jan. 2nd, 2009 (our most-ever): 5,346
Total page views, as of this writing: 301,356
Average page views per day: 350
Technorati ranking, as of this writing: 12,134
There’s been a bunch of Cybils Fanfare since the winners were announced. As a judge in the Middle Grade/ Young Adult Nonfiction Category in which The Year We Disappeared: A Father-Daughter Memoir
Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour: Author Interview: Valerie Zenatti
January 20, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
I'm sure you've heard of the Newbery Controversy…
January 15, 2009 by Lori Calabrese · View Comments
But in case you haven’t…The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children of the American Library Association (ALA) to the author of the Outstanding American Children’s Book. The award has been given since 1922. Together with the Caldecott Medal, it is considered the most prestigious award for children’s literature in the United States and it’s named for John Newbery, an 18th century publisher of juvenile books. But there’s been A LOT of discussion lately on the winning books and whether or not they appeal to children.
Previous winners of the award are…
Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte, 1999)
A Year Down Yonder (Dial, 2000)
A Single Shard (Clarion, 2001)
The Tale of Despereaux (Candlewick, 2003)
Kira-Kira (S & S, 2004)
Criss Cross (Greenwillow, 2005)
The Higher Power of Lucky (S & S, 2006)
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! (Candlewick, 2007)
Susan Patron, the author of The Higher Power of Lucky
Don’t forget to mark your calendars for January 26th when ALA announces the new Newbery Award winner- a book you MIGHT want to read!
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