ALA Best Books of the Year

Every January the American Library Association bestows medals on their favorite children's and YA books of the previous year.  It's basically the Oscars for kid books.  The most well-known award is the Newbery, but there are many others as well.  Let's take a look at what won:

Newbery:  Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos.
Gantos is a veteran children's author, known for Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key and the autobiographical Hole in my Life, about his experience in prison.  Dead End in Norvelt is a comedy/mystery set in Western Pennsylvania during the 1960's .  The book also won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.  Read about this book and the runner-ups here.

Printz: Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley.

Whaley, on the other hand, is a 28-year-old former teacher and Where Things Come Back is his first book.  This is a quirky-sounding coming-of-age tale about a kidnapping and the return of a rare woodpecker to a rural Arkansas town.  I'm excited to read this.  You can read an interview with Whaley here.  Check out all this book and the Printz Honor selections here.

Nonfiction: The Notorious Benedict Arnold, by Steve Sheinkin.

This is a biography of the figure most famous in American History for being thought of as a traitor.  This title has earned praise for being well-written and well-researched.  This sounds like a great book for readers who enjoy biographies or who have a particular interest in the Revolutionary Period.  Read about this book and the other finalists here.

Belpre: Under the Mesquite, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

The Belpre Award recognizes works written by Latina/Latino writers.  Under the mesquite is about a fourteen-year-old girl named Lupita who must deal with being the eldest of eight children amd having her mother undergo cancer treatments.  Read more about the Belpre Award here.

Edwards: Susan Cooper

This award is for lifetime achievement in the field of Young Adult Literature, and its past recipients comprise a sort of YA Hall of Fame.  Cooper was recognized for her fantasy series The Dark Is Rising Sequence.  Many NOVA students have read and enjoyed these books over the year.  Thank you, Ms. Cooper, for your contributions to Young Adult Literature!  Read more about the award here. 

All of these books will be in the NOVA Library soon!