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American Library Association announces literary award winners
BOSTON - The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, audiobooks and video for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Boston.

A list of all the 2010 literary award winners follows. [Click here to watch the video presentation]. 

John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature

• WINNER: “When You Reach Me,” written by Rebecca Stead, is the 2010 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.
  • REVIEWED BY:
    • Paul Goldschmidt
• Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:
  • “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice” by Phillip Hoose and published by Melanie Kroupa Books/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group;
  • “The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate” by Jacqueline Kelly and published by Henry Holt and Company;
  • “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” by Grace Lin and published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers; [Grace Lin is a Kidlitosphere member]
  • “The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg” by Rodman Philbrick and published by The Blue Sky Press, An Imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children

• WINNER: “The Lion & the Mouse,” illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, is the 2010 Caldecott Medal winner. The book was published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.
• Two Caldecott Honor Books also were named:
  • “All the World,” illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon and published by Beach Lane Books; [Liz Garton Scanlon is a Kidlitosphere member]
  •  “Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors,” illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults

• WINNER: “Going Bovine,” written by Libba Bray, is the 2010 Printz Award winner. The book is published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House.
• Four Printz Honor Books also were named:
  • “Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith” by Deborah Heiligman, published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group;
  • “The Monstrumologist” by Rick Yancey, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Group;
  • “Punkzilla” by Adam Rapp, published by Candlewick Press;
  • “Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973” by John Barnes, published by Viking Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults

• WINNER: “Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal,” written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, is the King Author Book winner. The book is illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, published by Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
• One King Author Honor Book was selected:
  • “Mare’s War” by Tanita S. Davis and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc. [Tanita Davis is a Kidlitosphere member]

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award

• WINNER: “My People,” illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr., is the King Illustrator Book winner. The book was written by Langston Hughes and published by Ginee Seo Books, Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
• One King Illustrator Honor Book was selected: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” illustrated by E. B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes and published by Disney - Jump at the Sun Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award

• "The Rock and the River,” written by Kekla Magoon, is the Steptoe winner. The book is published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement

• Walter Dean Myers is the winner of this first-ever Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton. Myers’ books include:
  • “Amiri & Odette: A Love Story,” published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic;
  • “Fallen Angels,” published by Scholastic Press;
  • “Monster,” published by Amistad and HarperTeen, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers;
  • “Sunrise Over Fallujah,” published by Scholastic Press.

Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience

• WINNER: “Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros,” illustrated by Rafael López, is the Belpré Illustrator Award winner. The book was written by Pat Mora and published by Rayo, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
• Three Belpré Illustrator Honor Books were selected:
  • “Diego: Bigger Than Life,” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and published by Marshall Cavendish Children;
  • “My Abuelita,” illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Tony Johnston and published by Harcourt Children’s Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt;
  • “Gracias Thanks,” illustrated by John Parra, written by Pat Mora and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.

Pura Belpré (Author) Award

• WINNER: “Return to Sender,” written by Julia Alvarez, is the Belpré Author Award winner. The book is published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books. [Julia Alvarez is a Kidlitosphere member]
  Two Belpré Author Honor Books were named:
  • “Diego: Bigger Than Life,” written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, illustrated by David Diaz and published by Marshall Cavendish Children;
  • “Federico García Lorca,” written by Georgina Lázaro, illustrated by Enrique S. Moreiro and published by Lectorum Publications Inc.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience

• Winner for best young children ages 0 to 10: “Django” written and illustrated by Bonnie Christensen and published by Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press,
• Winner for middle grades (ages 11-13): “Anything but Typical” written by Nora Raleigh Baskin and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• The teen (ages 13-18) award winner is “Marcelo in the Real World,” written by Francisco X. Stork and published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

William C. Morris Award honors a book written by a first-time author for young adults

• WINNER: “Flash Burnout,” written by L.K. Madigan, is the Morris Award winner. The book is published by Houghton Mifflin, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Odyssey Award for excellence in audiobook production

• WINNER: Live Oak Media, producer of the audiobook “Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken” is the winner of the Odyssey Award. The book was written by Kate DiCamillo and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.
• Three Odyssey Honor Audiobooks were named:
  • “In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber,” produced by Listen & Live Audio, Inc., written by L. A. Meyer and narrated by Katherine Kellgren;
  • “Peace, Locomotion,” produced by Brilliance Audio, written by Jacqueline Woodson and narrated by Dion Graham;
  • “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” produced by Brilliance Audio, written by Kadir Nelson and narrated by Dion Graham.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for most distinguished beginning reader book

• WINNER: “Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!,” written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes is the Geisel Award winner. The book is published by TOON BOOKS, a division of RAW Junior, LLC.
• Four Geisel Honor Books were named:
  • “I Spy Fly Guy!” written and illustrated by Tedd Arnold and published by Scholastic;
  • “Little Mouse Gets Ready,” written and illustrated by Jeff Smith and published by TOON BOOKS, a division of RAW Junior, LLC;
  • “Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends,” written and illustrated by Wong Herbert Yee and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt;
  • “Pearl and Wagner: One Funny Day,” written by Kate McMullan, illustrated by R. W. Alley and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults

• WINNER: Jim Murphy is the 2010 Edwards Award winner. His books include: “An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793,” published by Clarion Books; “Blizzard! The Storm That Changed America,” published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic; “The Great Fire,” published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic; “The Long Road to Gettysburg,” published by Clarion Books; and “A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy,” published by Clarion Books.

Robert F. Sibert Medal for most distinguished informational book for children

• WINNER: “Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream,” written by Tanya Lee Stone, is the Sibert Award winner. The book is published by Candlewick Press.
• Three Sibert Honor Books were named:
  • “The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors,” written by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tony Persiani and published by Charlesbridge; [Chris Barton is a Kidlitosphere member]
  • “Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11,” written and illustrated by Brian Floca, and published by Richard Jackson/Atheneum Books for Young Readers;
  • “Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice,” written by Phillip Hoose and published by Melanie Kroupa/Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award:
“Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith,” written by Deborah Heiligman, is the winner of the first-ever YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award. The book is published by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video:
Paul R. Gagne and Mo Willems of Weston Woods, producers of “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!,” are the Carnegie Medal winners. The video is based on the book of the same name written and illustrated by Willems; it was narrated by Willems and Jon Scieszka with animation by Pete List.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States

• WINNER: “A Faraway Island” is the 2010 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Swedish in 1996 as “En ö i havet,” the book was written by Annika Thor, translated by Linda Schenck, and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.
• Three Batchelder Honor Books also were selected:
  • “Big Wolf and Little Wolf,” written by Nadine Brun-Cosme, illustrated by Olivier Tallec, translated by Claudia Bedrick and published by Enchanted Lion Books;
  • “Eidi,” written by Bodil Bredsdorff, translated by Kathryn Mahaffy and published by Farrar Straus Giroux; and
  • “Moribito II: Guardian of the Darkness,” written by Nahoko Uehashi, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, translated by Cathy Hirano and published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences

• “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope” by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
• “The Bride’s Farewell” by Meg Rosoff, published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group
• "Everything Matters!” by Ron Currie, Jr., published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group
• “The Good Soldiers” by David Finkel, published by Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• “The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir” by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch, published by Harmony Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House
• “The Magicians,” by Lev Grossman, published by Viking Penguin, a member of Penguin Group
• “My Abandonment” by Peter Rock, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• “Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel,” by Gail Carriger, published by Orbit, an imprint of Hachette Book Group
• “Stitches: A Memoir” by David Small, published by W.W. Norton & Company
• “Tunneling to the Center of the Earth” by Kevin Wilson, published by Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins

May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site:

• WINNER: Lois Lowry will deliver the 2011 lecture. The internationally acclaimed author’s career spans more than 30 years. She is a two-time recipient of the Newbery Medal, in 1990 for “Number the Stars,” set in Denmark during World War II, and in 1994 for the eerily dystopian “The Giver.” Both books are published by Houghton Mifflin.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth.  Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s experts, the awards encourage original and creative work.  For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit the ALA Web site at www.ala.org.