After a night of broken sleep, punctuated by severe weather alerts that rival air raid sirens in their ability to induce panic in us shell-shocked Alabamians, I got up this morning to watch the ALA Youth Media Awards presentation live via the internet. I always mean to do this but always also manage to let it slip by unnoticed until I read the re-hash on someone’s blog. It was nice to have something to look forward to this morning after a rough night, though.
I’m usually surprised at how few of the award winning books I’ve read. A quickly counted sixty some-odd winners, not including the many books of the authors or illustrators who won a lifetime achievement type award. I think I’ve read five or so of them. Here are the ones I’ve read, linked to my reviews when possible:
Caldecott Medal: A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka–I “read” this one but never reviewed it because I have such a hard time reviewing wordless picture books. I really, really need to bone up on what makes illustrations great, both because I’m interested in it and because it would make my book reviews much better!
Caldecott honor: Me. . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Schneider Family Book Award (middle school): Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Sibert Award: Balloons over Broadway by Melissa Sweet–I loved this one and even predicted it to be a Caldecott contender. I’m so glad it won something!
Sibert honor: Drawing from Memory by Allen Say, a book I haven’t read all of yet (seems I misplaced it in the middle of reading it).
Theodore Seuss Geisel Award: I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
Lulu and I are even; she hasn’t read Wonderstruck, but she did read Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom by Shane W. Evans, which won the Coretta Scott King illustrator award.
These are the new-to-me winners I’m most interested in reading. The designation is below the book cover.
(Theodore Seuss Geisel Award)
(Both Printz and Morris Awards!)
(YALSA Award)
(both YALSA honors)
(Susan Cooper won the Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, and seeing as I haven’t read any of her books, I think I’ll start with this one.)
Anyone want to chat about the winners and losers? You can see them all here, and for a fun take on one librarian’s opinion, check out The Lemme Library’s Bizarro Newbery Awards 2012.
I love the Susan Cooper series. Do check them out.
Isn’t this a fun day? I requested a few from my library, including Balloons Over Broadway and Where Things Come Back. I also happen to have Big Girl Small checked out right now. I thought Inside Out & Back Again was a beautiful book — I highly recommended it!
Linda,
Susan Cooper has been on my TBR list for some time, but now it looks like I need to bump her up a few spots!
Caryl,
I think you’ll love Balloons over Broadway–we surely did! I will look into Inside Out & Back Again. Thanks for the recommendation!
You’re doing better than us – I think we’ve read one from the list.
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Almost Unschoolers,
I wouldn’t have read as many if I hadn’t been reading for the Archair Cybils challenge.
You MUST read Susan Cooper. Bump her all the way up to #1. Just plan on reading the whole series and start with Over Sea, Under Stone.
I might be a wee bit biased. It’s my all-time favorite childhood series. We went on our honeymoon to Cornwall because of that series.
Did I say I’m a fan?
Breaking Stalin’s Nose was really pretty good. I had actually started reading it Sunday night and then finished yesterday afternoon.
I think it is interesting that both the honor books have to do with communism.
I just counted and it looks like I have read 10 of the books. There are plenty from the list of winners that I still want to get my hands on and read. All of the YALSA titles have been on my list to read for awhile but I never did get any of them read. I think the YALSA is one of my favorite categories.
My library, unfortunately, seems to be putting most of their funds towards DVDs, Blu-Rays, and e-books. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find actual books! Especially non-fiction. My library does not own many of the books that won awards. I actually submitted purchase requests for two of them earlier this year but no luck! Maybe now they will get them.
I have read Susan Cooper’s Dark Is Rising series (a long time ago), but none of the current day winners. I do have Breaking Stalin’s Nose in my library basket, and several of the others pique my interest. But my reading this year hasn’t been new books for the most part.
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