2012 Youth Media Award Winners Announced

And the winners are... nope, not the Oscars. I’m referring to the best and the brightest in children’s and young adult awards for books, videos and audio books that have been selected by the esteemed American Library Association (ALA).

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.

Take a look at this sampling of the 2012 winners, then stop by or call the library so that we can assist you with one of these outstanding works.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. Winner: Dead End in Norvelt, by Jack Gantos.

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. Winner: A Ball for Daisy, illustrated and written by Chris Raschka.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults. Winner: Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley.

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults. Winner: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans, illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award: Winner: Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom, written and illustrated by Shane W. Evans.

Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience: Winners (ages 9 – 13): Close to Famous, by Joan Bauer and Wonderstruck: A Novel in Words and Pictures, by Brian Selznick Winners (ages 14-18): The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children's video: Winner: Children Make Terrible Pets, by Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard.

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults: Winner: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver on the Tree, by Susan Cooper.

Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book translated from a foreign language and subsequently published in the United States. Winner: Soldier Bear, by Bibi Dumon Tak, illustrated by Philip Hopman, translated by Laura Watkinson.

Odyssey Award for best audio book produced for children and/or young adults. Winner: Rotters, by Daniel Kraus and narrated by Kirby Heyborne.

Pura Belpré Award honoring a Latino writer who's children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience. Winner: Under the Mesquite, by Guadalupe Garcia McCall.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children. Winner: Balloons over Broadway:  The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade, by Melissa Sweet.

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book. Winner: Tales for Very Picky Eaters, written and illustrated by Josh Schneider.

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. Winner: Where Things Come Back, by John Corey Whaley.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults, ages 12 – 18. Winner: The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery, by Steve Sheinkin.