It’s that time of year again. The American Library Association has chosen what it believes are the best books for children and teens published in 2009. The Town of Ballston Community Library has all of these books. If our copy isn’t in let us know and we can order it from another library for you.
The Caldecott Award
The Caldecott Award is given to the illustrator “of the most distinguished American picture book for children” by the American Library Association. Each year an award winner and runner-up honor books are chosen. Click here to see the complete list of past winners. This years Award winner is The Lion & The Mouse by Jerry Pinkey J 398.2 PIN. The Honor Books are All The World by Elizabeth Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee J 811 SCA and Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski JP 811 SID
The Newbery Award
The Newbery Award is given annually to an author who has made a great contribution to Children’s Literature in the previous year. The Newbery Award has been given out since 1922, click here to see a complete list of past winners and Honor books. The Newbery Award went to When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead J FICT STE or YA FICT STE for 2010. There were several Honor Books chosen this year as well. They are: Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice by Phillip Hoose J 92 COL, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly J FICT KEL, Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin J FICT LIN, and The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick J FICT PHI.
The Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is awarding to a book that shows excellence in Young Adult Literature. This award is only ten-years-old but shows a growing trend of excellence in books written for teens, an area of literature that was ignored for a long time. This years Award Winner is Going Bovine by Libba Bray YA FICT BRA, who is also the author of the very popular A Great and Terrible Beauty. The Honor Books for 2010 are: Charles and Emma: The Darwins Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman YA 92 DAR, The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey YA FICT YAN, Punkzilla by Adam Rapp YA FICT RAP, and Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes YA FICT BAR.
In addition to these awards the American Library Associaton gives out many others each year, for audio books, graphic novels, popular paperbacks, etc. If you’re looking for something different to read check out these lists: For Children, or for Teens.
Book Recommendations & Reviews by Library Staff
Online Book Lists & Resources
- Novelist
- New York Times Best Seller List
- Great Early Elementary Reads
- Kids Reads
- Caldecott Award Winning Books
- Newbery Award & Honor Books
- Best Books For Young Adults
- Outstanding Books For The College Bound
