Awards

I have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Printz (Excellence in Literature Written for Young Adults) and the Alex (10 Best Adult Books that Appeal to Teen Audiences) which were announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting on Monday. I was hoping that the Book Thief by Marcus Zusak would win the Printz, and it recieved the honor award. The winner was American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang. John Green, An Abundance of Katherines; M.T.Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Pox Party; and Sonya Hartnett, Surrender, were the other recipients of Honor Awards. You can see the press release with the entire list of award winners at http://ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=News&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=146679

As this is my first year at a high school, I need to catch up on previous Printz winners. I am familiar with the authors, and have read several of the books, especially those that were also appropriate to middle school. This year, I enjoyed reading Octavian Nothing which is a book that makes the reader think about what freedom, liberty, and the right to an education really mean. And I loved the Book Thief. I have read it several times and cried each time. It is about a girl who goes to live with a poor foster family in Germany during World War II. She comes to understand the power of words and the will to fight against oppression. We have both of these titles in the library media center, and I am ordering the others. I'll let you know when they arrive!