Award Winning Happiness

ALA Youth Media Awards Day is something like a high holy day in the Kidlitosphere.  -- The anticipation -- the predictions --and in my case the recognition that my TBR list grows ever longer.

When I heard the news that Jack Gantos had been awarded the 2012 Newbery Award for his novel Dead End in Norvelt,  I was elated and began firing off emails to other members of the entwood here to let them know the momentous news.

I highly recommend the audio version of the book read by Gantos himself. It  is an excellent way to enjoy this semi-autobiographical tale.  He knows where he put all the jokes, ellipses and tender moments and delivers them perfectly.

The Troika of Jack Fansanity  (Jules at Seven Imp, the brilliant Adrienne at What Adrienne Thinks about That and myself) was engaged in a day long happy-dance and conga line through emails and Facebook posts.

Jack has been recognized with Newbery honors and other awards in the past.  Last week Dead End in Norvelt was awarded the 2012 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

Winning THE Newbery Medal means that iconic gold medal will forever grace the cover of his book. It is a validation of his wonderful writing.  "Writing is hard work" Gantos told my students several years ago when he visited my library.  I am overjoyed his hard work has been recognized and rewarded.

Congratulations Jack Gantos!

Here is his presentation with the from the National Book Festival,  Fall 2011.
I know his Newbery Award acceptance speech will be a humdinger.  No one who hears him speak, ever forgets it. Listen to the crowd roaring with laughter here.

Read it and weep (for joy)

Grace Lin is blogging about her experiences at ALA this year.

Whether she is describing a lovely vacation trip or her Newbery dinner dress hunt, her accounts make you feel like you are there. Gracenotes readers feel like they are a close friends who are privileged to share these moments with her.

Grace admits there were moments she had to try very hard not to cry at the luncheon Little, Brown gave in her honor. Read her eloquent words about Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

If you do not tear up, there is no hope for you. I am awash.

So so so so so happy for Grace.

Sometimes it is personal

The ALA ALSC Book & Media Awards have real personal meaning to me this year.

They are always such fun and humbling as I realize that once again my reading has been utterly inadequate or right on the mark. This year, though, I have had the honor of meeting maybe even, sort of, kind of friending, not one, not two but THREE of the Honor winners.

It is a wonderful thing to think these books will sport a lovely medal on their covers now!




2010 Coretta Scott King (Author) Honor Book
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.

OK, I will have to confess that I have actually never met, face-to-face, in-person, shaken her hand, stood in the same room, city block, county, state or even had a coffee with the awesomeness that is Tanita S. Davis but her support from her blog to BookMoot and the Kidlitosphere in general make me feel like I know her, like we could sit down at the kitchen table and talk for hours. She is a kind and generous spirit who has a way of making a blogger feel like they have just written something profound/hilarious/meaningful/important. Tanita and Mare have been nominated for a NAACP Image Award too.

Mare is an unforgettable character. So is Tanita.




2010 Newbery Medal--Honor Book
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers.

At the 2007 Texas Library Association conference I asked Grace Lin to sign a book for one of my young relatives and while she did, I mentioned that I was one of those Kidolitosphere bloggers who followed her blog and that her trip to Hong Kong had been a virtual vacation for me.

Now, I don't know if she had REALLY ever looked at this-here blog -- she made me feel like she had and she had someone take our picture and she talked to me and it was just ... w o n d e r f u l. My dragon and I really love this beautiful book. Check out the photos of her early morning phone call on her blog, gracenotes




2010 Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal --Honor Book
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

I served on a Cybils committee with Chris Barton, which is really a wonderful way to get to know your fellow kidlitospherians (VOLUNTEER.) I hoped I would get to meet him, in person, at TLA but who knew if I would really see him? Walking through the exhibit hall, bent in half by a too many books and arcs in my backpack, I was stunned to hear a man say, "Camille?" as I staggered by him.

Good Gad! It was Chris Barton. He had recognized my shoes from a photo of my shiny new pink swoosh Nikes that I had posted before leaving for the conference.

Readers of his blog, Bartography, have followed his twisty-turny road to publication so this is sweet for all of us. I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled, thrilled for him.

BTW, If you are one of my librarian friends who I contacted about booking him for an author visit, I TOLD you so!

Today Show Watch

Woo Hoo!

The Today Show gave the annual Newbery/Caldecott winners interview to Al Roker!
Good job Al!

I can't wait to read both of these. Listening to Gaiman talk about The Graveyard Book reminds me of Eva Ibbotson's "ghost" books.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Newbery Winner

I can never ever predict the ALA award winners but I love the swirl of publicity and buzz they generate.



HAHAHAHAhahahahahhahahahahaah!
Neil Gaiman's reaction to his Newbery win for THE GRAVEYARD BOOK (without the swearing à la Twitter) is hilarious!

Love his description of librarians and "suchlike" as "great, wise and good people."