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Jan 10 – Jan 16, 2011 Edition ALA Announces Newbery, Caldecott Awards

LOS ANGELES, CA/AUTHORINK NEWS/January 10, 2011–The American Library Association revealed top honors for books for children and young adults at a ceremony in San Diego today. The highest award, the Newbery Medal, awarded each year to the most distinguished book for children, was given to “Moon Over Manifest” by Clare Vanderpool. The Caldecott Medal, the top award for illustration, went to the book “A Sick Day for Amos McGee,” illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead. The hour-long ceremony was part of the ALA’s midwinter conference.

The Printz Award, presented to a young adult novel, went to Paolo Bacigalupi for “Ship Breaker.” Bacigalupi is an author to watch; “Ship Breaker,” his first young adult novel, was a National Book Award finalist.

Other notable awards included the Coretta Scott King Award to author Rita Williams-Garcia for her book “One Crazy Summer”; the YALSA Excellence in nonfiction award to Ann Angel for “Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing”; the Pura Belpre Award to “The Dreamer,” written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sis; and the Theodor Suess Geisel award to “Bink and Gollie” by Kate diCamillo and Alison McGhee, illustrated by Tony Fucile.

Finalists for the Caldecott Medal were “Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet Slave” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill and “Interrupting Chicken” written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein.

Finalists for the Newbery Award were “Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night” written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen; “Heart of a Samuri,” by Margi Preus; “One Crazy Summer” by Rita Williams-Garci and “Turtle in Paradise” by Jennifer L. Holm.

The complete list of winners and finalists will soon be posted on the American Library Association website.