The annual ALA Youth Media Awards, which are judged by committees comprised of librarians and children’s experts, serve as benchmarks of excellence, and recognize the outstanding creativity of authors, illustrators and producers.
Most parents and caregivers are familiar with the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott Medals that are awarded, but there are also a number of other categories that are singled out for recognition.
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The following is the list provided by the American Library Association of the 2011 award winners in all categories of the ALA Youth Media Awards:
John Newbery Medal “for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature” awarded to "Moon over Manifest," written by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
The Newbery Honor Books named were: “Turtle in Paradise,” by Jennifer L. Holm, published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; “Heart of a Samurai,” written by Margi Preus, published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS; “Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night,” written by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Rick Allen and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; and “One Crazy Summer,” by Rita Williams-Garcia and published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Randolph Caldecott Medal “for the most distinguished American picture book for children” awarded to "A Sick Day for Amos McGee," illustrated by Erin E. Stead and written by Philip C. Stead; a Neal Porter Book, published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
The Caldecott Honor Books named were: “Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “Interrupting Chicken,” written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein and published by Candlewick Press.
Michael L. Printz Award “for excellence in literature written for young adults” awarded to "Ship Breaker," written by Paolo Bacigalupi, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The Printz Honor Books named were: “Stolen,” by Lucy Christopher and published by Chicken House, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; “Please Ignore Vera Dietz,” by A.S. King and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.; “Revolver,” by Marcus Sedgwick and published by Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of the Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group; and “Nothing,” by Janne Teller, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award “recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults” awarded to "One Crazy Summer," written by Rita Williams-Garcia, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
The King Author Honor Books named were: “Lockdown,” by Walter Dean Myers, published by Amistad, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; “Ninth Ward,” by Jewell Parker Rhodes, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.; and “Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty,” written by G. Neri, illustrated by Randy DuBurke and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award “recognizing an African American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults” awarded to "Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave," illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Laban Carrick Hill and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The King Illustrator Honor Book was: "Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix," illustrated by Javaka Steptoe, written by Gary Golio and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Author) Award given to "Zora and Me," written by Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon, and published by Candlewick Press.
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent (Illustrator) Award given to "Seeds of Change," illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, written by Jen Cullerton Johnson and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.
Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Practitioner Award for Lifetime Achievement “pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children's author Virginia Hamilton's contributions through her literature and advocacy for children and youth.” Awarded to Dr. Henrietta Mays Smith.Schneider Family Book Award (for children ages 0 to 10) “for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience,” given to "The Pirate of Kindergarten," written by George Ella Lyon, illustrated by Lynne Avril and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.
Middle-school (ages 11-13) "After Ever After," written by Jordan Sonnenblick and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Teen (ages 13-18) award winner is "Five Flavors of Dumb," written by Antony John and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Alex Awards for “the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.” Winners are:
"The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel," by Alden Bell, published by Holt Paperbacks, a division of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
"The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel" by Aimee Bender, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc.
"The House of Tomorrow," by Peter Bognanni, published by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of G.P. Putnam's Sons, a division of the Penguin Group.
"Room: A Novel," by Emma Donoghue, published by Little, Brown and Company a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
"The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel," by Helen Grant, published by Delacorte, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.
"The Radleys," by Matt Haig, published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
"The Lock Artist," by Steve Hamilton, published by Thomas Dunne Books for Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press.
"Girl in Translation," by Jean Kwok, published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group.
"Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard," by Liz Murray, published by Hyperion.
Andrew Carnegie Medal “for excellence in children's video” goes to Paul R. Gagne and Melissa Reilly Ellard of Weston Woods, producers of "The Curious Garden." The video is based on the book of the same name, written and illustrated by Peter Brown, and narrated by Katherine Kellgren, with music by David Mansfield.Laura Ingalls Wilder Award “honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children” - this year’s winner is Tomie dePaola, author and illustrator of over 200 books.
Margaret A. Edwards Award “honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature.” - this year’s winner, Sir Terry Pratchett.
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award “recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site”– this year’s winner, Peter Sis.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award “for an outstanding children's book translated from a language other than English and subsequently published in the United States” – this year’s winner, "A Time of Miracles" originally published in French in 2009 as "Le Temps des Miracles," the book was written by Anne-Laure Bondoux, translated by Y. Maudet, and published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Batchelder Honor Books that were selected are: "Departure Time," published by Namelos, written by Truus Matti and translated by Nancy Forest-Flier, and "Nothing," published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, written by Janne Teller and translated by Martin Aitken.
Odyssey Award “for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States” – given to "The True Meaning of Smekday," produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, the book is written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin.
Odyssey Honor Recordings were: "Alchemy and Meggy Swann," produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Karen Cushman and narrated by Katherine Kellgren; "The Knife of Never Letting Go," produced by Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, an imprint of Brilliance Audio, written by Patrick Ness and narrated by Nick Podehl; "Revolution," produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Jennifer Donnelly and narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering, and "will grayson, will grayson," produced by Brilliance Audio, written by John Green and David Levithan, and narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl.
Pura Belpre (Author) Award “honoring a Latino writer whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience” given to "The Dreamer," written by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Peter Sís and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Belpre Author Honor Books were: "Ole! Flamenco," written and illustrated by George Ancona and published by Lee & Low Books Inc.; "The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba," written by Margarita Engle and published by Henry Holt and Company, LLC. and "90 Miles to Havana," written by Enrique Flores-Galbis and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
Pura Belpre (Illustrator) Award “honoring a Latino illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience,” – given to "Grandma's Gift," illustrated and written by Eric Velasquez, and published by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
Belpre Illustrator Honor Books were: "Fiesta Babies," illustrated by Amy Cordova, written by Carmen Tafolla and published by Tricycle Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.; "Me, Frida," illustrated by David Diaz, written by Amy Novesky and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS and "Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin," illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.
Robert F. Sibert Medal “for most distinguished informational book for children,” – given to "Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot," written by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop and published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Sibert Honor Books were: "Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring," written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca, a Neal Porter Book, published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing, and "Lafayette and the American Revolution," written by Russell Freedman and published by Holiday House.
Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award “is given annually to English-language children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience,” – given to "Almost Perfect," written by Brian Katcher, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
Stonewall Honor books selected: "will grayson, will grayson," written by John Green and David Levithan, published by Dutton Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.; "Love Drugged," written by James Klise, published by Flux, an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.; "Freaks and Revelations," written by Davida Willis Hurwin, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., and "The Boy in the Dress," written by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake and published by Penguin Young Readers Group.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award “for the most distinguished beginning reader book,” – given to "Bink and Gollie," written by Kate DiCamillo, Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile, published by Candlewick Press.
Geisel Honor Books were: "Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same!" written and illustrated by Grace Lin and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc., and "We Are in a Book!" written and illustrated by Mo Willems and published by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Book Group.
William C. Morris Award “for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens,” – given to "The Freak Observer," written by Blythe Woolston and published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group.
William C. Morris finalists were: "Hush," by Eishes Chayil, published by Walker Publishing Company, a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.; "Guardian of the Dead," by Karen Healey, published by Little, Brown and Company/Hachette Book Group; "Hold Me Closer, Necromancer," by Lish McBride, published by Henry Holt, and "Crossing the Tracks," by Barbara Stuber, published by Margaret McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division.
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults “honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year,” given to "Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing," written by Ann Angel, and published by Amulet/Abrams.
YALSA finalists were: "They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group," by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; "Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement," by Rick Bowers and published by National Geographic Society; "The Dark Game: True Spy Stories," by Paul Janeczko and published by Candlewick Press, and "Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates," by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw and published by Charlesbridge.
