And the YOUTH MEDIA AWARDS go to...

The YMA Awards were announced last night and the YA winners are: (For the full list click here)

1. Michael L. Printz Award (Best YA literature of the year) 

• We Are OKay by Nina LaCour- Award
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- Honor
• Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman- Honor
• Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor -Honor
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

2. Schneider Family Book Award (Teen living with a disability)

• You're Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner (Ages 14-18)

3. Alex Awards - 10 Best adult books that appeal to teen audiences   

• All Systems Red (Wells)
• The Clockwork Dynasty (Wilson)
• Down Among the Sticks and Bones (McGuire)
• Electric Arches (Ewing)
• A Hope More Powerful than the Sea (Fleming)
• Malagash (Comeau)
• Roughneck (Lemire)
• She Rides Shotgun (Harper)
• Things We Have In Common (Kavanagh)
• An Unkindness of Magicians (Howard)

4. Margaret A. Edwards Award (An author who has made a significant contribution to YA or Children's Lit)

• Name of author : Angela Johnson 

5. Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature (LGBT) :

• The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater -Award tie
• Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert- Award Tie
• A Gentleman's Guide to Virtue and Vice by Mckenzie Lee- Honor
• As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman - Honor

6. William C. Morris Award (First YA novel by author)

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas- Award

7. YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 

• Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman- Award

8. Coretta Scott King Book Award (African American Author) 

• Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson-Award
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds-Honor
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas -Honor
• (The third honor book goes to a children's book)

9. Pura Belpre (Latino Author) 

• (The award  and honor books are all for middle grade readers)

10. Odyssey Award (Audio Book)

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, read by Bahni Turpin- Award
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, read by the author -Honor
• The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman, read by Michael Sheen- Honor
• (The other two honor books are middle grade or children's books)

11. Sibert Informational  Book Award (Distinguished Informational books)

• Twelve Days in My: Freedom Ride 1961 by Larry Dane Brimner -Award (Ages 10-17)

12. Mildred Batchelder Award (Translated into English)

• (Both the winner and the honor books are middle grade or children's books)

13. Laura Ingalls Wilder Author Award (An author or illustrator whose work has had a substantial and lasting effect on Children's literature)

• Author name: Jacqueline Woodson

14. Newbery Medal (Most outstanding contribution to children's literature)

• (The award book and one honor book are for middle grade or children readers)
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds- Honor 
• Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson- Honor

Comments: I am generally very pleased with this year's winners and honor books. I have read a lot of the titles, which I have highlighted in yellow, and I have heard of most of the others. Books marked with the aqua highlight were part of the Bethel School District Mock Printz list of books. Every year we try to divine which books will be those that receive awards. We didn't do too bad this year! As in the past, many of the awards did not honor any YA titles, but this year many more categories than usual DID give an award or an honor to at least one YA title. I was really, especially pleased to see that the Newbery Medal, the oldest and most prestigious of all book awards for children's literature, gave honors to two YA titles. 

Surprises: I am surprised to see We Are Okay as the Printz winner. I read the book and really didn't like it. I know that happens sometimes. When I would hear other people praise it I would wonder if we actually read the same book. Maybe I'd better go back and try it again.  The other surprise was the honor for Strange the Dreamer. I just told someone this past weekend that I hoped it would win something but I doubted it would because it is the first book in a series. Well, I was wrong and I am glad about it. One more surprise. I have not even heard of any of the Alex Award books. These are the adult titles that have crossover appeal for teens. I used to try to purchase a few of them for my library. The new librarian may have to do some deep research to determine if she wants any of these titles. I can't say anything about any of them.

For the complete list of awards and winners, including middle grade and children's titles, click here.

Now I guess we'd all better get out our list of books we want to read and add a few more titles to it. Happy reading.

My favorite YA titles of 2017. Will any of them win the Printz Award?

On Monday the Youth Media Awards will be announced at the end of the ALA Midwinter Conference. While I was a high school librarian I spent a lot of time promoting these award winners and tried to figure out the winners each year before the big announcement. This past year I didn't read as many YA titles that are potential Printz winners. Retirement was the reason. But of the books I did read, here are my five-star favorites. The quotes come from my reviews of these books. Click on the hyperlinks if you want to read more.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

"If you truly want to help make our world a better place for everyone, you need to read The Hate U Give.

I will be shocked if The Hate U Give doesn't clean up when all the book awards are given out at the end of the year. In fact I will be surprised if it doesn't win them all: The National Book Award, The Printz Award, The Coretta Scott King Award, the Boston-Globe/Horn Book Award, The Morris Award, and The Walden Award. For that reason alone, you need to read The Hate U Give."

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin

"It is possible that Jim Thorpe is the greatest American athlete to ever live. What makes this statement even more remarkable is that many, possibly most, Americans have never heard of him...

Will it win a book award this year? It very well may. Sheinkin is not unfamiliar with the award podium, having won the YALSA Nonficiton book award, a finalist for the National Book Award, a winner of the Seibert Medal, and a Newbery finalist for past books, it is possible this book will also be honored with an award, or two. Let's hope so. That way more people will read about Jim Thorpe and his amazing athletic endeavors."

An Uninterrupted View of the Sky by Melanie Crowder

"This YA book has heart, and I assure you it will touch your heart. Often it seems that YA novels deal with such small, first-world problems. That is not the case with The Uninterrupted View of the Sky.
This book opens the eyes of the reader to much bigger and life-threatening problems that exist elsewhere in the world. It does it gently and thoughtfully, with a touch of poetry, so the reader doesn't end up feeling clubbed over the head with the information. I highly recommend it for both teen and adult readers."

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein

"In case you think you recognize the name Julie Beaufort-Stuart, if you read Code Name Verity, a Printz Honor book published in 2012, she was the protagonist of that book who was working as a British spy and was captured by the Nazis. The Pearl Thief is considered a prequel of Code Name Verity, but it very easily reads as a stand alone, though we do see the beginnings of Julie's skills as a first rate snoop and the makings of a spy. It is a very different book from CNV, in a lot of ways I liked it better, and that is saying a lot. In The Pearl Thief we meet a girl who is just coming into her own. She is trying to figure out issues related to friendship and prejudice, class and privilege, sexuality and manipulation. In a lot of ways Julie is an unreliable narrator but as she learns things, we do too. I loved her voice and seeing things through her eyes. The climax, which comes very late in the story, was a shocker to me, one I didn't see coming at all. Amal El-Mohtar, writing a review of PT for NPR said this about the two books, "It's an enormously different book from Code Name Verity — but across time, space, and genres, they slip off their gloves and hold hands." Isn't that a lovely description?"

A Dog in the Cave: The Wolves Who Made Us Human by Kay Frydenborg

"Kay Frydenberg in her aptly named book A Dog in the Cave pulls together all kinds of research from paleontology, biology, and the social sciences on dogs and their relationship to humans. The book is fascinating." I told more people about this book than any other book I read this past year.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

"I have been a John Green fan since I read his first book Looking for Alaska. He is so literate and adds so many quotes and thoughts from literature, this time there is is a lot of Shakespeare included, that I feel refreshed or renewed just reading his books. This book has a very serious topic, though, mental illness and its treatment, hence the on first page we find Aza thinking of herself as fictional.  It is very well done."

Uprooted: The Japanese-American Experience During World War II by Albert Marrin

"I cannot begin to tell you how much I like this book. It is superbly written and researched. The photos added to an understanding of how much devastation was done to a race of people even though they were American citizens. I highly recommend it to all readers, not just to the target young adult audience. May this book serve as a reminder that we will never again do such a dreadful thing to our own citizens."

The March Against Fear: The Last Great Walk of the Civil Rights Movement and the Emergence of Black Power by Ann Bausum

"I am so grateful for authors like Ann Bausum who continue to write about events from our past so that we can hold them up to examine and, hopefully, make some needed changes. After the election of 2016 when Trump was elected and the events that have followed it is very obvious that we cannot ever take out eyes off the prize. We must all hold voting as dear and not abdicate our responsibility to vote and allow others to do so, too."

La Belle Sauvage (#1 Book of Dust) by Philip Pullman

"One of the things that makes La Belle Sauvage so special is that it quite clearly gives a nod to children's literature that came before it. Set in Oxford, we are left with the feeling that Alice is likely to pop up at any time. And, as you know, C.S. Lewis lived and wrote in Oxford. The adventures into Narnia with the supernatural elements weren't far from my mind as I read this book, too. One cannot embark on a water journey without giving a small nod to the Odyssey. It is as if Pullman wanted his readers to know that this book, this series and his characters fall safely into the confines and rules of good storytelling."

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

"What I like about All the Crooked Saints is all the magical realism that is used to highlight points. If you aren't comfortable reading magical realism because it confuses you, think about the magic as a literary technique that is showing the reader a truth without being obvious about it. On the the Bicho Raro Ranch all the Sorias are bound up in their own issues so much that they are living very small lives to the point that interacting with the pilgrims is dangerous. When Daniel Soria falls in love with a pilgrim he thinks of it as a death sentence so he wanders off into the desert to die. While in the desert he goes blind. Even as he feels the presence of the curse creeping up on him, he is given water by long dead family members who encourage him on. Now stop and think. Is he really blind? Is really given water by dead people? No. This is the magical part of the story. The reader has to take a moment to see the blindness and the thirst for what it is. He is blind to self and he thirsts for what his ancestors had---normal relations with pilgrims that didn't involve death. See? Reading magical realism is fun. It just takes time to let the brain kick in and help untangle the messages hidden within."

The Whydah: A Pirate Ship Feared, Wrecked, and Found by Martin Sandler

"This book is a treasure in its self. It is perfect for the young teen boy or girl who likes to read about real life adventures or who is obsessed with pirates. But it is also fascinating for anyone, adults included, who likes to read to find out new information about topics which they thought they already knew plenty."

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

"Strange the Dreamer is the first book in a new series. There is tremendous world-building, colorful (literally) characters, unique plots and twists, and a love story, to boot. The only problem--- it ends on a cliff-hanger. A big one, in fact. Argh! All I have been thinking about for the past few days is wondering how things are going to work out for Lazlo Strange and his love interest. Laini Taylor have you written the second book yet? If so, why don't you just go ahead and publish it right now? That would be really lovely and timely because I want to know what happens next and I want to know NOW!"

It is unlikely that the Printz committee will select one of the nonfiction selections but it has happened. I read so many nonfiction selections this past year as a Cybils judge and many of those books were my favorites of 2017.

My Youth Media Awards 2018

Monday the real YMAs will be announced. Here are the YA books I hope will win:

1. Michael L. Printz Award (Best YA literature of the year) 

• The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

2. Schneider Family Book Award (Teen living with a disability)

• Turtles All the Way Down by John Green (Anxiety and OCD)

3. Alex Awards -Best adult books that appeal to teen audiences   

• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

4. Margaret A. Edwards Award (An author who has made a significant contribution to YA or Children's Lit)

• Name of author _____?_______________ 

5. Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature (LGBT) 

• The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater

6. William C. Morris Award (First YA novel by author)

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

7. YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults 

• Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman

8. Coretta Scott King Author Award (African American Author) 

• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

9. Pura Belpre (Latino Author) 

• Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork

10. Odyssey Award (Audio Book)

• All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater, read by Thom Rivera

Now we wait and see what the Real Committees select. Since I am now retired I didn't read as many potential winners this year as in years past so I very well may have missed some of the best.  Results available Monday, Feb. 12th.

Good historical fiction. A look at the genre by evaluating several books.

Historical fiction, like all genres of books, has rules or forms which writers should consider as they write to make their book worthy of the reader's time. But unlike other genres, historical fiction requires that an author do extensive research to get the historical details correct. Details about small things like food, language, and settings need to be accurate. In addition it is vital that big details about historical events be correct. Good historical fiction should also add information and details to a reader's knowledge base about the topic, events, or time period. One of my favorite things about reading good historical fiction is when I find myself curious enough that I continue my own research about the topic because I want to learn more.

Sometimes historical fiction seems more like narrative nonfiction than fiction because the book just breathes accuracy. An example of a fiction book that reads like nonfiction is Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally.   Oscar Schindler was a real person who really did make a list of Jewish workers that he "needed" for his jobs. His efforts saved 1300+ people from sure death. So why is the book fiction? Because the book includes conversations and dialogue between characters that no one can prove actually happened. The bones of the story are correct but the interesting little details are fictional.

Other times historical fiction books are clearly fictional, sometimes including magical or fantastical elements, but if the author has done the needed research the reader can still benefit by learning new information. Or the book may lead the reader to do their own research about the topic.

Recently I have read two historical fiction books and though I liked one of the books better than the other, I actually learned more from the book I liked the least. Let me tell you a little about each.

The Lost History of Stars by Dave Boling is about a family caught up in the second Boer War in South Africa, around 1900.  The Boers were fighting the British military over gold and diamond rights. The Boers, descendants of Dutch sailors, refused to roll over in the face of a much mightier army. They used guerrilla-type tactics of hit and run and ambushing. The British became so frustrated that they started taking the families of the combatants into custody and imprisoned them in concentration camps. Over 22,000 women and children died during this imprisonment, often from diseases like measles which they had no or little immunity to. The world all gasped at the horrors of the holocaust during the Second World War but few knew the British did a similar thing a few decades before that time. The family in this fictional work was deeply and profoundly affected by this war.

What I liked about The Lost History of Stars was how the book opened my mind to find out more information about the Second Boer War. I had heard the term "Boer War" before but knew next to nothing about it.  Honestly the only thing I knew about it was Winston Churchill had fought in the Boer War and was considered a war hero. Learning new stuff is my favorite thing. I enjoyed that aspect of reading this book.

There were the a few weaknesses of The Lost History of Stars, however. When a book is set in an exotic or different setting the writing should be so descriptive that the reader can practically see or imagine what that setting looks and feels like. In one scene lions are roaring in the background. Another describes an incident with a snake. Otherwise there were few descriptions that allowed me to travel to South Africa in my mind. Another thing that seemed missing was authentic language. Boers (Afrikaners) speak a Dutch-hybrid language called Afrikaans yet few of these words were used to make the story seem accurate. Lastly, the story line was a very tragic one about the horrible things that happened to people in the concentration camps, yet I did not feel the outrage or anger that I should have when confronted with the details. And I wasn't alone with this thought. Everyone in my book club felt the same way. The writing didn't evoke strong feelings of empathy.

The second historical fiction book I recently finished was Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. I have read several of her previous works including her Pulitzer Prize winning novel March, so I was prepared for great writing. I wasn't disappointed on that point. Caleb's Crossing was set during Colonial times on an island near Nantucket, New England. A family had set up their own colony on this island feeling that many of the Puritan ideals were too strict especially about the treatment of the Indians. Bethia, the book's narrator, is a smart young girl who is thwarted in her attempts to attend classes, taught by her father, because she is a girl. So she has to learn by being stealthy. She also befriends an Indian boy and gets him interested in learning as well. Later the boy, renamed Caleb, is sent to attend school on the mainland where he does very well academically but is laid low as he has to shed his Indian traditions. In the end tragedy strikes and Bethia is left to ponder what would have happened to Caleb if she had just left him alone.

Unlike the previous book, Caleb's Crossing did use language which seemed like the language of the 1660s, very stilted and full of religious aphorisms. The descriptions of the island, the Indian villages, the local farms, and the town of Cambridge gave a full and complete picture of the setting. Though I liked this book better than The Lost History of Stars, it did not cause me to do any additional research on my own. Each of the books had their own strengths and weaknesses.

For my taste, I like historical fiction to also be educational. I like a story line which carries to plot along but I also want authentic details which will pique my interest and knowledge-base. Sometimes the least likely books can do the best job of that. One book that comes to mind is Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. In this book, set in modern times, the main character Andi goes to Paris. She finds a journal of a girl who lived two centuries before. As she reads it she actually time travels to that time period and learns about the French Revolution up close and personal.  Even though the book uses magical realism, I learned more about the French Revolution than I ever had from textbooks and I enjoyed the experience of reading it very much. 

One distinction I want to make about books assigned as historical fiction. They need to be written with a backward glance of at least twenty-five or fifty years, or more. That means that Pride and Prejudice isn't historical fiction, even though it sure seems like it to today's readers, because Austen wrote all of her books set in the same time period in which she lived. I used to book talk the book The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath and would tell students that it will seem like you are reading historical fiction back to the late 1950s but the author didn't write it with a look to the past. Plath wrote the book in her present time. Authors of today writing about historical events will add modern sensibilities to their works often because they don't want to offend their readers. Caleb's Crossing is written in such a way as to make the reader feel outraged at the treatment of the Indians. If the book had really been written during the 1600s about the same events, I doubt we would have had that author assist. When my children were young I decided to read aloud The Little House On the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I think we only read two of the books. I couldn't stand them. They were so racist. I hadn't even noticed that when I was young and read them for the first time. 

Good historical fiction should help catapult the reader back in time to certain place or event and help the reader understand just a bit what it was like to live during that time. Great historical fiction will go one more step and cause the reader to do their own research to learn more just because they want to know more.

What are some of your favorite historical fiction books?

TTT: Books that have been on my TBR list the longest

Top Ten Tuesday: A list of books that have been on my TBR (To-Be-Read) list the longest.  (With the help of my Goodreads Account)

I did a purge on my Goodreads account a few months ago because I had so many books on it that I no longer wanted to read. So my TBR list doesn't seem too bad or dated.

 

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION – FROM LINCOLN IN THE BARDO TO....

SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION...LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

Six Degrees of Separation. 

We begin with

↓

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo builds upon a seed of historical truth around President Lincoln and the death of his son, Willie. It was the number one recommended book of 2017.

↓

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Another story which builds upon a seed of historical truth about the underground railroad operating during the time of slavery. It includes elements of magical realism. It was one of the most recommended books of 2016.

↓

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

A look at one multi-generational family and the affects of slavery on both sides of the Atlantic...in America and in Africa.

↓

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Another book which involves a multi-generational family on two sides of the world, this time in Armenia and America (Detroit.) The book won the Pulitzer Prize probably because of the audacious and amazing narrator.
↓
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Talking about audacious narrators, this book has a very unique and interesting tone because of the narrator who is on the autistic spectrum.
↓
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

A hilarious story about Don Tillman, another character who is on the autistic spectrum. We read this in book club and really enjoyed it.
↓
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

That brings us around full circle folks since, like the above mentioned book, we will be reading this book in our club this March.

I had no idea when I started this list that I would end here. 
Join in the fun. Make your own Six Degrees of Separation list.

Hosted by Books Are My Favourite and Best

Sunday Salon....Super Bowl Sunday

Cousin love!

Weather: Typical overcast weather, but not too much rain.

Super Bowl: So I am an anti-Patriots fan. I guess that means I am rooting for the Eagles by default. More fun are the commercials. So far my favorite one is Danny DeVito as a M and M. Ha!  I also am enjoying the Justin Timberlake halftime entertainment with a special guest appearance from Prince...Purple Rain. Otherwise, Don and I are having a typical Sunday... grocery shopping for Fresh20 ingredients; laundry; blogging. I've made dough for homemade pizza.

Thrive: Today our church choir sang a Casting Crowns song, "Thrive." It was such a tremendous moment of worship. I thought to make a  video of it but realized too late that I had left my phone at home. Last weekend when we were putting together the food packages for Feed My Starving Children, this song was played over the speaker system. When the song started all the members of the choir started singing along. "O-o-o-o-o, we were made to thrive." So you can hear the song, here is the actual Casting Crowns video. I hope you, too, enjoy it.

Last Friday: I took Ian to Olympia so that Don could show off his grandson to his staff. Ian did great, smiling and interacting with all the people. Don was sure a proud grandpa.

Girl Cousins (and Ian): Yesterday my cousins Bridgette and Carolyn, my Aunt Dee, and Bridgette's daughter Zoe came over to meet Ian and Rita. We had a wonderful visit. Ian and Zoe were so cute attempting to kiss each other...but what is a kiss from a 5 month-old?

Books read the last two weeks:

• Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff---I can't help but roll my eyes when I think about the ineptitude of the folks running the country right now. (Nonfiction, eBook)
• The Lost History of Stars by Dave Boling---about the second Boer War in South Africa around 1900. It is horrible what the British did to civilians during this war. A RHS Ladies Book club selection. (Fiction, audio.)
• Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks, A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life by Annie Spence--- the subtitles tell the reader what to expect. What one doesn't expect is the plethora and variety of love letters and  breakup notes she writes to books. (Nonfiction, audio)
• Far From the Tree by Robin Benway--- three teenagers who were adopted as children by different families, discover they have siblings and together they search for their mother. (Fiction, print)
• Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks --- another book club selection. Set in Colonial New England where a young girl befriends an Indian youth which possibly sets the course of his life on a different trajectory. Heartbreaking. (Fiction, audio)

Currently reading:

• The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe--- based on a real person, Dita Kraus, who helped guard precious books for use by the prisoners. (Print, 13%)
• Finding My Elegy: New and Selected Poems by Ursula K. Le Guin--- the celebrated fantasy author died this past week. I wanted to read something by her as a tribute. Poems seemed like the thing. (Print, 25%)
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Gann--- another book club selection. This one reads like a murder mystery but it is about true events. We are going to have a great discussion. I just know it. (Audio, 75%)

I don't get it: If Trump is innocent of colluding with the Russians during the campaign then why doesn't he just sit still and let the Mueller inquiry finish its fact finding? The GOP/Nunes memo released this week was a total dud and did not prove his innocence. 

Friday Quotes: The Librarian of Auschwitz

Book Beginnings on Friday is hosted by Rose City Reader. Share the opening quote from the book.
The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice.  Find a quote from page 56.

Check out the links for the rules and for the posts of the participants each week. Participants don't select their favorite, coolest, or most intellectual books, they just use the one they are currently reading. This is the book I'm reading right now---


Title: The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Itube

Book Beginning:

The Nazi officers are dressed in black. They look at death with the indifference of a gravedigger.

Friday 56:

He stops for a moment, and the others respect his silence. They even look down as if to prevent themselves from looking immodestly at the naked mother hugging her daughter.

Comment: I am really enjoying this book, if I can use that word about a horrific holocaust story. A teenage girl is put in charge of keeping track of the eight illegal, horded books and making sure the guards do not find them. It is so inspiring hearing about how precious these books are to the prisoners. It is based on a real story of prisoner Dita Kraus. The book is translated from Spanish. I am amazed at what a good job the translator, Lilit Zekulin Thwaites, has done.