Another best books list has arrived and it’s from one of my favorite review journals, School Library Journal. Their list is full of great reads, many matching my own favorites of the year. To see more than the picture books, just click on the links under In This Article to find the Fiction, Nonfiction and Adult Books 4 Teens.
Enjoy!
Kirkus has a list of their top picks for teen books this year. Let me just say that this is not a list that mirrors my own picks. Yes, there are several of my favorites on the list, but others were books that I didn’t finish and still others are ones that I have on my lists but have not yet read.
I am happy to see Chime, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Beauty Queens, and White Crow on the list. Those would be my favorites of the Kirkus selections.
Do you see your favorites on the list? Let me know what they are, so I can try them out!
Quentin Blake has won the Prince Philip Designers Prize, winning over fashion designer Paul Smith and hat designer Stephen Jones.
"Illustration is a strange cousin in the family, so to appear alongside other kinds of designers… is very gratifying," he told the BBC.
Blake was the first ever British Children’s Laureate in 1999. He is the beloved illustrator of Roald Dahl’s books.
On Monday, The New York Times released their list of Notable Children’s Books for the year. Their list moves from young adult through middle grades to picture books.
Here are the books they feature:
YOUNG ADULT
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (my review)
Level Up by Gene Luen Yang (my review)
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (my review)
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
MIDDLE GRADE
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say (my review)
Everything on It by Shel Silverstein
The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer
Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (my review)
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg (my review)
Secrets at Sea by Richard Peck
Seriously, Norman! by Chris Raschka
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (my review)
PICTURE BOOKS
Blackout by John Rocco (my review)
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (my review)
I Must Have Bobo! by Eileen Rosenthal (my review)
Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell (my review)
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story by Thomas F. Yezerski (my review)
My Name Is Elizabeth! by Annika Dunklee (my review)
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
Pomelo Begins to Grow by Ramona Bodescu
Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman
After a controversial short list process, the National Book Awards were awarded last night. My favorite article on the awards is from SF Gate where they note that the awards all focused on “stories of resilience in the face of poverty, displacement and disappearance.”
The winner for the Young People’s Literature was Thanhha Lai for Inside Out and Back Again. And here is my enthusiastic review.
The New York Times has announced their 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books for 2011:
Along a Long Road by Frank Viva
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (my review)
Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Pamela Dalton
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith (my review)
Ice by Arthur Geisert (my review)
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (my review)
Me… Jane by Patrick McDonnell (my review)
Migrant by Maxine Trottier, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault
A Nation’s Hope: the Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
A New Year’s Reunion by Yu Li-Qiong, illustrated by Zhu Cheng-Liang
There are 184 candidates from 66 countries nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The recipients will be announced on March 20th, 2012. These are some of my favorite lists to explore, because I get to see names that I would otherwise never see and book covers that I’d never get to glimpse.
Catherine Fisher will be named the first Young People’s Laureate for Wales, according to the BBC. Literature Wales will be making the appointment which will be announced by Charlotte Church.
Here is how the role of the laureate is explained:
It said the Young People’s Laureate post is the first of its kind in the UK and aims to inspire young people in Wales to become involved with reading and creative writing.
Fisher is the author of several fantasy series, including Incarceron, which is my favorite of hers.
The nominees for the 2011 National Book Award have been announced. And this year, the Young People’s Literature category has six nominations instead of the normal five due to miscommunication.
Here are the six nominees:
Chime by Franny Billingsley (my review)
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (my review)
My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson
Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy by Albert Marrin
Shine by Lauren Myracle
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt (my review)
Waking Brain Cells 