The Audio Publishers Association has announced their nominees for the best in audio books.  Here are the nominees in the children’s and teen categories:

 

Ages Up to 8

A Dog on His Own by M. J. Auch, narrated by William Dufris

Arabel’s Raven by John Aiken, narrated by Sneha Mathan

Friend or Fiend with the Pain and the Great One by Judy Blume, narrated by Kathleen McInterney and Judy Blume

Knuffle Bunny Too by Mo Willems, narrated by Mo and Trixie Willems

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

 

Ages 8-12

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck, narrated by Ron McLarty

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen, narrated by Tom Parks

The Midnight Charter by David Whitley, narrated by Simon Vance

Operation Yes by Sara Holmes, narrated by Jessica Almasy

Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate by Adrienne Kress, narrated by Christopher Lane

 

Teens

Going Bovine by Libba Bray, narrated by Erik Davies

In the Belly of the Bloodhound by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Mississippi Jack by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren

Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by Dion Graham

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, narrated by Jeannie Stith

The 2009 Cybils Awards have been announced!  I served on the judging panel for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy.  I am so proud of our decision and the great discussions that led to it.  Thank you for the nominating panel who gave us such great titles to choose from too!

Selected by a committee of the Children’s Literature and Reading Special Interest Group of the International Reading Association, these are 25 books that enhance student understanding of people and cultures throughout the world.  The books must have been published in the US the previous year.

Happily, some of my favorite books are on the list.

Ajmera, Maya. Faith. Written by Maya Ajmera, Magda Nakassis, and Cynthia Pon

Baskin, Nora Raleigh. Anything But Typical.

Bausum, Ann. Denied, Detained, Deported: stories from the dark side of American immigration.

Bryan, Ashley. Words to my Life’s Song. Photographs by Bill McGuinness.

Burg, Ann E. All the Broken Pieces.

Combres, Élisabeth. Broken Memory: a Novel of Rwanda. Translated by Shelley Tanaka.

Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 Cows for America. In collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez.

Edwardson, Debby Dahl. Blessing’s Bead.

Griffin, Paul. The Orange Houses.

 

Hoose, Phillip. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Freedom.

Khan, Rukhsana. Wanting Mor.

Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Marshall, James Vance. Stories from the Billabong. Illustrated by Francis Firebrace.

Murphy, Jim. Truce: The Day The Soldiers Stopped Fighting.

Naidoo, Beverley. Burn my Heart.

Napoli, Donna Jo. Alligator Bayou.

National Geographic. Every Human Has Rights: a Photographic Declaration for Kids.

Nelson, Marilyn.  The Sweethearts of Rhythm: The Story of the Greatest All-Girl Swing Band in the World. Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.

Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal. Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

O’Brien, Anne Sibley. After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance. Written by Anne Sibley O’Brien and Perry Edmond O’Brien.

Partridge, Elizabeth. Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary.

Perkins, Mitali. Secret Keeper.

Reynolds, Jan. Cycle of Rice, Cycle of Life: A Story of Sustainable Farming.

Russell, Ching Yeung.  Tofu Quilt.

Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World.

 

Thanks to Mitali for the link.

The winners of the Aurealis Awards have been announced.  These are the awards for the best in Australian science fiction, fantasy and horror.

Best Science Fiction Novel

Wonders of a Godless World by Andrew McGahan

Best Fantasy Novel

Magician’s Apprentice by Trudi Canavan

Best Young Adult Novel

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Best Children’s Novel

A Ghost in My Suitcase by Gabrielle Wang

Best Children’s Short Story/Illustrated Work/Picture Book

Victor’s Challenge by Pamela Freeman, illustrated by Kim Gamble

ALA has released their list of the best GLBTQ books for children and teens: The Rainbow Books.

Several of the books were marked as exceptional:

Daddy, Papa and Me by Leslea Newman

Mommy, Mama and Me by Leslea Newman

How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity

Ash by Malinda Lo

Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea

 

Thanks to The Goddess of YA Literature for the link.

The Quick Picks list is a great list for librarians and parents to know about.  These are books for ages 12-18 that teens will pick up on their own and read for pleasure. 

Here is the top ten list:

Street Art Book: 60 Artists in Their Own Words by Ric Blackshaw and Liz Farrelly

The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and HIV Positive by Marvelyn Brown

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles

Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers

The Vampire Book by Sally Regan

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

Show Me How: 500 Things You Should Know by Derek Fagerstrom and Lauren Smith

High Voltage Tattoo by Kat Von D

Paranormal Caught on Film by Melvyn Willin

 

I appreciate the strong presence of nonfiction here.  It really speaks to what teens love to read. I don’t think any of these would linger long on library shelves. 

YALSA has released their list of 90 best books for teens.  You can see the entire list here.  They also select a Top 10 list:

The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan (currently reading – it’s fab!)

The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin (Great pick! – my review)

The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

Stitches by David Small (another great pick)

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (my review)

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork (one of my favorites for the Printz – my review)

Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor  (A great read – my review)

Written in Bone by Sally M. Walker

 

Some other great picks on the list include:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Because I Am Furniture by Talia Chaltas

Solace of the Road by Siobhan Dowd

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Eon by Alison Goodman

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

Tales of Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

The nominees for the 2010 Edgar Awards, given by the Mystery Writers of America, have been announced:

Best Young Adult

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

If the Witness Lied by Caroline B. Cooney

The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford

Petronella Saves Nearly Everyone by Dene Low

Shadowed Summer by Saundra Mitchell

 

Best Juvenile

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour by Michael D. Beil

Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn

Creepy Crawly Crime by Aaron Reynolds

The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline by Nancy Springer

 

Thanks to Bookshelves of Doom for the link.