The 2008 Edgar Award Nominees have been announced.  The Mystery Writes of America give the award in several categories including juvenile and YA.  The nominees are:

Best Juvenile

The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch.
Shadows on Society Hill by Evelyn Coleman
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn
The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh
Sammy Keyes and the Wild Things by Wendelin Van Draanen

Best Young Adult

Rat Life by Tedd Arnold
Diamonds in the Shadow by Caroline B. Cooney
Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin
Blood Brothers by S. A. Harazin
Fragments by Jeffry W. Johnston

Another of my favorite lists from YALSA is the 2008 Quick Picks.  These books are judged solely on whether reluctant readers will pick them up and read for pleasure.  So you know that these titles will fly off of your library shelves all on their own! 

The list has some of my favorites:

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Choices by Deborah Lynn Jacobs
Harmless by Dana Reinhardt

Remember, the list is not just for reluctant readers.  All teen readers will enjoy these books!  Anyone else have favorites on the list?

YALSA announced their 2008 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list.  This year’s list includes 43 titles recommended for ages 12-18.  They also have a Top Ten List of titles. 

Now, I read a few graphic novels each year, and loved The Arrival by Shaun Tan, but I am not nearly widely read enough to judge the list.  Any comments from those of you who read more graphic novels or have favorites either on the list or overlooked?

YALSA has announced the 2008 Best Books for Young Adults.  It is a long list of great books, and they do select a Top Ten List for the year as well.

I am very happy with the Top Ten List, which includes four of my favorites of the year!

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy (though I think it trends more to middle graders but I won’t complain!)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick (good to see it not only here but on the children’s notable list as well)
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (also on the children’s list!)

The general list is also a wonderful list containing some of my other favorites of the year:

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Red Spikes by Margo Lanagan
Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
Notes from a Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

I always love seeing the notable lists that arrive shortly after the Medal announcements. 

The 2008 Notable Children’s Books list is now available.  The list covers books of quality for ages birth through 14.  And unlike the Medal books, there is no limit to the number of books you will find on the lists.  What a treat!

I am happy to see some of my favorites of the year:

For Younger Readers

Dimity Dumpty, the Story of Humpty’s Little Sister by Bob Graham
The Chicken-Chasing Queen of Lamar County by Janice Harrington
The All-I’ll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia McKissack (which I thought should have gotten some recognition by the Coretta Scott King Awards)
Pictures from Our Vacation by Lynne Rae Perkins
 
 

For Middle and Older Readers:

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
The Arrival by Shaun Tan (where was this one with the Printz?!)

Obviously, I have a lot of new books to read in the middle and older readers categories!

Anyone else have favorites on the list?

The American Indian Library Association (AILA) has announced the winners of their new award, the American Indian Youth Literature Award. 

Here are the winners:

Picture Book: Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship and Freedom by Tim Tingle, illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridge.

Middle School:  Counting Coup: Becoming a Crow Chief on the Reservation and Beyond by Joseph Medicine Crow.

Young Adult:  The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Elijah of Buxton seems to be this year’s winningest title!  Christopher Paul Curtis won the Scott O’Dell Award for historical fiction, plus the title won the Coretta Scott King author award and a Newbery Honor.  I am in the middle of reading the book right now.  Definitely worthy of the awards it received this year.

What you see below are the results of me typing as fast as I can while listening to the online broadcast of the ALA award announcements.

Please excuse the typos and the missing titles in places.  I did my best!  At times the slides didn’t ever catch up with the books being announced, so I had no idea how to spell names and titles.  Technology!

Best Surprise of the Year:  The Invention of Hugo Cabret winning

Another Great Moment:  Repossessed by AM Jenkins winning a Printz Honor.  It is one of the Cybil’s finalists for science fiction/fantasy for teens.  Hurrah!

Biggest Disappointment:  Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie was overlooked for even a Printz honor.  Truly a devastating choice, though it did win the National Book Award.

And am I confused or did the Batchelder Award go to a graphic novel, Brave Story?  It is published by Viz, a Manga publisher.  If so, how wonderful is that?!  A must-have for my reading list.

Geisel

Honor Books

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Hello Bumblebee Bat
Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler
Vulture View

Winner

Mo Willems!!!

Caldecott

Honors

Henry’s Freedom Box by Kadir Nelson
First the Egg
The Wall by Peter Sis
Knuffle Bunny Too

Winner

Hugo Cabret!!!!!!!  HOLY CRAP!!!!! I never ever thought it had a chance!

Whoa!!!

Newbery

Honors

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Winner

Good Masters, Sweet Ladies by Laura Amy Schlitz