May Your Life Be Deliciosa - Warning - you will probably want tamales after you read this one. It's like a warm, tamale-scented family hug. And Before the World Wakes is a celebration of siblings and an early morning hug.

Speaking of hugs - Slug In Love features a slug who wants a hug! Would you hug a slug? I might if it was as cute as The Mysterious Sea Bunny which is, in fact, a sea slug. Learn more about the oceans in Ocean! Waves for All.

Powwow Day will teach you about the importance of powwows and the support of friends and family. Tiny Cedric and Not Enough Lollipops address sharing and thinking of others. Rodney Was a Tortoise stresses the importance of empathetic friends during times of grief. Bathe the Cat is a silly look at cleaning the house before grandma comes for a visit (hint - the cat does not want a bath and does his best to sabotage efforts.)

 

         

  

Aster (Graphic novel fantasy) and her family move to a magical valley. Aster thinks they are just there for a short visit while her mom - who is an ornithologist - handles the migration of marauding birds. But Aster manages to get herself into quite a mess by making some wishes on an ancient totem. Just Roll With It (graphic novel memoir/realistic) handles middle school fears and anxiety with the help of a D20. It's cute and deals with some serious anxiety issues in a relatable way. Temple Valley Summer is a wonderful ghost story set in Japan. Enola Homes #7!? and #8 is in the works. I an currently reading Frankie and Bug. Ten-year-old Bug thinks her summer is ruined because her brother Danny has outgrown hanging out with her. But then Frankie shows up. Along with a serial killer. I'm about halfway through but I can already sense this one is going to be challenging to classify.

Dear Mrs. Bird is an adult historical fiction set in London during WWII. Yours Cheerfully is the sequel which I am currently reading. Noor is an adult Dystopian sci-fi set in Africa. It's very good and a relatively quick read.

 What are you reading?

AND WE HAVE A WINNER!

Wow! That was fast! The Texas Bluebonnet winner was announced today and I am thrilled with the results. 63,331 students voted and first place was a clear winner with 11.99% of the vote!

 

 The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read 

by Rita Lorraine Hubbard; illustrated by Oge Mora is the winner! This inspirational biographical book proves you are never too old to learn. In 1848, Mary Walker was born into slavery. At age 15, she was freed, and by age 20, she was married and had her first child. She was given a Bible at a young age but could not read it. She did look at it and had friends note special life events in it. By age 68, she had worked numerous jobs, including cooking, cleaning, babysitting, and selling sandwiches to raise money for her church. At 114, she was the last remaining member of her family. And at 116, she finally learned to read by taking classes in her assisted living home.

 

You can hear the book read out loud here.

 

 

 

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming; illustrated by Eric Rohmann came in second with 10.14% of the vote.

Act (Click #3), a graphic novel by Kayla Miller came in third with 9.61% of the vote. 

Congratulations to the winners - though it's the kids, teachers, and librarians who read the books that are the true winners.

 

Voting ends today, I think, for the 2021-2022 Bluebonnet winner. Each year, more than 100,000 third-through-sixth graders from across Texas vote for their favorite title from the master list.They must read at least five books on the list and then they can select their favorite. Which book would you choose?

I have highlighted the books I read. I think Act has a good chance because it is a graphic novel. But Honeybee might win. It is a gorgeous informational picture book.  But it could be one of the books I didn't read! I really liked The Oldest Student, The Elephant's Girl, and Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky. The winner will not be announced until March.

1. Act by Kayla Miller.
2. The Best of Iggy by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sam Ricks.
3. Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes.
4. The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling.
5. Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros.
6. The Elephant’s Girl by Celesta Rimington.
7. Follow Those Zebras: Solving a Migration Mystery by Sandra Markle.
8. A Hatful of Dragons: and More Than 13.8 Billion Other Funny Poems by Vikram Madan
9. Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann.
10. The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds.
11. Lexi Magill and the Teleportation Tournament by Kim Long.
12. The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard, illustrated by Oge Mora.
13. Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us by Lauren Castillo.
14. Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker, illustrated by Junyi Wu.
15. The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta, illustrated by Frank Morrison.
16. Sharuko: el arqueólogo Peruano Julio C. Tello / Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello by Monica Brown, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri.
17. Someplace to Call Home by Sandra Dallas.
18. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia.
19. Ways to Make Sunshine by Reneè Watson, illustrated by Nina Mata.
20. Words on Fire by Jennifer A. Nielsen. 
    

 AWARDS FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

This post wraps up the Youth Media Awards for 2022. The next award is the Bluebonnet - but that won't be announced until March. 

I don't read a lot of young adult (YA) lit these days. I read about it, though, and so was happy to see some familiar titles and authors pop up during the awards!

       

 Michael L. Printz Award

for excellence in literature written for young adults is Firekeeper’s Daughter written by Angeline Boulley. Four Printz Honor Books were also named: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas; Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo; Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon; and Starfish by Lisa Fipps.

Starfish is excellent - a book I think everyone should read.  It's all about body image and bullying; also appropriate for tweens. I was glad to see it win an award but a bit surprised to see it in YA. I have Firekeeper's Daughter on my TBR pile and I have wanted to read Kekla Magoon's book for ages. Because she is a great writer and I know very little about the Black Panthers.

           

Alex Awards

are presented for the ten best adult books that appeal to teen audiences. The 2022 Alex Award winners are: Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki; The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec; The Library of the Dead  by T.L Huchu; How Lucky by Will Leitch; Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell; “The Rose Code,” by Kate Quinn; Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser, Lore Olympus, Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe, and Malice by Heather Walter.

    

Margaret A. Edwards Award

for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults goes to A.S. King whose books include Ask the Passengers, Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz among many other titles. Vera Dietz is one of my all-time favorite YA books.

      

Pura Belpré Awards

 honor Latinx young adult books that best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland is the Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award winner. Three Belpré Young Adult Author Honor Book were named: Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun by Jonny Garza Villa, Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet by Laekan Zea; and Where I Belong by Marcia Argueta Mickelson.

  

 Schneider Family Book Award

is presented for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience. The Words in My Hands written and illustrated by Asphyxia, is the winner for teens. One honor book for teens was selected: A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age with Crouzon Syndrome written by Ariel Henley.

 

  

 Stonewall Book Award

This Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & 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 transgender experience:

Last Night at the Telegraph Club written by Malinda Lo is the 2022 recipient of the Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award.

One young adult Honor Book was selected: The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer.

        

William C. Morris Award 

 

for a debut book published by an first-time author writing for teens: Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley, is the 2022 Morris Award winner.  Four other books were finalists for the award: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké- Íyímídé, Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston,  Me (Moth) written by Amber McBride,and What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson.

 

        

 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield by Gail Jarrow, is the 2022 Excellence winner.  Four other books were finalists for the award: Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Brandy Colbert  Bray, From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement,   by Paula Yoo, In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months and Years after the 9/11 Attacks written and illustrated by Don Brown, and The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield.   (Does anyone else think YA non-fictions has absurdly long titles? Who would remember all of that? Just a thought...)

      

 American Indian Youth Literature Awards

are announced in even years (e.g. 2022, 2024, 2026) and were established to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians and Alaska Natives. Selected titles present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.  This year's winner for Young Adult Book: Apple (Skin to the Core) written by Eric Gansworth [Onondaga], cover art by Filip Peraić. There were five honor books:  Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger [Lipan Apache Tribe], cover art and illustrations by Rovina Cai;Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley [Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians], cover art by Moses Lunham [Ojibway and Chippewa]; Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline [Métis Nation of Ontario], cover art by Stephen Gladue [Fishing Lake Métis Settlement]  Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene [Cherokee Nation], illustrated by Ciara Sana [Chamoru], Soldiers Unknown by Chag Lowry [Yurok, Maidu and Achumawi], illustrated by Rahsan Ekedal.

  

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature

promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The award offers three youth categories including Picture Book, Children’s Literature and Youth Literature. The award is administered by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association. This year’s winners include:

The Youth Literature winner is Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. The committee selected one Youth Literature honor title: We Are Not Free by Traci Chee.

   

 The Sydney Taylor Book Award

is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries since 1968, the award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature. This year’s Gold Medalist Young Adult winner: The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros.

Sydney Taylor Young Adult honors: The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier, Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart, illustrated by Manuel Preitano; and The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds.

The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award recognizes an author or entity who has made a substantial contribution over time to the genre of Jewish children’s literature. This year's winner is Jane Yolen.

  

The Odyssey Award

is presented  for the best audiobooks produced for children and young adults, available in English in the United States: When You Look Like Us written by Pamela N. Harris and narrated by Preston Butler III is this year's winner.There was one young adult Honor book - Perfectly Parvin written by Olivia Abtahi and narrated by Mitra Jouhari.

Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit www.ala.org/yma.