Monday, June 04, 2007

More Books for Summer

As long as we're talking about award winning books, here's a copy of the Newbery Medal Home Page!


The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.



2007 Medal Winner
The 2007 Newbery Medal winner is The Higher Power of Lucky written by Susan Patron, illustrated by Matt Phelan, published by Simon & Schuster/Richard Jackson.

In “The Higher Power of Lucky,” Patron takes us to the California desert community of Hard Pan (population 43). Ten-year-old Lucky Trimble eavesdrops on 12-step program meetings from her hiding place behind Hard Pan’s Found Object Wind Chime Museum & Visitor Center. Eccentric characters and quirky details spice up Lucky’s life just as her guardian Brigitte’s fresh parsley embellishes her French cuisine.

“‘Lucky’ is a perfectly nuanced blend of adventure, survival (emotional and physical) and hilarious character study... as well as a blueprint for a self-examined life,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Jeri Kladder. “Through Lucky’s experiences, we are reminded that children support one another just as needy adults do.”



2007 Honor Books




Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm, (Random House)

In Holm’s book, 11-year-old Penny looks forward to spending the summer rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and scheming with her cousin Frankie. Instead she navigates the space between her two families and uncovers the reason for their estrangement in this funny and touching tale of intergenerational love set in 1953.





Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson (Delacorte Press)

In “Hattie Big Sky,” 16-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks is looking for a place to belong – a home. In 1918 she leaves Iowa for the Montana prairie. In this engaging first-person narrative, Hattie strives to forge a new life. Vivid imagery and careful attention to historical detail distinguish this memorable novel that portrays her struggle to “prove her claim.”






Rules by Cynthia Lord (Scholastic)

“A boy can take off his shirt to swim, but not his shorts.” Twelve-year-old Catherine creates rules for her younger, autistic brother David in an attempt to normalize his life and her own; but what is normal? In the debut novel, “Rules,” Lord’s heroine learns to use words to forge connections with her brother, her workaholic father and a paraplegic friend. With humor and insight, Lord demonstrates the transforming power of language.

Summer Reading


2007 Book Sense Book of the Year Award Winners

The American Booksellers Association announced the winners of the 2007 Book Sense Book of the Year Awards, recognizing those titles independent booksellers most enjoyed handselling during the past year, as voted by the owners and staff of ABA member bookstores.

This year's winners are:

Children's Literature: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Knopf)

Children's Illustrated: Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paul Kahumbu; photos by Peter Greste (Scholastic)


Four 2007 Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Books in each category were also chosen by ABA member booksellers. They are:

Children's Literature Honor Books
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, Volume One: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson (Candlewick)
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! by Lynne Truss; illustrated by Bonnie Timmons (Putnam);
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (Megan Tingley Books/Little, Brown)
Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Disney Editions)

Children's Illustrated Honor Books
Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor; illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser (HarperCollins)
Flotsam by David Wiesner (Clarion Books)
Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen; illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Candlewick)
Pirateology: The Pirate Hunter's Companion by Captain William Lubber; edited by Dugald A. Steer (Candlewick)

The Book Sense Book of the Year winners and honor books were selected by booksellers from titles most often nominated for the Book Sense Picks lists in 2006. Booksellers were also able to write in titles on the ballot. Only books published in 2006 were eligible.