Newbery and Caldecott Award Winners Announced

The American Library Association announced the winners of the Newbery and Caldecott Medals today. They also announced a host of other prestigious awards, all of which recognize the best in children's and young adult literature.

The honorees are:

Newbery Medal Winner:
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Newbery Honor Books:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by Rodman Philbrick

(The John Newbery Medal is given for most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.)

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Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney

Caldecott Honor Books:
All the World, illustrated by Marla Frazee, written by Liz Garton Scanlon
Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Joyce Sidman

(The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded for most distinguished American picture book for children.)

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Michael L. Printz Award Winner:
Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Michael L. Printz Honor Books:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales of the Madman Underground by John Barnes

(The Michael L. Printz Award is given for excellence in literature written for young adults.)

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Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner:
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book:
Mare’s War by tanita s. davis

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner:
My People, illustrated by Charles R. Smith Jr.

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book:
The Negro Speaks of Rivers, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, written by Langston Hughes

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award Winner:
The Rock and the River by kekla magoon

Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Author Walter Dean Myers

(The Coretta Scott King Awards recognize African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.)

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Pura Belpré Illustrator Award Winner:
Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros, illustrated by Rafael López, written by Pat Mora

Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor Books:

Diego: Bigger Than Life, illustrated by David Diaz, written by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
My Abuelita, illustrated by Yuyi Morales, written by Tony Johnston
Gracias, Thanks, illustrated by John Parra, written by Pat Mora

Pura Belpré Author Award Winner:
Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez

Pura Belpré Author Award Honor Books:
Diego: Bigger Than Life by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
Federico García Lorca by Georgina Lázaro

(The Pura Belpré Awards honor Latino writers and illustrators whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.)

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For the entire list of awards, click here.

Bestsellers: Sunday, January 17, 2010

NYT Hardcover Fiction Top 5:

1. THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett
2. THE LOST SYMBOL by Dan Brown
3. NOAH’S COMPASS by Anne Tyler
4. IMPACT by Douglas Preston
5. I, ALEX CROSS by James Patterson

NYT Hardcover Nonfiction Top 5:

1. COMMITTED by Elizabeth Gilbert
2. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH by Mitch Albom
3. THE CHECKLIST MANIFESTO by Atul Gawande
4. GOING ROGUE by Sarah Palin
5. STONES INTO SCHOOLS by Greg Mortenson

NYT Children's Books Top 5:

1. LEGO STAR WARS by Simon Beecroft
2. WADDLE! by Rufus Butler Seder
3. SKIPPYJON JONES: LOST IN SPICE by Judy Schachner
4. GALLOP! by Rufus Butler Seder
5. THE LION AND THE MOUSE by Jerry Pinkney

For the most up-to-date New York Times Bestseller List, click here.

The Baby-Sitters Club is Back

The Baby-Sitters Club, a popular series of children's books from the '80s and '90s, will be making a comeback this year.

Scholastic will be repackaging the first two volumes of the series, and Ann M. Martin, author of the original series, has signed on to write a new prequel to the series: The Baby-Sitters Club: The Summer Before, which will be released April 1st.

The series is recommended for children ages 7 to 10.

The Lovely Bones One of Many Film Adaptations This Year

2010 is proving to be another big year for book-to-film adaptations. The film version of C. D. Payne's Youth in Revolt hit theaters last week, and director Peter Jackson's version of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones comes to theaters today.

Other book-to-film adaptations you can expect to catch in theaters this year include:

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
An army sergeant falls in love shortly before 9/11.
Movie Release Date: February 2010

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Classic children's book reworked Tim Burton-style.
Movie Release Date: March 2010

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
The trials and triumphs of a wise-cracking junior high school student.
Movie Release Date: April 2010

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
Another Nicholas Spark book hits the big screen. Stars Miley Cyrus.
Movie Release Date: April 2010

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Third movie in the Twilight vampire saga.
Movie Release Date: June 2010

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Chronicles a divorcee as she travels the globe in search of happiness.
Movie Release Date: August 2010

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling (Part One)
First part of final book in Harry Potter series.
Movie Release Date: November 2010

National Jewish Book Awards Announced

The Jewish Book Council has revealed the winners of the 59th Annual National Jewish Book Awards. Joseph Kertes was awarded the JJ Greenberg Memorial Award for Fiction for his novel, Gratitude. The Poetry Award went to Alicia Suskin Ostriker for The Book of Seventy. Author Kim Ablon Whitney was awarded the Children's and Young Adult Literature Award for her book, The Other Half of Life: A Novel Based on the True Story of the MS St. Louis.

For the full list of winners, click here.

Carmen Tafolla Wins Charlotte Zolotow Award

Author Carmen Tafolla has been named this year's winner of the Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book for What Can You Do with a Paleta? (illustrated by Magaly Morales).

The award, given by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, also named three honor books: Birds, written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek, Pouch! by David Ezra Stein, and Princess Hyacinth: The Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated, written by Florence Parry Heide and illustrated by Lane Smith.

The Charlotte Zolotow Award was established in 1998, to honor the work of Charlotte Zolotow, a children's book editor for 38 years and the author of more than 70 picture books.

The Storm in the Barn Wins 2010 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

Our congratulations go out to author Matt Phelan. His book, The Storm in the Barn, has been named winner of the 2010 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. It is the first time a graphic novel has won the annual award, which was established by historical fiction writer Scott O’Dell in 1982. The award is given to a distinguished work of historical fiction written for young people.

Author William J. Lederer Dies at 97

William J. Lederer, co-author of The Ugly American, has passed away from respiratory failure at age 97. Lederer died on December 5 in Baltimore, Maryland, but the family delayed reporting the news of his death until arrangements could be made for a military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.

Lederer was the author of several books, including All the Ship’s at Sea, Ensign O’Toole and Me, A Nation of Sheep, and Our Own Worst Enemy, but was best known for The Ugly American, which was made into a movie starring Marlon Brando in 1963.

Lederer was born March 31, 1912.

Author Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Two-time National Book Award winner Katherine Paterson has been named National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress.

Paterson is perhaps most famous for her Newbery Medal award-winning books Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved. She has also won the National Book Award twice, once for The Great Gilly Hopkins and once for The Master Puppeteer.

Her most recent book is The Day of the Pelican, which tells story of a refugee family's trek from Kosovo to the United States.

New Book Out by Mean Girls Author

Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees & Wannabes, the inspiration for the 2004 hit movie Mean Girls (which starred Lindsay Lohan), has written a new book for young adults. The book, Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials comes out this week.

To view Wiseman's interview on the TODAY show, click here.

Warren Beatty Tell-All in Bookstores Today

A new Warren Beatty biography, Star: How Warren Beatty Seduced America, hits bookstores today. The book asserts that Beatty has slept with over 12,000 women. Beatty has not confirmed or denied whether the number is accurate or not.

Beatty was actually interviewed for the book, but did not get to review the final copy of the book before it was published.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime Hits Shelves Today

Political reporters John Heilemann and Mark Halperin know how to get the political pundits talking. Their new book, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime, sparked a huge controversy this past week, when it was leaked that the book revealed racist comments made by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid during the 2008 presidential campaign.

The 464-page book, which is expected to provide behind-the-scenes info and insight into the three largest presidential campaigns of 2008, will be available nationwide today.

Release Date for Jenny Sanford Book Moved Up

Staying True, a memoir written by South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford, will hit bookstores and libraries earlier than anticipated. The book was scheduled to be released sometime in April, but is now set to hit shelves February 5th.

Jenny Sanford is the estranged wife of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who publicly admitted to having an extra-marital affair last year. Sanford told his staff he was hiking the Appalachian trail when in fact he was cavorting with his mistress in Argentina.

Bestsellers: Sunday, January 10, 2010

NYT Hardcover Fiction Top 5:

1. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown
2. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett
3. I, ALEX CROSS, by James Patterson
4. SIZZLE, by Julie Garwood
5. FIRED UP, by Jayne Ann Krentz

NYT Hardcover Nonfiction Top 5:

1. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom
2. GOING ROGUE, by Sarah Palin
3. WHAT THE DOG SAW, by Malcolm Gladwell
4. SUPERFREAKONOMICS, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. STONES INTO SCHOOLS, by Greg Mortenson

For the most up-to-date New York Times Bestseller List, click here.

RNC Chairman's Book Stirs Up Controversy

According to the Washington Post, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele is under fire from members of his own party who were unaware Steele was publishing a book until they saw him promoting it on TV. The 256-page book, Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, was just released on January 4th.

Several GOP fundraisers have criticized Steele for choosing to focus on himself instead of the party as a whole. In response to those critics, Steele told ABC News Radio: "I'm telling them and I'm looking them in the eye and say I've had enough of it. If you don't want me in the job, fire me. But until then, shut up. Get with the program or get out of the way."

It will be interesting to see if all the controversy sells more books.

January's New Releases

Each new year brings us a list of books so long, we couldn't possibly read them all. So let's start small and take a look at just a few of the books that will be available during the month of January. Which book will you start your year with?

Alice I Have Been: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin
Blood Ties by Kay Hooper
Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
Impact by Douglas Preston
Kisser by Stuart Woods
Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
Sleepless by Charlie Huston
The First Rule by Robert Crais
The Pickup Artist: The New & Improved Art of Seduction
by Mystery
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
Why I Stayed: The Choices I Made in My Darkest Hour
by Gayle Haggard

For a full list of upcoming releases, click here.

January Author Birthdays

Many famous authors were born in January.
Is your favorite writer on the list?

• J.D. Salinger, January 1, 1919
  
• Isaac Asimov, January 2, 1920
  
• J. R. R. Tolkien, January 3, 1892
  
• Umberto Eco, January 5, 1932
  
• Kahlil Gibran, January 6, 1883
  
• Zora Neale Hurston, January 7, 1891
  
• Judith Krantz, January 9, 1928
  
• Stephen Ambrose, January 10, 1936
  
• Jack London, January 12, 1876
  
• Ernest Gaines, January 15, 1933
  
• Susan Sontag, January 16, 1933
  
• Robert Cormier, January 17, 1925
  
• A. A. Milne, January 18, 1882
  
• Edgar Allan Poe, January 19, 1809
  
• Lord Byron, January 22, 1788
  
• Derek Walcott, January 23, 1930
  
• Edith Wharton, January 24, 1862
  
• Robert Burns, January 25, 1759
  
• Lewis Carroll, January 27, 1832
  
• Anton Chekhov, January 29, 1860
  
• Zane Grey, January 31, 1872
  

Quickie Book Reviews

No time to read full-length book reviews? Why not check out the new 30-second book reviews at The Counter Project and save yourself some time!