Thanks to everyone who braved the snow on Thursday to come out for the ALA Awards book club! While Newbery and Caldecott winners were off-limits, we still had plenty of prize-winning literature to choose from.
We started off the evening by describing our various books and the main criteria for the award each book won. Then, we discussed book awards in a more general sense, even asking why such awards exist in the first place. The general consensus was yes, book awards are important: They give librarians and readers alike certain standards of expectation for what really good books should be like. Award-winning titles are often "challenge" books for readers, not only literacy-wise, but through the content and meaning of each story.
Here's the list of titles that book club attendees read:
During the evening, various other awards not (yet) affiliated with ALA were also mentioned. After book club, Mollie shared links to the Amelia Bloomer Project, a new collection of notable books that honors remarkable stories about women throughout history, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, which honors books with strong themes of social justice. And Alex shared a very dear video montage of award-winning authors that will tug at your librarian heartstrings (via The Schooled Librarian).
Of course, this month's book club was all in honor of the most recent round of awards, which were announced less than a week ago at ALA Midwinter! If you haven't had a chance to see this year's winners, view the press release here.
We started off the evening by describing our various books and the main criteria for the award each book won. Then, we discussed book awards in a more general sense, even asking why such awards exist in the first place. The general consensus was yes, book awards are important: They give librarians and readers alike certain standards of expectation for what really good books should be like. Award-winning titles are often "challenge" books for readers, not only literacy-wise, but through the content and meaning of each story.
Here's the list of titles that book club attendees read:
- Diego Rivera: His World and Ours by Duncan Tunatiuh, 2012 Belpre (for illustration)
- In Darkness by Nick Lake, 2013 Printz Award
- Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley, 2011 Printz Award
- Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick, 2012 Scneider Family Book Award winner
- The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth, William C. Morris YA Debut
- Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone, 2010 Sibert Award
- Bink and Gollie by Kate DiCamillo and Alison McGhee, 2011 Geisel Award
During the evening, various other awards not (yet) affiliated with ALA were also mentioned. After book club, Mollie shared links to the Amelia Bloomer Project, a new collection of notable books that honors remarkable stories about women throughout history, and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, which honors books with strong themes of social justice. And Alex shared a very dear video montage of award-winning authors that will tug at your librarian heartstrings (via The Schooled Librarian).
Of course, this month's book club was all in honor of the most recent round of awards, which were announced less than a week ago at ALA Midwinter! If you haven't had a chance to see this year's winners, view the press release here.