Newbery Announcement at ALA

OK, so maybe you stayed up late watching the Golden Globes last light. Nothing compared with how the library and children's book world feels this morning, awakening to the announcement of the Newbery and Caldecott, Coretta Scott King and Printz Awards, among others.

Predictions and mock voting have been rampart in the last few weeks, and a lot of kids will be happy about the winners this year. Rebecca Stead's book will be a popular choice for the Newbery. Great book, fun read.

I think Bryn Mawr School, where I joyfully served as librarian for a few years, may have been one of the original Mock Newbery programs in the country. Now there are lots. One year we even took the Bryn Mawr students to Washington DC to hear the exciting announcement of the winners.

Now, had you risen early this morning, you could have tuned in to a live webcast, almost like being there. Except I doubt you could duplicate the excitement our students felt that year, dressed as book characters, holding signs and cheering their favorite book.

This year the American Library Association met in Boston and has just moments ago announced the winners. I'm delighted to say a book I reviewed and loved is the 2010 Newbery Medal book. Another I reviewed, Mare's War, is a King Honor winner. TaDa, drumroll please!



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Change of Plans

Yesterday I was all set to dive into my big pile of library books. Today FedEx arrived with two brand spanking new, not even hot off the press yet, books for me to review. So, I thought I'd just take a peek at one. And I haven't put it down all afternoon. Great alternating POV between the 1040s grandmother who ran off to join the WAC in WW2 and her granddaughters, modern-day teens stuck in the car with her, driving across country to a family reunion in Alabama. Tight writing, very visual. Can't wait to get back to reading.