Monday, January 14, 2013

And the crystal ball reveals......

....oh, dear, still rather cloudy. We're seeking some clues as to who will win the American Library Association children's literature prizes, to be awarded on Monday, January 28, but it looks like we'll just have to go ahead and make our own best guesses!

Allison and I would not be surprised if Extra Yarn, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen, wins the Caldecott Medal (given to the artist of the year's most distinguished picture book). Perhaps The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins, or More by I. C. Springman (pictures by Brian Lies), or Baby Bear Sees Blue by Ashley Wolff, will receive the top award. There is no clear frontrunner for the prize, so our predictions may be wrong (as usual).

The John Newbery Award, given annually to the best children's chapter book or novel, does have some obvious contenders, we think. Among them are R. J. Palacio's debut novel Wonder, Rebecca Stead's book Liar and Spy, and Laura Schlitz's Splendor and Glooms.  The nonfiction book Bomb - The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, by Steve Sheinkin, might earn some recognition as well.

We are most confident about the Michael J. Printz Award, given to the best book written for young adults (known outside libraryland as "teenagers"). Allison and I expect that it will be won by the heartbreaking romance The Fault in our Stars by John Green, or the World War II thriller Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. (Though I did love the fantasy Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.)

Check back here in two weeks to see if we have a future in fortunetelling!

Mary Hoskinson-Dean