A number of awards honoring titles and media for children and young adults were announced this morning. The John Newbery Medal goes to The Eyes and the Impossible written by Dave Eggers, with five other titles named as Newbery Honor Books.
The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to Big, illustrated and written by Vashti Harrison, with four additional titles named Caldecott Honor Books.
To see the ALA new release listing all the youth awards and titles, go here.
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, set in Nebraska, was named both a Newbery Honor Book and a Schneider Family Book Award honor book for middle grades. This title is hilarious, heart-breaking and goofy – an amazing book. Simon and his parents move from near Omaha to a part of Nebraska that is a National Radio Quiet Zone (fictional, the real one is in West Virginia). There is no Internet access and the town (Grin and Bear It, NE) lives with it. Simon has been homeschooled for the past year and now is back in public school for the 7th grade. He makes a couple of friends and begins to settle in. His mom is undertaker for the town and they live in the mortuary. His dad works for the Catholic Church. Amazing writing, quirky people and animals, unusual situations will keep the students reading. Spoiler: a school shooting has happened in the past and is revisited. It will break your heart.
