Notes from The Max

Book and Education News for May

A quick round-up of education and literacy related news and events for May:

• Two more weeks! There are just two more weeks until our 20th Annual Awards Luncheon on Friday May 13th. Tickets are still available for the event and can be purchased by visting the Events page on our website. Don't miss out on seeing this year's Max Warburg Fellows!
• Boston Public Schools has partnered with Swap.com for the Swap4Schools program. The program is a new and innovative way of helping schools receive the items and supplies they need. Schools are invited to create an account with a wishlist of materials for their classrooms. Swap.com then matches the school's needs with items available from community members' inventory. At a time when schools are facing increased budget cuts, this program will help deliver books, CDs, DVDs and other classroom items to the schools.
• A new study from the MA Department of Public Health found that 1 in 4 Massachusett's middle school students have been bullied. According to the Boston Globe, "the report found that students who said they had been involved in bullying, as both a perpetrator and a victim, were five times more likely to report they had been hurt physically by a family member." The study is one of the first of its kind and highlights the strong connection between school and family life. The survey was conducted in 2009 and released one year after MA lawmakers enacted a law that requires schools to adopt clear anti-bullying procedures. 
• As part of National Library Week in April, the American Library Association released the 2011 State of America's Libraries report. Among the reports findings were some sobering statistics regarding school libraries: middle and high school libraries in high-poverty areas suffered the most budget cuts last year and saw decreases in book, video and periodical holdings. The full report (which includes new information about how libraries are approaching digital content) can be viewed on the ALA website. 
• Upcoming Book Events: satirist David Sedaris will be at Harvard University's Sanders Theater in Cambridge on Saturday May 7th; Brookline Booksmith will host Kathryn Stockett, author of the best-selling novel The Help (soon to be a movie) on Wednesday, May 11th; the Diversity in YA tour (with authors Holly Black, Cindy Pon, Malinda Lo, and Francisco Stork) will come to the Cambridge Public Library on Thursday Mary 12th; and middle-grade fairy tale author Gail Carson Levine will read from her newest book at Wellesley Booksmith on Wednesday May 18th. 

2011 Children's Book Week

Starting next Monday, May 2nd, it will be time again for Children's Book Week, the oldest national literacy event in the United States. From May 2nd to May 8th, young readers across the country will celebrate the world of books, authors and stories.

Events will be held in several states throughout the week, but the official celebration will kick-off on Saturday April 30th, as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Katherine Paterson hosts an event in New York City. Among her other duties during the week, Paterson will also judge the CBW writing contest. Co-sponsored this year by the Bookemon website, children will be able to write and illustrate their own picture book and submit it to the contest. The winner will receive a gift certificate, allowing him or her to have his or her book printed and shared with family and friends.

Other official Children's Book Week events will take place at Wellesley Booksmith in Wellesley, MA. On May 2nd, children's author Jacqueline Davies will read from her book, The Lemonade Crime, served alongside - what else - lemonade. On Thursday May 5th, middle-grade and young adult author Karen Day will be at the store. If you're unable to attend any in-store events, you can celebrate online with Story Snoops. The website will be hosting a series of interviews with various authors, including 2011 Newbery Award winner Clare Vanderpool.

The highlight of Children's Book Week remains the Children's Choice Book Awards, which are given to books voted on by children and teens. Many popular books are among this year's middle grade and teen finalists, including The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan, It's a Book by Lane Smith, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. Awards will also be handed out to the Author of the Year and Illustrator of the Year. Readers can vote online until April 29th.

For more information about Children's Book Week, please visit the CBW website.

 

April Literary Events

The date for the next Boston Book Festival is October 15, 2011 - a long time off if you're looking for a bookish way to spend your weekend. Luckily, there are a number of other literary events happening all the time. Here's a look at some of the events coming up in the next month:

• On Sunday April 10th, Trinity Church in Boston will host its Children's Book Fair. From 9am to 1pm, the fair will have crafts, storytime and, of course, books, all conveniently located in the church's book shop right in Copley Square. Best of all, it's free.
• That same weekend (April 9th and 10th), the Boston Public Library will be holding the 11th Annual National Poetry Month Festival just across the square from Trinity Church. Co-sponsored by Tapestry of Voices and Kaji Aso Studio, this event will feature several well-known poets reading their work alongside new, emerging poets (including students from Boston Latin and Boston Arts Academy). There will also be an Open Mike session on Saturday. The Poetry Festival will be held at BPL's Central Branch in Copley Square and is free of charge.
• And while you're at the Boston Public Library, you might want to find more information about its Author Talk series, which brings a diverse range of authors to the library to discuss their work and meet with fans. Diane Ackerman and Christopher McDougall are just two of the authors scheduled to visit the BPL in the coming weeks. Please see the BPL website for more information.
• If you're looking for something to entertain younger readers, consider heading to Wellesley Free Library on April 13th. John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of iconic Madeleine creator and author Ludwig Bemelmans, will be there to read from his new book, Madeleine at the White House, which is based on an unfinished story of his grandfather's.
• And if you really can't wait until October for literary fun, the Newburyport Literary Festival will take place on Friday April 29th and Saturday April 30th. Featuring local Massachusetts authors in a variety of categories (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's), the event will have a full day of activities planned with something for everyone. There will also be a special dinner with the authors and silent auction. More information and tickets for the dinner can be found on the NLF's website.

Spring Literary Notes

A quick round-up of March literary news, along with a few reminders:

• Don't forget - our 20th Annual Awards Lucheon is just seven weeks away. Circle Friday May 13th on your calendar and watch our Events page for more information. You don't want to miss the chance to meet this year's Max Warburg Fellows and celebrate 20 years of courageous children. 
• Mark the date! The 3rd annual Boston Book Festival will be held on Saturday October 15, 2011 in Copley Square from 10am to 6pm. The Max will be there once again, handing out copies of The Courage of Boston's Children and answering questions about our programs. It's a great event with something for everyone! 
• Are you a child or teen (or something in between)? Do you know one? Online voting is now open for the Children's Book Week's Children's Choice Awards. As part of Children's Book Week, readers of all ages can vote for their favorite books of the year. Winners will be announced during the CBW celebrations, which will be held from May 2nd to the 8th.
• Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has proposed moving the headquarters of the Boston Public School Department to Dudley Square as part of effects to revitalize that Dorchester neighborhood.The proposed move would bring the school department employees closer to the schools and the students they serve. 
• March is Red Cross Month - to help support the Red Cross and the work it does, considering bidding on some of the items in the Writers for the Red Cross auction. Each week in March, various publishing-related packages and services are being auctioned off, with the proceeds going towards the American Red Cross. Inspiring authors can bid on critiques by editors while book fans can score bundles of books by their favorite authors. Visit the website for more information.  
• Should students be required to read 50 books each year as part of the curriculum? The British Education Secretary believes so. After a recent tour of American charter schools, Michael Gove believes Britain needs to "raise the bar" on childhood reading. While many British authors agree with Mr. Gove that reading should be a fundamental part of school, many point to the large number of library closures in England as the real problem. Other authors said that quality - and not quantity - mattered more. What do you think? 

Literary March Madness

Leave the basketballs to the sports fans and grab your books!

It's March Madness and while basketball aficionados are glued to the television watching their favorite teams play game after game, literature fans have their own way of celebrating with several annual "battle of the books." Various publications and websites hosted battles relating to literary fiction, fantasy novels, children's book and even cookbooks; there's something for every reader.

Each year, School Library Journal takes charge of the children's and young adult March Madness by hosting The Battle of the Kids' Books. During this friendly competition, 16 of the very best children's books from the previous year are pitted against each other. Led and moderated by the Battle Commander, SLJ selects judges from the children's literature world to read, then choose, between two of the books. This year's judges include well-regarded authors such as Francisco Stork, Mitali Perkins and Grace Lin.

Choosing between two worthy, but often quite different, books is a difficult task for these judges. Many times, several of the books have won numerous awards - how can one possibly stack up against another? Each judge writes a blog post explaining his or her thought-process and, essentially, defending his or her ultimate choice. Some judges even get creative with their decision - author Barry Lyga wrote his as a one-act play between himself and his clone. Readers participate by voting for their favorite book in the "Undead" poll, which gives the winner a second chance and allows that book to come back from "the dead" to battle against the final two contenders.

There are always surprises during the Battle of the Kids' Books and 2011 is no exception. Among them: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia has already been knocked out of contention in round one! Williams-Garcia book was a 2011 Newbery Honor book, winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Book Award, winner of the 2011 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction AND a 2010 National Book Award finalist. And yet it seems even the mighty One Crazy Summer couldn't stand the heat of Battle of the Books.

Though it may come back in the final round as the "Undead" winner, Williams-Garcia's loss proves that during March Madness - even March Madness with books - anything can happen.

5th Annual CYBIL Awards

On January 1st, the organizers of the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards (more commonly known as CYBILs) announced the finalists for the awards.

The CYBIL awards seek to reward children's and young adult authors (and illustrators) who write and create books that have both high literary merit and "kid appeal." The CYBIL organizers describe the award as "organic chicken nuggets: we're yummy and nutritious." The CYBILs strive to bring children's and YA literature bloggers together to form a community, to highlight the best reviews of children's and YA books and provide a space for book bloggers to communicate with one another.

This year, CYBILs will be awarded in 11 different categories, including (1) middle grade fantasy and science-fiction; (2) young adult fantasy and science-fiction; (3) middle grade novels; (4) young adult novels; and (5) middle grade and YA nonfiction. Among the finalists in these categories were some of the recent recipients of ALA's Youth Media Awards:

• Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes (MG Fantasy/Sci-Fi; a Coretta Scott King Author Honor book)
• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi; the Printz Medal winner)
• Stolen by Lucy Christopher (YA Novels; a Printz Honor book)
• The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul Janeczko (MG and YA nonfiction; a YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Honor book)
• Kakapo Rescue by Sy Montgomery (MG and YA nonfiction; winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal)

For a full list of all CYBIL finalists, please visit their website. The winners of the CYBIL awards will be announced on February 14th.

2011 Youth Media Awards

Earlier today, the American Library Association announced the winners of the 2011 Youth Media Awards.

The Newbery Medal is given to the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The 2011 Newbery Medal winner is Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. This year's Newbery Honor books are: Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman, Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia, and Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.

The Michael L. Printz Awards is awarded for excellence in young adult literature. Paolo Bacigalupi's Ship Breaker won the Printz Award, while the following four books are Printz Honor books: Stolen by Lucy Christopher, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King, Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick and Nothing by Janne Teller. 

The Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. The 2011 Edwards Award was given to Sir Terry Pratchett.

The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year. Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel is the 2011 Excellence winner. Four other books were finalists for the award: They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to Destroy the Civil Rights Movement by Rick Bowers; The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul Janeczko; and Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw.

The Alex Awards are given to the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:

• The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
• The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
• Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
• The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant
• The Radleys by Matt Haig
• The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
• Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
• Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
• The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson

Please visit the ALA's website for a complete list of winners.

Best of 2010

As the year winds down to a close, here is a look at some of the best children's and young adult books from 2010.

• School Library Journal released its "Best of 2010" list, divided into fiction, nonfiction and picture books. According to SLJ editors, fantasy books continue to dominate the top spots, with books that are "frightening, edgy, wildly funny, electrifying, and magical, with protagonists fighting evil in brilliantly created new landscapes, realms, and kingdoms, as well as in our world."
• SLJ also released its list of the Best Adult Books For Teens, books that are typically published for adult audiences but that will also appeal to older teen readers. This list has fiction and nonfiction selections and includes one of the most buzzed-about books of 2010, Emma Donoghue's Room.
• Kirkus Reviews divded its list of top 2010 books into children's and teens categories, then further subdivided the books by genre (such as books that "make you think," sci-fi and historical fiction). Kirkus culled their list from the thousands of reviews they write each day, selecting the best of the very best.
• Like SLJ, Publisher's Weekly distinguished their best 2010 children's and YA books by sorting them into three categories: fiction, nonfiction and picture books. The fiction category contains books for both middle grade and high school readers, and includes many of the books that earned starred reviews from PW earlier in the year.
• Boston-based children's publishing magazine Horn Book offered up their Fanfare 2010 list, revealing its best children's and young adult books of the year. In addition to picture, fiction and nonfiction books, Horn Book also singles out folklore and poetry books.
• Bookselling powerhouse Amazon.com goes into great detail with its Best Books of 2010 lists: there are lists for both middle grade readers and teens, and editors' picks and customer favorites. And for those tech-savvy readers with a Kindle or e-reader, Amazon also lists its choices for the best e-books of the year. 
• If the above selections weren't enough, there are list "best of 2010" lists from Barnes and Noble and the Columbus Dispatch and for local readers, Boston Globe's 10 Glittering Stars of 2010.

Several books appeared on a number of lists, indicating both widespread popularity and critical acclaim. These titles include Alchemy and Meggy Swan (Karen Cushman), Revolution (Jennifer Donnelly), Incarceron (Catherine Fisher), One Crazy Summer (Rita Williams-Garcia), Will Grayson, Will Grayson (John Green and David Levithan), Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins), Countdown (Deborah Wiles) and Fever Crumb (Philip Reeve).

Taken all together, these lists provide a glimpse into a year in children's and young adult publishing. And, as we move towards the new year, more books will start to get their time in the spotlight as we anticipate the Newbury and Printz awards, which will be announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in January.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Here in Boston, it's the season for warm coats, hats, gloves and scarves as the temperature drops and snow starts to fall. Inspired by the winter season, here are some cold and icy reading suggestions for middle grade and teen readers. Be warned, though: you might want to make sure you have a blanket near by, just in case you start to shiver.

• A Kingdom Far and Clear - Novelist Mark Helprin teamed up with award-winning illustrator Chris Van Allsburg to create a trilogy of illustrated novels: Swan Lake, A City in Winter and A Veil of Snows. Set in a fictional wintry world, this trio of stories retells the classic ballet Swan Lake, then imagines the tumultuous consequences and events of years later. 
• The Golden Compass - The first novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series, this book sees young Lyra Belacqua travel to the cold, arctic north and to Svalbard, home of the armoured ice bears. 
• Brian's Winter - In this alternate ending to Paulsen's Newbery Honor-winning book Hatchet, Brian's Winter imagines what would have happened if Brian had not be rescued and instead had to learn how to survive in the wilderness during the winter.
• Ice - In this novel based on "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," Sarah Beth Durst weaves a modern-day fairy tale. Cassie, who lives in an Arctic research station with her father, has her life change in an instant when a polar bear approaches her and asks her to be his bride.
• Odd and the Frost Giants - In this Neil Gaiman story written for World Book Day, Odd is a young Norseman who leaves his village and befriends a trio of animals, who are really gods in disguise and who need his help to outwit the Frost Giant.
• The Snow-Walker Trilogy - from the author of the highly praised Incarceron (Catherine Fisher) comes this trilogy of people ruled by an evil snow-walker, her half-human son and the clever girl determined to see the rightful heir back on the throne. 

Enjoy!

National Book Awards, 2010

Last night, in New York City, the National Book Foundation awarded its 2010 National Book Awards to four deserving authors. The National Book Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the previous year. Along with the National Book Critics Circle Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the NBAs are one of the three most prestigious book awards given to American authors. Some even describe the NBAs as the "Oscars of the literary world."

The 2010 NBA for Young People's Literature went to Kathryn Erskine for her novel, Mockingbird, which tells the story of Caitlin, an 11-year-old with Asperger's syndrome, who must learn to cope with the death of her older brother. In her acceptance speech, Erskine credited her mother with teaching her to learn about the "why's" of the world.

The other finalists in the Young People's Literature category included Paolo Bacigalupi (Ship Breaker), Laura McNeal (Dark Water), Walter Dean Meyers (Lockdown), and Rita Williams-Garcia (One Crazy Summer). The winner and the five finalists were selected from more than 200 submitted titles.

Other winners of the night: Jaimy Gordon in the Fiction category for Lord of Misrule; Patti Smith in the Nonfiction category for Just Kids; Terrance Hayes in the Poetry category for Lighthead; and Tom Wolfe for the lifetime achievement award (Distinguished Contribution to American Letters award). The Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community was given to Joan Ganz Cooney, one of the driving forces behind the Sesame Workshop and Sesame Street.