This year's short list for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature had not one, but two non-fiction titles. Very, very exciting. Both fantastic books: Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman, and Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose.
[Late breaking correction!! Since I originally posted this, several people have pointed out that the short list actually has three non-fiction titles. I was so captivated by the graphic novel aspect of Stitches by David Small, I completely overlooked that it's a memoir. I wonder if the judges looked at their short list and said...wow, we've come down three non-fiction titles. Is this okay? Will people say this list is unbalanced?]
Unlike many other awards, the committees for the NBA are made up of authors. Two years ago I chaired the Young People's Literature committee, and I'll tell you: deciding which are the "best" books of the year is incredibly difficult. It's relatively easy to start winnowing, but it gets harder and harder as the list gets shorter. In order to prevent leaks, the NBA committees meet for lunch on the very day of the awards to choose their winner. In my year, a rumor flashed around the banquet hall as we gathered for the award ceremony that the adult non-fiction committee was still out in the hall, duking it out.
This year's Young People's Literature award went to Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. I can't even begin to tell you how fantastic this book is. Well researched. Beautifully written. Compelling. And the best part: it has, suddenly and without warning, shifted our view of history, and put Claudette Colvin into her rightful place in the civil rights struggle. Her story has gone viral, on the Newshour, and in the New York Times.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
King of Mushrooms
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
New York Public Library, and Laure Halse Anderson lets it rip
I'm grinning. Marching made the New York Public Library's Children’s Books 2009 - 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list.
How important are libraries and librarians? I climb on my soapbox as often as possible to rave about librarians, but never as eloquently as Laurie Halse Anderson (of Speak and Chains fame) just did at the American Association of School Librarians conference. She talked about recent censorship challenges her books have faced and then said this:
"I believe that every time a library budget is cut, every time a librarian’s hours are cut - or the position is eliminated completely - it is another form of censorship. It is stealing from children and interfering with their education.
Taking books out of libraries and taking librarians out of libraries are just like ripping the roof off of a school. And maybe that’s how we need to describe it, in the dire, stark terms of reality. You can't run a school that doesn't have a roof. You can't run a school without librarians and libraries.
Book people – like you and me – tend to be a little uncomfortable with conflict. We value discussion, we respect other opinions. We avoid fights.
When I was kid, I was not allowed to start fights. If I did, I knew that I’d be in a whole lot more trouble when I got home than I could ever be at school.But my mother – she of the hats and gloves and ugly purses - told me that if anybody ever hit me first, I was allowed to punch back as hard as I could.
“Don’t you ever start a fight,” Mother said. “But if somebody picks a fight with you, by God, you finish it.”
The people who do not value books or librarians have picked a fight with me. That was a mistake.
They are ripping the roof off our libraries, off our schools. They are exposing our children to ignorance and condemning them to poverty. When they rip the roof off of libraries, they weaken our country."
Awesome! To read a longer excerpt, check out her blog post.
How important are libraries and librarians? I climb on my soapbox as often as possible to rave about librarians, but never as eloquently as Laurie Halse Anderson (of Speak and Chains fame) just did at the American Association of School Librarians conference. She talked about recent censorship challenges her books have faced and then said this:
"I believe that every time a library budget is cut, every time a librarian’s hours are cut - or the position is eliminated completely - it is another form of censorship. It is stealing from children and interfering with their education.
Taking books out of libraries and taking librarians out of libraries are just like ripping the roof off of a school. And maybe that’s how we need to describe it, in the dire, stark terms of reality. You can't run a school that doesn't have a roof. You can't run a school without librarians and libraries.
Book people – like you and me – tend to be a little uncomfortable with conflict. We value discussion, we respect other opinions. We avoid fights.
When I was kid, I was not allowed to start fights. If I did, I knew that I’d be in a whole lot more trouble when I got home than I could ever be at school.But my mother – she of the hats and gloves and ugly purses - told me that if anybody ever hit me first, I was allowed to punch back as hard as I could.
“Don’t you ever start a fight,” Mother said. “But if somebody picks a fight with you, by God, you finish it.”
The people who do not value books or librarians have picked a fight with me. That was a mistake.
They are ripping the roof off our libraries, off our schools. They are exposing our children to ignorance and condemning them to poverty. When they rip the roof off of libraries, they weaken our country."
Awesome! To read a longer excerpt, check out her blog post.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Jumpin' week, irresistible music
Great news to share:
An interview about the Google Lit Trip I did for Marching is right here on Teaching Books. Thank you Nick Glass for the opportunity! Jerome Burg, the founder of Lit Trips, and I worked for months to get this just right. I'm so thrilled with how it came out. Jerome and I located all the important places in Selma, and then set up the Lit Trip so you can "fly" with the marchers to Montgomery.
And Marching For Freedom made the Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2009 list! This is a huge honor!
But enough about me. Here is the end-of-the-week launch into the weekend. One of my very favorite songs is Leadbelly's Bring Me Little Water, Silvy.Wonderful, no? (You can download the whole song for a buck at Smithsonian Folkways.)
Now, check this out from VOCO. I love how music travels!
If you haven't heard Sweet Honey in the Rock's version.... listen....
An interview about the Google Lit Trip I did for Marching is right here on Teaching Books. Thank you Nick Glass for the opportunity! Jerome Burg, the founder of Lit Trips, and I worked for months to get this just right. I'm so thrilled with how it came out. Jerome and I located all the important places in Selma, and then set up the Lit Trip so you can "fly" with the marchers to Montgomery.
And Marching For Freedom made the Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2009 list! This is a huge honor!
But enough about me. Here is the end-of-the-week launch into the weekend. One of my very favorite songs is Leadbelly's Bring Me Little Water, Silvy.Wonderful, no? (You can download the whole song for a buck at Smithsonian Folkways.)
Now, check this out from VOCO. I love how music travels!
If you haven't heard Sweet Honey in the Rock's version.... listen....
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