I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. There were so many great books that were published last year and I don't envy the award committee to narrow their choices to just a few. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for me. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I usually discover new titles that I fall in love with and book talk to my students. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Seattle, Washington.

Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal is: 







Honorees of the 2019 Caldecott are:


Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal
A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin
The Rough Patch by Brian Lies
Thank you, Omu! by Oge Mora



The Newbery Medal was named in the honor of John Newbery, who was an eighteenth-century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.


The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
Check, Please!: #Hockey by Ngozi Ukazu
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

What the Night Sings by Vesper Stamper

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. There were so many great books that were published last year and I don't envy the award committee to narrow their choices to just a few. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for me. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I usually discover new titles that I fall in love with and book talk to my students. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Denver, Colorado. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2018 Caldecott Medal is: 







Honorees of the 2018 Caldecott are:


Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes
A Different Pond by Bao Phi
Grand Canyon by Jason Chin



The Newbery Medal was named in the honor of John Newbery, who was an eighteenth-century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.


Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali
Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Devils Within by S.F. Henson
Dear Martin by Nic Stone



Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. There were so many great books that were published last year and I don't envy the award committee to narrow their choices to just a few. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for many librarians, including myself. It's one of my favorite times of the year. I usually discover new titles that I fall in love with and book talk to my students. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Atlanta, Georgia. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2017 Caldecott Medal is: 

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat by Javaka Steptoe

Honorees of the 2017 Caldecott are:

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol
Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford
They All Saw a Cat by Brenan Wenzel


The Newbery Medal was named in the honor of John Newbery, who was an eighteenth century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.


Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel
The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for many librarians, including myself. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Boston, Massachusetts. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2016 Caldecott Medal is:

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick

Honorees of the 2016 Caldecott are:

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews
Waiting by Kevin Henkes
Voice of Freedom: Frannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford



The Newbery Medal was named in the honor of John Newbery, who was an eighteenth century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.




Because You'll Never Met Me by Leah Thomas
Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes
The Weight of Feathers by Anna Marie McLemore



Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
The Ghosts of Heaven by Marcus Sedgwick

Hi, Everyone! While I try to swim the rough waters of the end of the school year, I have a terrific opportunity for aspiring writers and fans of YA fiction alike to chat with some awesome authors! Figment, the online writing community, has a great author/editor web chat tonight, May 23rd at 7 pm EST. Come and chat with YA authors Elizabeth Norris (Unraveling and Unbreakable) and Brodi Ashton (Everneath and Everbound), plus Balzer + Bray editor Kristen Rens, will be taking questions about life as a published author.  I hope to see you at the live event!

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for many librarians, including myself. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Seattle, Washington. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newbery, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2013 Caldecott Medal is:

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Honorees of the 2013 Caldecott are:

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue
Green by Laura Seeger
One Cool Friend by Tony Buzzeo


The Newbery Medal was named in the honor of John Newbery, who was an eighteenth century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.


Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Bomb by Steve Sheinkin
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby
Love and Other Perishable Items (also known as Good Oil in Australia) by Laura Buzo
After the Snow by Sophie D. Crockett



Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz *Also the Stonewall Award Winner

I have been looking forward to this morning and anxiously awaiting the announcement of several Children and Young Adult book awards. The Young Media Awards are like the Oscars for many librarians, including myself. The awards took place at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting at Dallas, Texas. Although there are many awards honored today, I was looking forward to finding out the winners for the Caldecott, Newberry, Morris, and of course the Michael L. Printz Award. You can find the other winners on the Association for Library Services to Children website and the Young Adult Library Services website (YALSA).
Winner of the 2012 Caldecott Medal is:

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Racka

Honorees of the 2012 Caldecott are:

Blackout by John Rocco
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

 
The Newberry Medal was named in the honor of John Newberry, who was an eighteenth century British bookseller. Like the Caldecott, it is also awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler and by Maira Kalman
The Returning by Christine Hinwood
Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

  One of the reasons I love blogging is to find out new, awesome book news! I received an interesting email from Harper Teen yesterday in explaining that Michael Grant, the author of the bestselling Gone series, is working on a transmedia series. Have you ever heard of a transmedia novel? No? I haven't either. A transmedia story is an interactive narrative told through different forms such as the book itself, video, puzzles, etc. Think of it as the choose your adventure type books you when you read when you were a kid. Essentially, the reader gets to ultimately decide how much you want to delve into the story. The author wants you to be more involved with the books! The series, called Go Bzrk, will be released this winter.

Image credit to: deanashour

   Here is a snippet of the book's description from the publisher:

The missing son of a U.N. diplomat... the reemergence of a strange organization... a pair of society twins caught in the middle... this is just the beginning of "Go BZRK," a new transmedia experience from author Michael Grant.

If you're ready to take the plunge in an interactive story like you've never experienced before, visit societytwins.com and register with nexushumanus.com to take your first steps in a strange and compelling universe.

Filled with video, puzzles, community collaboration, and more, "Go BZRK" put YOU the player right in the middle of the action as you join Nexus Humanus and unravel a mystery that may hold the key to the fate of all mankind.

 I was also sent a snippet of an interview in which Michael explains how the transmedia series came about:

What is “Go BZRK”? Is this a book or some kind of interactive story?

Both. The book comes out this winter, but the interactive part starts now.  One leads up to the other, but they're part of a complete package.

Why “transmedia”?

There are different approaches to transmedia.  Most people take a single story and reproduce it on various platforms.  My philosophy has been to make each element - ARG, app, web, book - a thing unto itself, each revealing some aspect of the world of BZRK.  I've been fascinated with this is as a new way to tell stories.  The book remains central, but now I can reach beyond the book and create a much more complete world.  I can tell stories that enhance the book, and stories that parallel the book, and stories that are offshoots of backstory.  I guess the answer to "why" is "because it's fun."

Is this the future of publishing?

I began a few years ago reaching out to publishers and saying we collectively needed to understand that the old models were dead or dying.  I want publishing to survive, and of course I'd like my own career to thrive.  So Egmont Publishing and my partners and I certainly hope this is a part of the future of publishing. 

How long is this running? Is this part of a larger picture?

We'll be running this in several chunks between now and the book release this winter. Because these things have a hard start/stop point, August is a ramp-up phase. There'll be a lot of content coming out, but the experience really gets underway at the end of the month… just in time to distract the kids from their schoolwork.

What if someone wants to follow the story but doesn’t want to participate?

You don't have to do anything.  You can do one thing and not another.  But the deeper you plunge the wetter you get.  I think every part of this is fun, I think people will enjoy the ARG, the app, the site and the books. 

App? You've mentioned that a couple times now.

Just wait and see.

What can you tell us about the story? What is “BZRK”?

It's a battle for the soul and freedom of the human race carried out simultaneously in the world we know, and in a world that you're not going to expect. It's a world where if you make a false move, you're going to lose your mind.

 

 Pretty cool, huh? I'm going to sign up. I've never read a transmedia novel before and it sounds really cool. I hope you sign up too. Thanks again to Harper Teen for passing the information along!

  There are some interesting projects going on in the book and movie worlds in the upcoming months. A lot these tidbits are brand new to me and some of which I learned earlier this week. I found them interesting and thought I would share the knowledge.

Book News!


Clare has also released a Youtube video indicating what will not happen in City of Fallen Angels. You can see that video here. Thanks to Linds@bibliophile brouhaha for the heads up!




Speaking of Valentines Day, Maggie Stiefvater will be releasing a video of her reading the first few pages of Forever on her Facebook page at 12 PM EST. Don't worry if you forget the date, it will stay up indefinitely.






  Earlier this week, there were rumors floating around that L.J. Smith was fired by HarperTeen/Alloy and will no longer be writing any Vampire Diaries books. The author confirmed this information midweek. You can read her reactions here. I, personally have not read the books, but I am addicted to the TV show. The Vampire Diaries TV show fans can rest assured that the show is not in danger of being cancelled since the tv series is following a different storyline than those of the books. The upcoming book The Return: Midnight will still be published and released in March. Stefan’s Diaries are series related books and was not written by L.J. Smith.


Movie News!


 

Deadline has reported that Selma Gomez will play Hannah in the film adaptation of Jay Asher's phenomenal debut novel 13 Reasons Why. From what I know about Selena from her work at Disney, she seems a bit too nice to play Hannah, but I can we'll wait and see. I'm actually more interested in who will play Clay.





   According to Cinema blend, Emma Watson (Yep, Hermonie for you HP fans) and Logan Lerman (he played Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief) will be starring in a film adaptation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Author Stephen Chbosky will be writing the screenplay as well as directing the film too. I didn't care much for the book, but I know many of my students who adore it and I'm sure will be looking forward to the movie.

  Deadline reports Ralph Fiennes, who in my opinion is a fantastic actor, will direct his very first film, Coriolanus, which is a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic play about the titular Roman warrior. The movie also costars Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave, Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and James Nesbitt. Shakespeare + Fiennes + Butler = A must see movie! 

You probably are well aware of the upcoming Red Riding Hood movie that Catherine Hardwicke is directing as well as two ongoing projects on adapting the Snow White fairytale, but did you know that there will also be a retelling of Jack and the Beanstalk? I didn't. Deadline reports that Nick Hoult, known mainly from his role on BBC's Skins, will play Jack in a "scary revisionist take on the Jack and the Beanstalk mythology". Bill Nighly and Stanley Tucci costar in the film too. 

Deadline is also reporting that Deepa Mehta known for her Earth Trilogy (Fire, Earth, and Water) is currently directing a film adaptation of Salman Rushdie's controversial novel Midnight Children.