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I was honored to serve on this award committee this year. Up to two awards are given in recognition of a recently published work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or folklore, from early childhood to secondary reading levels, published in English (translations into English will also be accepted) which accurately and skillfully portrays South Asia or South Asians in the diasporas, that is the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. The culture, people, or heritage of South Asia are the primary focus of the story. The countries and islands that make up South Asia are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the region of Tibet. Stories that take place in the Caribbean Islands that focus on a South Asian subject are also considered. In determining the award, books are judged for: 1) quality of story; 2) cultural authenticity; and 3) potential for classroom use.

The Rumor by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrations by Kanyika Kini (Tundra Books, 2012).  In the village of Baddbaddpur, the people like to tell tales. Pandurang is so dour that he can make milk turn sour. One day he coughs up a feather. As the story of Pandurang’s feather is passed from one person to another it grows and grows and grows until it can hardly be recognized. (Grades PreK-4).

Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through a Never-Ending War by Deborah Ellis (Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2012). Deborah Ellis went to Kabul to find out what happened to Afghanistan’s children since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.  She interviewed children who spoke about their lives. They are still living in a country torn apart by war, violence and oppression still exist, particularly affecting the lives of girls, but the kids are weathering their lives with courage and optimism. (Grades 5 – 12).
Chained by Lynne Kelly (Farrar Straus Giroux, Margaret Ferguson Books, 2012). To work off a family debt, ten-year-old Hastin leaves his desert village in India to work as a circus elephant keeper but many challenges await him, including trying to keep Nadita, a sweet elephant, safe from the cruel circus owner. (Grades 4-7).


The Elephant’s Friend and Other Tales from Ancient India by Marcia Williams (Candlewick Press, 2012). Drawing from three books of best-loved Indian folktales — Hitopadesha Tales, Jataka Tales, and Panchantra Tales — this graphic storybook collection, alive with kid-friendly illustrations, is infused with humor and warmth. (Grades K-4).


The Wooden Sword by Ann Redisch Stampler, illustrated by Carol Liddiment (Albert Whitman & Company, 2012). Disguised in servant’s clothes, an Afghani shah slips out of his palace to learn more about his people. When he encounters a poor Jewish shoemaker faithful that everything will turn out just as it should, the shah grows curious. Vowing that no harm will befall the poor man, he decides to test that faith. (Grades  K-5).



Same Sun Here by Silas House and Neela Vaswani (Candlewick Press, 2012). A twelve-year-old Indian immigrant in New York City and a Kentucky coal miner’s son become pen pals, and eventually best friends, through a series of revealing letters exploring such topics as environmental activism, immigration, and racism. (Grades 4-7).

Ganesha’s Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes (Chronicle Books, 2012). The bold, bright colors of India leap right off the page in this fresh and funny picture book adaptation of how Ganesha came to write the epic poem of Hindu literature, the Mahabarata. (Grades Prek-3)


Shadow by Michael Morpurgo (Feiwel and Friends Book, an imprint of Macmillan, 2012).  14 year old Aman and his mother flee the horrors of war in Afghanistan and escape to England.  But just as they are getting settled in their new home, Aman and his mother find themselves in a detention center.  Their only hope is Aman’s friend Matt, Matt’s grandfather, and the dream of finding Shadow, Aman’s  trusted and loyal canine companion. (Grades 5-8).


The Sweetest Mango by Malavika Shetty, illustrations by Ajanta Guhathakurta (Tulika Publishers, 2012). The sweet, simple story and luscious pictures evoke delicious flavors of hot days, warm friendships and the smell of mango in the air. (Grades PreK-3)


Tina’s Mouth: an Existential Comic Diary by Keshni Kashyap, illustrations by Mari Araki (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012).  Tina Malhotra, a sophomore at the Yarborough Academy in Southern California, creates an existential diary for an assignment in which she tries to determine who she is and where she fits in. (Grades 9-12).


The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani (Delacorte Press, 2012). When Sonia’s father loses his job, she must move from her small, supportive private school to a public middle school.  The new school, her father’s diagnosis of clinical depression, and her half- Jewish and half- Indian heritage leave Sonia feeling more confused about herself, her friends, and her family.  Grades 5-8).

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The Green Earth Book Awards singled out two of my NESCBWI colleagues this year. Loree Griffin Burns was the Children's Nonfiction winner for Citizen Scientists and Melissa Stewart's A Place for Bats was named an honor book.

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You can check out samples of this year's Nebula nominees at Galley Cat. The site includes links to the complete nominated short stories.

The nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy are:

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill
Black Heart by Holly Black 
Above by Leah Bobet 
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst  
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman 
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis 
Every Day by David Levithan 
Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall 
Railsea by China Mieville 
Fair Coin by E.C. Myers 
Above World by Jenn Reese

I happen to have just started reading Every Day.

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BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY MILT KESSLER POETRY BOOK AWARD GUIDELINES

Sponsored by the Binghamton Center for Writers-State University of New York with support from the Office of the Dean of Binghamton University's Harpur College of the Arts & Sciences

$1,000 Award for a book of poems, 48 pages or more in length, selected by our judges as the strongest collection of poems published in 2012.

Contest Rules:

Minimum press run: 500 copies.
Each book submitted must be accompanied by an application form.

Publisher may submit more than one book for prize consideration.
Three copies of each book should be sent to:

Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Director
Creative Writing Program
Binghamton University
Department of English, General Literature, and Rhetoric
Library North Room 1149
Vestal Parkway East
P.O.Box 6000
Binghamton, NY13902-6000

Books entered in the competition will be donated to the contemporary literature collection at the Binghamton University Library and to the Broome County Library.
Books must be received in the English Department by March 1, 2013 to be considered for the prize.
Books cannot be returned.
For a list of winners, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope labeled:
"Binghamton University Poetry Book Award."
Winners will be announced in Poets & Writers.

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Binghamton University John Gardner Fiction Book Award Guidelines

Sponsored by the Binghamton Center for Writers-State University of New York with support from the Office of the Dean of Binghamton University's Harpur College of the Arts & Sciences

$1,000 Award for the book of fiction selected by our judges as the strongest novel or collection of fiction published in 2012.

Contest Rules:

Minimum press run: 500 copies.
Each book submitted must be accompanied by an application form.

Publisher may submit more than one book for prize consideration.
Three copies of each book should be sent to:

Maria Mazziotti Gillan, Director
Creative Writing Program
Binghamton University
Department of English, General Literature, and Rhetoric
Library North Room 1149
Vestal Parkway East
P.O.Box 6000
Binghamton, NY13902-6000

Books entered in the competition will be donated to the contemporary literature collection at the Binghamton University Library and to the Broome County Library.
Books must be received in the English Department by March 1, 2013 to be considered for the prize.
Books cannot be returned.
For a list of winners, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope labeled:
"Binghamton University Fiction Book Award."
Winners will be announced in Poets & Writers.

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The 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults list was announced last month by YALSA. There were a number of books on it that I've read and liked. The one I was particularly happy about seeing there, though, was The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls by Julie Schumacher. I liked that book a lot, but didn't see it getting any attention. And now it has.

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I feel so much better.  Do you know why????

Battle of the Books Brackets have been chosen.  I knew there was a good reason to return to the land of ice and wind and Internet access.  i just knew it.

Once again, I have read some, but not all, of the books.  I have direction!  I have purpose!  I have a goal.  I love Battle of the Books.

Now, the brackets are chosen BEFORE the American Library Association announces their Book Award Choices - which ALA did last Monday right before I re-learned body surfing on a Caribbean beach.

For the complete ALA approved list of Newbery Award winners, here you are.

Caldecott Winners, click here.

To check on all the other awards - for best children's non-fiction, or YA book, or social justice book, concept book, go to the ALA Book Awards page and click on the individual links.  There are just too many great books written for young people.

If you go to BoB's current post, you will see how well the Brackets match the ALA Award winners.  As always, judge's comments and the Peanut Gallery responses will be some of the best blog-reading of the year. 

Oh, I wonder when we get to vote for the Undead.  Or, gasp, has that vote been cast?  And who will be this year's awesome author/judges?  So many questions!  So many books!  So little time!  Excuse me, I have to put books on hold at the various libraries of which I am a member.

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Today I received the happy news that REPLAY has been nominated for a 2012 Cybils Award…

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The South Asia Book Award (SABA) established by the South Asia National Outreach Consortium (member National Resource Centers funded by The US Department of Education, Title VI) promotes awareness about South Asia (Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka,and the region of Tibet) to librarians, publishers and teachers. This annual award recognizes a recently published work of fiction, non-fiction, poetry or folklore, from early childhood to secondary reading levels, published in the US, Canada or United Kingdom, in English  which accurately and skillfully portrays South Asia or South Asians in the diasporas, that is the experience of individuals living in South Asia, or of South Asians living in other parts of the world. The culture, people, or heritage of South Asia should be the primary focus of the story.

I had the privilege of serving on the first award committee with a wonderful group of people and the first awards have just been announced! More information can be found at the South Asia Book Awards page

Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (Henry Holt and Company, 2011). Pen Pals Elliot and Kailash discover that even though they live in different countries—America and India—they both love to climb trees, own pets, and ride school buses (Grade 5 & under).





Island’s End by Padma Venkatraman (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2011). A young girl trains to be the new spiritual leader of her remote Andaman Island tribe, while facing increasing threats from the modern world (Grade 6 & above).

Sita’s Ramayana by Samhita Arni, illustrations by Moyna Chitrakar (Groundwood Books, 2011). The  Ramayana, one of the greatest legends of ancient India, is presented in the form of a visually stunning and gripping graphic novel, told from the perspective of the queen, Sita (Grade 6 & above).





Following My Paint Brush by Dulari Devi and Gita Wolf (Tara Books Pvt. Ltd, 2010). Following My Paint Brush is the story of Dulari Devi, a domestic helper who went on to become an artist in the Mithila style of folk painting from Bihar, eastern India (Grade 5 & under).

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