One of the many program highlights at the annual American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Meeting will be the 2010 ALA Youth Media Award announcements on 18 January. Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, the ALA Youth Media Awards, including but not limited to the prestigious Caldecott, Coretta Scott King Book Awards, Newbery, Pura Belpré and Printz awards, guide parents, educators, librarians and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards also encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.
The ALA will provide a free webcast of the Youth Media Award announcements here starting at 7:45am EST! The number of available connections to the Webcast is limited, though, and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
A new award this year, Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, will honor the best nonfiction book written for young adults between 1 November 2008 and 31 October 2009. The five finalists for this award are:
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Claudette Colvin: Twice toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous and Stupendous Life of the Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming
Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker
Angela Carstensen, 2010 Nonfiction committee chair, comments on the short list saying:
The committee is so proud and excited to present a short list of nonfiction books that are full of life and of particular interest and appeal to young adults. These authors represent the very best in nonfiction scholarship, presentation and writing, while satisfying a variety of interests including forensic archaeology, show business, civil rights history, space exploration, science and even a little romance. All of these books deserve a wide, enthusiastic readership, and we look forward to publishing the full list of nominated titles in January after the winning title is announced.