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We don’t talk enough, you and I.  About the National Book Awards, I mean.  Seems to me that the only time we pay much attention to them is when they release their shortlist, and by that point the only thing left to predict is what the ultimate winner will be.  It hasn’t quite the same press recognition of a Newbery or Caldecott, but I enjoy the NBAs.  They’re one of the few times authors have a chance to give a big award to their peers.  There’s much to be said for that, you know.

There are some interesting differences between NBA committees and ALSC committees too.  For example, while a person on a Newbery committee is allowed to give their personal opinion on a title, an NBA committee member is not allowed to give so much as a smidgen of an opinion from start to finish.  Linda Sue Park, as I recall, when asked during her tenure as to what books she liked would begin with, “Well I was really impressed by . . .” then slap her own hands over her mouth and end with, “hmmm mmm mmm hmmmm mmm.”

Another essential difference is that not all children’s and YA books are considered for the award.  In fact, they must be nominated by their publishers and each book must pay a $125 entry fee.  Yikes!  The result is that it is the publishers who pick and choose what to send it.  By this time of year they can no longer send in anything (the deadline has passed) so not only will we be predicting what the committee members like but also what the publishers feel have the best chances.

This year the NBA committee members in the Young People’s Literature category include Laban Carrick Hill, Kelly Link, Tor Seidler, Hope Anita Smith, and Sara Zarr.  Not too shabby, eh?

I’ve been watching the NBA Young People’s Literature nominees for a number of years now and have determined that the kind of books they prefer are titles that are YA, a little more obscure than those with Newbery potential, and out of far right field.  In short: Impossible to predict.

Not that we don’t like to try!  With the given understanding that I’ve never tried this before, I don’t read YA, and every NBA committee has a different vibe to it, let’s have some fun with this!

In brief, my thoughts on potential nominees would include:

The Boneshaker by Kate Milford -
Clearly this is this year’s Lips Touch sans any actual lips touching.  If any book was a shoo-in for serious consideration in the middle grade category, I’d have to hand it to Ms. Milford.  In fact, of all the books I list here, Kate’s is the only one that I would

Exciting news! I just found out that the Thurber House has announced this year's Children's Author in Residence which means I must yield the crown I was lucky to wear this past year.

Hope Anita Smith - author, poet, recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award for her book "The Way A Door Closes" will be moving into the attic apartment written about in Thurber's story "The Night The Bed Fell". It's also the attic where I spent four amazing weeks last summer - and though no beds fell on me, I fell in love with it.
I am excited to hear all about the advenures Hope has this summer while continuing the tradition that Shelley Pearsall, Sam Swope, Lisa Yee and I all shared. The Thurber House Children's Author in Residence is a truly unique experience run by such caring, nurturing people who do everything humanly possible to make sure you to use the time to fulfill your creative needs as a writer. The only obligations (I called them the bonus stuff) are the weekly writing workshops the resident gives to kids in the Thurber Writing Camp and the workshops at the Dowd Family Center.

Three cheers for Hope - May her summer be productive and filled with the magical sound of the summer cicadas as they serenade her muse as they did mine....oh yes, and may the Thurber ghosts welcome her with open arms too!

What a beautiful little book! Hope Anita Smith's newest title, Keeping the Night Watch, is a short little novel in verse, telling the story of CJ, a thirteen year old whose father walked out on his family and then makes a reappearance. CJ had to become a man much before his time and when his father waltzes back in the door, expecting forgiveness, the rest of the family easily concedes, but CJ isn't so sure he can trust the man who walked away.

Each page holds a beautiful poem, conducive to the plot, as well as a gorgeous illustration, done by E.B. Lewis. Who would have thought how much impact illustrations could have on a young adult book? They really help tell of CJ's vulnerability and heartache, as well as his distrust in his father. The reader is truly able to feel the emotional value in the book and connect with CJ's pain, yet still feel for his dad. It's all a very real feeling.

We are able to grow with CJ from the beginning, as he first is lost without his father, becomes mature and strong, almost hard, and then when his father comes back, vulnerable and angry. Towards the end we are able to see the softening of CJ's heart, yet Smith left the ending as hopeful,not tidy. Everything does not become sweet and whole, but the path has been marked and CJ is following it.

Keeping the Night Watch is a great book to introduce to reluctant readers of both the middle grade and young adult scale. It's short, always a plus, and there are pictures! Both of which will appeal to the reluctance, but also makes a great story.

To learn more, or the purchase, click on the book cover above to link to Amazon.

In honor of the upcoming Father’s Day on Sunday, I’d like to highlight a new poetry book by Hope Anita Smith, Keeping the Night Watch (Henry Holt, 2008). It’s her second book for young people, a companion to her first work of poetry, The Way a Door Closes (Henry Holt, 2003). In the first book, an urban African American family copes with the departure of the father when hard times have hit. It’s a compelling work for ‘tweens and teens with sensitive illustrations by E. B. Lewis. In this companion volume (which can stand on its own, by the way), the father has returned. You might think it would be a happy, easier time, but this transition brings it’s own difficulties and challenges as the father tries to re-integrate into the family. In particular, the voice of the poetry is that of the oldest son in the family of 3 kids, and he’s bitter and angry. He has stepped up and served as the “man of the house,” blossoming in responsibility, and “keeping the night watch” as the title suggests. He struggles with giving up this role and with forgiving his father’s failure. Here’s one example poem that captures these feelings:

Showdown at the O.K. Corral
by Hope Anita Smith

When Daddy left,
our house was empty,
too big for the rest of us.
We couldn’t fill up all the space.
Now that he’s back,
I can’t find a place to fit.
There isn’t enough room for me.
Daddy looks the same,
but something’s different.
He takes up too much space.
He’s in my space.
His eyes are constantly
waving the white flag of surrender,
but I am like a gunfighter in the Old West.
I walk around with my words drawn,
ready to fire.
Because this house isn’t big enough
for the two of us.

From: Smith, Hope Anita. 2008. Keeping the Night Watch. New York: Henry Holt, p. 13.

Smith is the recipient of the 2008 Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Award and her first book garnered several recognitions, including:

• NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, 2008
• Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, 2008
• Bank Street Claudia Lewis Award, 2008
• Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library, 2008
• Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, 2008

After a series of controversial library closures (see this history at SLA website), a new bill has been approved in Washington that will allocate $1 million to restore EPA’s network of libraries.

The amended bill includes $1,000,000 above the request to restore the network of EPA libraries recently closed or consolidated by the Administration. (…) The Agency is directed to submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations regarding actions it will take to restore publicly available libraries to provide environmental information and data to each EPA region within 90 days of enactment of this Act. (more info)

This is great news for the EPA, but north of the border, Environment Canada is still struggling to get appropriate funding, both for its libraries and its research activities. I wrote an article about it last year, and an article and video by the CBC was posted last Fall. It would be great if CASLIS or the SLA (its Canadian Chapters), could drum up an advocacy campaign, the likes of which happened in the US over the EPA library closures.

- DD