Top Shelf

The American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, videos and audiobooks for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting in Denver yesterday.

Newbery Medal – The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Newbery Honor Books:

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

Savvy by Ingrid Law

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Medal – Beth Krommes, illustrator of The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

Caldecott Honor Books:

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever written and illustrated by Marla Frazee

How I Learned Geography written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams illustrated by Melissa Sweet, written by Jen Bryant

Printz Award – Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Printz Honor Books:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves by M.T. Anderson

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Coretta Scott King Author Award – We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award – The Blacker the Berry illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Joyce Carol Thomas

Read the rest of the list here.

Looks like The Tale of Despereaux, Kate Dicamillo’s sweet Newbery Award winner, has been turned into another slapsticky cartoon. This is not the Despereaux I remember. See what you think – watch the trailer here. Or better yet – do yourself a favor and read the book instead.