I posted last week about a new award from The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) for young adult fiction. Here's the description of the award:
"Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author, Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.
The 2009 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee was comprised of ten members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities who considered 232 young adult titles over the duration of the process".
I must admit that, although I didn't mention this last week, the part of the criteria about "demonstrating a positive approach to life" did raise a bit of a flag for me. I'm not a fan of overt messages in books, regardless of what the message is. (Roger Sutton also commented on this aspect at ReadRoger, and said that YALSA had actually declined the award because of this requirement). But I wanted to withhold judgement until I saw what books the committee came up with. Plus I love the fact that the second and third criteria are the same ones we use for the Cybils.
Anyway, the finalists were announced today, and I have to say that it looks like a good list:
- After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson (Putnam)
- Graceling, by Kristin Cashore (Harcourt) (my review)
- The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins)
- Me, The Missing, and the Dead, by Jenny Valentine (HarperCollins)
- My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park, by Steve Kluger (Dial) (my review)
Graceling and My Most Excellent Year were two of my favorite 2008 titles, so I'm thrilled to see them on the list. I'm not as big a Graveyard Book fan as some, but I did enjoy it. I haven't read the other two, but have heard good things. So, excellent list, all in all!
For more information on the award, contact Wendy Glenn, 2009 AEW Committee Chair, at wendy.glenn@uconn.edu.
I've read 4 out 5. It feels good not having to play catch up. Its also nice that 3 out the 5 aren't that well known.
I don't mind "demonstrating a positive approach to life" , as long as the other doesn't beat the reader over the head with it.
My top two, picks
After Tupac & D Foster and Graceling
Posted by: Doret | July 18, 2009 at 10:24 PM
I haven't read After Tupan & D Foster yet, Doret. So many books... Glad you like the list, too.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | July 19, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Hi Jennifer,
I want to thank you for helping us spread the word about the brand new Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. We are very proud of our 5 wonderful finalists!
Because you expressed some reservations about the positive approach to life criterion, I wanted to share our definition of "positive approach to life" with you. Hopefully it will help put some of your fears to rest.
"Submitted titles should:
•treat teen readers as capable and thoughtful young people
•offer hope and optimism, even when describing difficult circumstances
•have a credible and appropriate resolution
•portray characters involved in shaping their lives in a positive way, even as they struggle with the harsh realities of life"
If you or your readers would like to learn more about the award (including definitions of the other 2 criteria), please visit the ALAN website:
http://www.alan-ya.org/amelia-elizabeth-walden-award/
Happy Reading,
Daria
Posted by: Daria Plumb | July 21, 2009 at 09:16 PM
Thanks for this, Daria! I did think that the committee came up with a great list, and I found that the thing that reassured me. In general, I'm leery of books that are written with the express purpose of getting any particular "message" across, even when it's a message that I agree with. I don't think that message should get in the way of story - I think this risks turning kids off from reading altogether. Applying your criteria to books already published does seem to be a different thing, though. Thanks for clarifying!
Posted by: Jen Robinson | July 22, 2009 at 10:03 AM
I am rooting for Graceling to win. I have read all of the books on the list and it was my favorite.
Posted by: donalynm | July 25, 2009 at 04:43 PM
I've only read 3 of the books, but I do agree that Graceling is wonderful. I liked My Most Excellent Year a lot, too, though. I'm happy to see that one getting some recognition, especially since it's a bit of a quieter book.
Posted by: Jen Robinson | July 25, 2009 at 05:37 PM