At flagpole on Monday morning, Mrs. Jones posed a tricky question to the 3rd-8th grade students: "Do you know what very exciting thing is happening today?"
After a few guesses that involved groundhogs and weather, the students all discovered that something else very cool was happening that day: the announcement of the annual American Library Association Youth Media Awards (YMAs).
The YMAs recognize the top children's and young adult books of the previous year in eighteen different categories. Two of these awards are the Newbery Medal and the Caldecott Medal, which are given to the most distinguished contribution to children's literature of the previous year and the most distinguished picture book of the previous year, respectively.
On Monday, the 2015 John Newbery Medal was awarded to a middle grade novel in verse called "The Crossover," written by Alexander Kwame. Two Newbery Honor books were also named. The first, "El Deafo" by Cece Bell, is a graphic novel memoir of Ms. Bell's experiences growing up as a deaf child. The second honor book (another memoir) is "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jaqueline Woodson, which also won a National Book Award this past November.
This year's Randolph Caldecott Medal was given to "The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend" by Dan Santat. In addition, the committee recognized six Caldecott Honor books—a number that is almost unheard of! It seems that 2014 was a great year for illustrations.
Now, the Newbery and Caldecott medals are very established awards that have been around since 1922 and 1938. This fact is very important, because it shows that libraries have been placing a high value on the needs and interests of children for more than 90 years!
In more recent decades, the American Library Association (ALA) has continued to branch out and sponsor awards that honor distinguished books for specific subsets of children. One such award, for example, is the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature for young adults ages 12-18. The first Printz Award was given in 2000, and now, 15 years later, it is widely considered to be the top honor for an American young adult author to receive. (This year's Printz was awarded to Jandy Nelson for her novel "I'll Give You the Sun.")
The ALA is also committed to diversity, and has special awards for distinguished books that portray a variety of cultural experiences. One award (The Coretta Scott King Award) is given to distinguished books by African American authors and Illustrators. The Pura Belpré Awards are given to Latino authors and illustrators "whose books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience." Notably, there is even an award (The Schneider Family Book Award) for works of children's and young adult literature that best embody an "artistic expression of the disability experience."
Librarians and other experts agree that there is a vital need for children and young adults to have access to books that serve as both windows and mirrors. "Window" books serve as windows into different time periods, cultures, and experiences. These books increase empathy, build connections, and teach children about new topics. "Mirror" books are those that reflect children's own culture and experiences. In many ways, "mirrors" are even more important than "windows." The "mirrors" show children that they are not alone, that their story is important enough to be told, and that literature is for them...not just for white children, or for rich children, or for any certain type of children.
As I watched the live webcast of the YMAs on Monday, it was very exciting for me to see the wide array of books that were recognized, to cheer a little for the wonderful books that I had already read, and to scribble furious notes about the ones that I now wanted to read. (That night I took home "The Crossover," the Newbery winner, and I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting. Spoiler alert: it's fantastic!)
Darlington's libraries are always dedicated to providing great literature to students from ELA-12th grade, and we are proud to say that many of this year's award winners are part of our library collections. Stop on by the Joanne G. Yancey Library in Thatcher Hall or the McCallie-Kennedy Library at the Upper School any time to browse these titles, or the many thousands of other fantastic books that are always available to our students.
Click here for a complete list of Monday's Youth Media Award winners.
