Awards: Newbery, Printz and Nutmeg

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

2007 Newbery Medal Winner
Susan Patron, The Higher Power of Lucky
2007 Newbery Honor Books
Jennifer L. Holm, Penny From Heaven
Kirby Larson, Hattie Big Sky
Cynthia Lord, Rules
2006 Newbery Medal Winner
Lynne Rae Perkins, Criss Cross
2006 Newbery Honor Books
Alan Armstrong, Whittington
Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Hilter Youth: Growing Up in Hilter’s Shadow
Shannon Hale, Princess Academy
Jacqueline Woodson, Show Way

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.

2007 Michael L. Printz Winner
Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese
2007 Printz Honor Books
M. T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing
John Green, An Abundance of Katherines
Sonya Hartnett, Surrender
Markus Zusak, The Book Thief
2006 Michael L. Printz Winner
John Green, Looking for Alaska
2006 Printz Honor Books
Margo Lanagan, Black Juice
Markus Zusak, I Am the Messenger
Elizabeth Partridge, John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, a Photographic Biography
Marilyn Nelson, A Wreath for Emmett Till

The Nutmeg Book Award encourages children in grades 4-8 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of ten nominated titles. Jointly sponsored by the Connecticut Library Association (CLA) and the Connecticut Educational Media Association (CEMA), the Nutmeg Committee is comprised of children's librarians and school library media specialists who are members of our sponsoring organizations.

All books nominated for the award must be:

1. A work of fiction, with appeal for readers in grades 4-6; 7-8 respectively.
2. Copyrighted in the United States, and first published no more than five years from date of selection;
3. Currently in print, and available in paper back as well as hard cover (for the 2008 nominees; thereafter, required to be in print only in paperback);
4. Well-written, with strong characterization, a vivid setting, striking language, a well-constructed plot, and a plausible conclusion.

2008 Nutmeg Award Nominees
Christopher Paul Curtis, Bucking the Sarge
Peter Abrahams, Down the Rabbit Hole
Brenda Woods, Emako Blue
Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler, In Darkness, Death
Rick Riordan, The Lightning Thief
Jacquelin Woodson, Locomotion
Joseph Delaney, Revenge of the Witch
Richard Peck, The River Between Us
Nancy Farmer, The Sea of Trolls
Victoria McKernan, Shackleton’s Stowaway