American Library Association honors the best in children’s lit

The Newbery Medal, the most prestigious writing award in American children’s literature, went to Englishman Neil Gaiman.

Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Versatile author Neil Gaiman has won the most prestigious writing award in American children’s literature for “The Graveyard Book,” the story of an orphan raised by ghosts.

The English novelist, graphic novelist and screenwriter now lives in Minnesota, apparently making him eligible — unlike, say, J.K. Rowling — for the American Library Association-sponsored Newbery Medal.

The ALA’s Caldecott Medal for children’s book illustration went to Beth Krommes for “The House in the Night.” The Printz Award for young adult literature (which carries no American residency requirement) went to Australian Melina Marchetta for her boarding school novel “Jellicoe Road.”

At the National Book Festival last fall, Gaiman called his award-winner “the book that took me the longest to write.” It began with a notion that came to him more than two decades ago. Wouldn’t it be fun, he thought, to write something like Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Books,” except instead of having his protagonist raised by animals, he’d be raised by a graveyard full of ghosts?

“I wrote about a page and a half and I looked at it, and I thought: This is a better idea than I am a writer,” Gaiman said. Eventually he decided “I’m not getting any better” and finished “The Graveyard Book.”

The 2009 Youth Media Awards were announced in Denver at the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting.

Kadir Nelson, who both wrote and illustrated “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” won the Coretta Scott King Award for his writing. The King illustration award went to “The Blacker the Berry,” illustrated by Floyd Cooper.

Among the other award recipients were:

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; and “After Tupac and D Foster,” by Jacqueline Woodson.

Caldecott Honor Books

“A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever,” illustrated and written by Marla Frazee; “How I Learned Geography,” illustrated and written by Uri Shulevitz; and “A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams,” illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant.

Printz Honor Books

“The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom of the Waves,” by M.T. Anderson; “The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks,” by E. Lockhart; “Nation,” by Terry Pratchett; and “Tender Morsels,” by Margo Lanagan.

The Pura Belpre award

This award honors Latino writers and illustrators. The winners were “The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom,” written by Margarita Engle and “Just in Case,” illustrated by Yuyi Morales.

King Author Honor Books

“The Blacker the Berry,” written by Joyce Carol Thomas; “Keeping the Night Watch,” by Hope Anita Smith; and “Becoming Billie Holiday,” by Carole Boston Weatherford.

King Illustrator Honor Books

“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball,” illustrated and written by Kadir Nelson; “Before John Was a Jazz Giant,” illustrated by Sean Qualls; and “The Moon Over Star,” illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.The Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults went to Laurie Halse Anderson for “Catalyst,” “Fever 1793” and “Speak.”