Librarians Respond to Newbery, Other Literary Awards

Print |

Reprint/License |

Subscription |

RSS |

By Rocco Staino -- School Library Journal, 01/28/2009

For the last 87 years, the Newbery Medal has always created a stir among librarians, adults, and children. And it wasn’t any different at this year’s American Library Association (ALA) midwinter meeting in Denver. SLJ caught up with several librarians to get their reaction to the latest Newbery winner and the recipients of other youth literary awards.

Sasha Martin

Sasha Martin, youth services librarian, Chesapeake Public Library, VA
“I think they nailed the Newbery (The Graveyard Book, HarperCollins). It’s a book that teens will like and will read.”

Cassandra Barnett, Fayetteville High School, AR
“This year there was a new William Morris Award honoring a first-time author. I am glad it went to Elizabeth C. Bunce for A Curse Dark as Gold (Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Bks.). It is a fairy-tale companion novel based on the story of Rapunzel. The character development was terrific. It is sort of a gothic novel with an element of magic.”

Rachel Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, MD
“I was disappointed not to see Hunger Games (Scholastic) not recognized in any of the categories.”

Toni Bernardi

Toni Bernardi, San Francisco Public Library, CA
“I was thrilled with The Graveyard Book. It was a wonderful choice. I read it in one sitting, and my sister who was visiting did the same, and then my grown son.”

Todd Krueger, Baltimore County Public Library, MD
“It seems like all the female librarians are excited about Neil Gaman winning the Newbery Award. I hear that they were already purchasing tickets for the banquet in July!”