YALSA announces 2013 Alex Awards

For Immediate Release
Mon, 01/28/2013

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SEATTLE — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has selected 10 adult books with special appeal to teen readers to receive the 2013 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and Booklist, were announced today at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Jan. 25 – 29.

The 2013 Alex Award winners are:

  • “Caring is Creepy,”by David Zimmerman, published by Soho Press, Inc. (ISBN # 9781569479773)
     
  • “Girlchild,”by Tupelo Hassman, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN # 9780374162573)
     
  • “Juvenile in Justice,”by Richard Ross, published by Richard Ross (ISBN # 9780985510602)
     
  • “Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore,”by Robin Sloan, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN # 9780374214913)
     
  • “My Friend Dahmer,”by Derf Backderf, published by Abrams ComicArts, an imprint of Abrams (ISBN # 9781419702167)
     
  • “One Shot at Forever,”by Chris Ballard, published by Hyperion (ISBN # 9781401324384)
     
  • “Pure,”by Juliana Baggott, published by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (ISBN # 9781455503063)
     
  • “The Round House,”by Louise Erdrich, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (ISBN # 9780062065247)
     
  • “Tell the Wolves I'm Home,” by Carol Rifka Brunt,published by Dial Press, an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. (ISBN # 9780679644194)
     
  • “Where'd You Go, Bernadette?,”by Maria Semple, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.  (ISBN # 9780316204279)

“From madcap adventures to portraits of compelling characters and beautifully illustrated nonfiction titles, this year's list has a book for every teen reader,” said Rachel McDonald, chair of the 2013 Alex Awards Committee. “

The Alex Awards were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens. A full list of official nominations will be available online at www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex.

The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, fondly called “Alex” by her closest friends, a pioneer in providing library services to young adults. At Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Edwards used adult books extensively with teens to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.

 

Members of the 2013 Alex Awards Committee are: Chair Rachel McDonald, King County Library System Foster  Library,  Tukwila , Wash.; Danielle Dreger-Babbitt, Sno-Isle Regional Library Mill Creek (Wash.) Library; Paige Battle, Grant High School, Portland, Ore.; Kim Herrington, Pearland (Texas) Junior High West; Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas, SLIS,  Denton, Texas; Kelly Jensen, Beloit Public Library, Delavan, Wis.; Jennifer Lawson, San Diego County Library; Ann Perrigo, Allegan (Mich.) District Library; Tina Pounds, Edison High School, Alexandria, Va.; Melissa Smith, Librarian Consultant, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, Forest Hills, N.Y.; and Ann Kelley, Booklist, Chicago.

YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities.  For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/bookawards.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens.  For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa, or contact the YALSA office by phone, 800-545-2433, ext. 4390; or email: yalsa@ala.org.

 

For information on the Alex Awards and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.