YALSA announces 2014 Alex Awards

PHILADELPHIA — 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 2014 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and Booklist, were announced today at the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Philadelphia, Jan. 24 – 28.

The 2014 Alex Award winners are:

• “Brewster” by Mark Slouka, published by W.W. Norton & Company (ISBN # 9780393239751)

• “The Death of Bees” by Lisa O’Donnell, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (ISBN # 9780062209849)

• “Golden boy: a novel” by Abigail Tarttelin, published by ATRIA  Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. (ISBN # 9781476705804)

• “Help for the Haunted” by John Searles, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (ISBN #9780060779634)

• “Lexicon: a novel” by Max Barry, published by The Penguin Group, Penguin Group (USA) Inc. (ISBN # 9781594205385)

• “Lives of Tao” by Wesley Chu, published by Angry Robot, a member of the Osprey Group (ISBN # 9780857663290)

• “Mother, mother: a novel” by Koren Zailckas, published by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. (ISBN # 9780385347235)

• “Relish” by Lucy Knisley, published by First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership (ISBN # 9781596436237)

•  “The Sea of Tranquility: a novel” by Katja Millay, published by ATRIA Paperback, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. (ISBN # 9781476730943)

• “The Universe Versus Alex Woods” by Gavin Extence, published by Redhook Books, an imprint of Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (ISBN # 978031624657)

“The 2014 Alex Awards has a book for every teen reader. From dysfunctional families to alien-inhabited brains to a savory graphic memoir, this diverse list will not disappoint,” said Danielle Dreger-Babbitt, chair of the 2014 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 2014 Alex Awards Committee are: Chair Danielle Dreger-Babbitt, Sno-Isle Library Mill Creek (Wash.) Library;  Joni Richards Bodart, San Jose (Calif.) State University SLIS; Paige Battle, Grant High School, Portland, Ore.; Angela Craig, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, Charlotte, N.C.; Summer Hayes, King County Library System, Tukwila, Wash.; Kim Herrington, Pearland (Texas) Junior High West; Janet Hilbun, University of North Texas SLIS, Garland, Texas; Adela Peskorz, Metropolitan State University, St. Paul, Minn.; Melissa T. Smith, Literacy for Incarcerated Teens, Forest Hills, N.Y.; Award Administrative Assistant Kathleen Fernandes, Lake Forest Park, Wash.; and Ann Kelley, Booklist Consultant, 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.

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