Alex Awards 2013

“Caring is Creepy,” By David Zimmerman, Published by Soho Press   “Girlchild,” By Tupelo Hassman, Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux    “Juvenile in Justice,” By Richard Ross, Published by  Richard Ross   “Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore,” By Robin Sloan, Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux   “My Friend Dahmer,” By Derf Backderf, Published by Abrams ComicArts

“One Shot at Forever,” By Chris Ballard, Published by Hyperion   “Pure,” By, Julianna Baggott, Published by Grand Central Publishing   “The Round House,” By Louise Erdrich, Published by Harper   “Tell the Wolves I'm Home,” By Carol Rifka Brunt, Published by Dial Press   “Where'd You Go, Bernadette?,” By Maria Semple, Published by Little, Brown and Company

  • Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman, published by Soho Press, Inc. (ISBN # 9781569479773)

    While trying to survive a long boring summer in rural Georgia, Lynn befriends a lonely soldier online.  When they meet face to face, tables are turned as Lynn tries to exert power in her out-of-control life.  Dangerous, amusing, role-bending, and definitely creepy!
     
  • Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN # 9780374162573)

    With only a worn copy of the Girl Scout Handbook for reference, resourceful and tenacious Rory Hendrix must navigate the depressing landscape of a 1970s trailer park where she suffers abuse at the hands of a neighbor and neglect from her mother.
  • Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross, published by Richard Ross (ISBN # 9780985510602)

    Richard Ross' riveting photographs give voices to incarcerated youth in juvenile detention centers across America.
     
  • Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (ISBN # 9780374214913)

    Clay Johnson loses his web-designer job and begins working the night shift in a bookstore with only a few customers.  This marvelous mashup blends mystery, adventure, and romance into a literary and technological tale.

  • My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf, published by Abrams ComicArts, an imprint of Abrams (ISBN # 9781419702167)

    Written by a former classmate of Jeffery Dahmer, this graphic novel illustrates the teenage years of a future serial killer.
  • One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard, published by Hyperion (ISBN # 9781401324384)

    This remarkable story follows the Macon Ironmen, a team of misfits with a hippie coach, through a recordsetting baseball season.
     
  • Pure by Julianna Baggott, published by Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc. (ISBN # 9781455503063)

    In a world destroyed by nuclear detonations, only a privileged few have remained pure. Two teens from different sides of the Dome unite to search for answers to troubling questions about their origins.
     
  • The Round House by Louise Erdrich, published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (ISBN # 9780062065247)

    An attack on 13-year-old Joe's mother near their North Dakota Ojibwe reservation home leads him and his friends on a quest to solve the crime.  This coming-of-age story highlights friendship, family, tradition, and the uneasy relationship between the tribal and white communities.
     
  • 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)

    June thought she knew everything about her beloved uncle, Finn. After his death from a mysterious new illness called AIDS, his grieving boyfriend delivers Finn's favorite teapot to June's door, and she realizes nothing is what she thought it was: not her family, not her uncle, not even herself.
  • Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.  (ISBN # 9780316204279)

    Through a series of emails, letters, and FBI files, Bee follows the trail of her missing mother to the ends of the earth in this quirky, laugh-out-loud tale.

“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.

Read the full list of 2013 nominations.

2013 Committee

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.