Susan Cooper wins 2012 Edwards Award for The Dark Is Rising Sequence

DALLAS – Susan Cooper is the recipient of the 2012 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens for The Dark Is Rising Sequence: “Over Sea, Under Stone”; “The Dark Is Rising”; “Greenwitch”; “The Grey King”; and “Silver on the Tree.” The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the award today at the ALA Midwinter Meeting, held Jan. 20 – 24 in Dallas.

In one of the most influential epic high fantasies in literature, Cooper evokes Celtic and Arthurian mythology and masterly world-building in a high-stakes battle between good and evil, embodied in the coming of age journey of Will Stanton.

The Dark Is Rising Sequence chronicles the adventures of Will Stanton, the last of the immortal Old Ones, as he acquires the Things of Power for the Light in its climactic battle with the Dark. Originally published between 1966 and 1977byMargaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Cooper’s masterwork has served as an inspiration to generations of fantasy writers and readers.

“Susan Cooper’s fantasy invites readers to embark on Will’s journey and frees their imaginations to soar,” said Edwards Committee ChairSusan Fichtelberg.

Susan Cooper will be honored at the YALSA Edwards Award Luncheon and presented with a citation and cash prize of $2,000 during the 2012 ALA Annual Conference in Anaheim, Calif., June 21 – 26. The award is sponsored by School Library Journal.

The award is named in honor of the late Margaret A. Edwards, a pioneer in providing library services to young adults. Through her work at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Edwards demonstrated that only through literature would young adults move beyond themselves into a larger world.

Members of the 2012 Edwards Committee are:Chair Susan Fichtelberg, The Woodbridge (N.J.) Public Library; Amy Joanne Chow, The Brearley School, New York; Jonathan Hunt, Modesto City (Calif.) Schools; Walter M. Mayes, The Girls' Middle School, Palo Alto, Calif.; and Kate McNair, Johnson County Library, Shawnee Mission, Kan.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists.

For information on the Margaret A. Edwards Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.

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