Ten adult books that will appeal to teen readers have been selected to receive the 2004 Alex Awards. Titles were chosen by the Alex Award Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). The Alex Awards are being announced by YALSA and Booklist as part of National Library Week, April 18-24, 2004.
The 2004 Alex Awards are:
· Davis, Amanda. Wonder When You’ll Miss Me. William Morrow/HarperCollins, $24.95 (0-688-16781-0).
· Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Doubleday, $22.95 (0-385-50945-6).
· Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Riverhead, $24.95 (1-57322-245-3).
· Niffenegger, Audrey. The Time Traveler’s Wife. MacAdam Cage, $25.00 (1-931561-46-X)
· Packer, Z.Z. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere. Riverhead, $24.95 (1-57322-234-8).
· Roach, Mary. Stiff. Norton, $23.95 (0-393-05093-9).
· Salzman, Mark. True Notebooks. Knopf, $24.00 (0-375-41308-1).
· Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. Pantheon, $17.95 (0-375-42230-7)
· Winspear, Jacqueline. Maisie Dobbs. Soho, $24.00 (1-56947-330-7).
· Yates, Bart. Leave Myself Behind. Kensington, $23.00 (0-7582-1348-9).
“The ten titles, chosen by the 2004 Alex Awards Committee, are outstanding adult fiction and non-fiction titles that will intrigue and challenge the diverse audience of teen readers,” said Judy Sasges, chair of the Alex committee. “From different perspectives and cultures, the universal questions surrounding the purpose of life, the pursuit of love, finding one’s place in the world and accepting death are addressed within the pages of these titles.”
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. The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, fondly called “Alex” by her closest friends, who was a young adult specialist at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. She used adult books extensively with young adults to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.
An annotated list of the Alex Award winners is available on the YALSA “for members only” website, in the April 1 issue of Booklist, and in the 2004 edition of ALA’s Guide to Best Reading. The list without annotations is available on the YALSA website: www.ala.org/yalsa.
The 2004 Alex Award Committee: Chair, Judy Sasges, Sno-Isle (Wash.) Libraries; Peter Butts, East Middle School, Holland, MI; Angela Carstensen, Staten Island (N.Y.)Academy; Michael Cart, San Diego, CA; Mary Hastler, Harford County (MD) Public Library; Kimberley Hrivnak, Sto-Rox Library, PA; Angela Leeper, Wake Forest, NC; Karlan Sick, New York Public Library; Ann Theis, Chesterfield County (VA) Public Library; Terry Beck, Administrative Assistant, Sno-Isle (Wash.) Libraries.