2006 Alex Awards

YALSA has selected ten adult books that will appeal to teen readers to receive the 2006 Alex Awards. The awards, co-sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and Booklist, were announced at ALA’s 2006 Midwinter Meeting and will appear with the titles’ full annotations in the March 1 issue of Booklist magazine.

The 2006 Alex Awards are:

Bates, Judy Fong. Midnight at the Dragon Café. Counterpoint, $14 (1582431892)

Buckhanon, Kalisha. Upstate. St Martins, $19.95 (0312332688)

Gaiman, Neil. Anansi Boys. William Morrow & Company, $26.95 (006051518x)

Galloway, Gregory. As Simple As Snow. Putnam, $23.95 (0399152318)

Ishiguro, Kazuo. Never Let Me Go. Alfred A. Knopf, $24 (1400043395)

Martinez, A. Lee. Gil’s All Fright Diner. Tor, $12.95 (076531711)

Palwick, Susan. The Necessary Beggar. Tor, $ 24.95 (076531097x)

Rawles, Nancy. My Jim. Crown, $19.95 (1400054001)

Scheeres, Julia. Jesus Land: A Memoir. Counterpoint, $23 (152433380)

Walls, Jeannette. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. Scribner, $25 (0743247531)

"The list created by the 2006 Alex Awards Committee has diverse titles that will entertain, enlighten and enthrall many teens," said Ann C. Theis, Chair of the 2006 Alex Awards committee. "These books explore other worlds, past, present, and fantastical and engage our interest by exploring the human condition in a myriad of facets – friendship, family issues".

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, 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.

In addition to selecting titles for the Alex Awards, the Alex Committee presents a program at the ALA Annual Conference. This year’s program, Saturday, June 25th from 4 to 5:30pm, will highlight how to booktalk the Alex winners to young adults.

The 2006 Alex Awards Committee: Chair, Ann C. Theis, Chesterfield County Public Library, VA; Teresa A. Beck, Sno-Isle Libraries, WA; Priscille M. Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, VA; Jennifer Jung Gallant, Elyria Public Library, OH; Holly B. Koelling, Bothell Regional Library, WA; Ellen Loughran, Brooklyn, NY; Charlynn M. Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI; Judy Sasges, Sno-Isle Libraries, WA; John Sexton, Ashland Branch Library, WA; and Gillian Engberg, Booklist Consultant, IL. Administrative Assistant: John Sexton, Ashland Branch Library, WA.