ALA announces award winning books

The John Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The winner for 2010 is "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead and published by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books. The novel is about twelve-year-old Miranda who encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot.

The The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is also awarded annually by the ALSC division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. This year's winner is "The Lion & the Mouse," illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney, published by Little, Brown and Company Books for Young Readers. The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop's classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney's textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two unlikely friends.

For a complete list of awards from the American Library Association, visit their Web site.