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Michael L. Printz Award
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From: MrMCart at aol.com <MrMCart>
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 12:54:15 EST
Dear KT:
You're quite right; there was a great deal of discussion on this point
(excluding adult titles from eligibility). Ultimately, the task force decided that this was to be an award for the best young adult book of the year, not the best book for young adults. The Best Books for Young Adults Committee already provides a mechanism for recognizing distinguished adult books for YAs - as, for that matter, do YALSA's ALEX Awards, which are presented annually to the ten best adult books for young adults. Moreover, it was our hope that, by limiting the eligibility to books published expressly for young readers, the prize would encourage the publication of ever more YA titles and more titles that have previously been described as "edgy" or "risk-taking" -- that this would give writers an opportunity, as Chris Lynch once put it, to
"take the gloves off," creatively.
As I believe I indicated in my previous post, the task force further believes this award will serve notice on the world of readers (and this includes booksellers, editors, publishers, librarians, teachers, academics, and interested others) that young adult literature (books written and published for teen readers) has come of age. By stressing that this is an award solely for literary merit, it was also our hope that this would encourage authors
(and their publishers) to bring even greater complexity to considerations of theme, style, structure, and characterization, to include - rather than eschew - ambiguity, and more widely to embrace other literary considerations that previously had found only limited exposure in young adult books.
I suppose the guidelines for the award are an implicit statement that a separate literature for young adults is essential; that young adulthood is a separate part of life's evolution from childhood to adulthood and that young adults have distinct developmental, intellectual, social and life needs that want addressing in a distinct body of literature written and published for them.
Perhaps Marc and Frances (and any other member of the task force who is a subscriber) may wish to comment on this issue, as well.
Michael Cart Past Pres., YALSA
Received on Thu 24 Feb 2000 11:54:15 AM CST
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 12:54:15 EST
Dear KT:
You're quite right; there was a great deal of discussion on this point
(excluding adult titles from eligibility). Ultimately, the task force decided that this was to be an award for the best young adult book of the year, not the best book for young adults. The Best Books for Young Adults Committee already provides a mechanism for recognizing distinguished adult books for YAs - as, for that matter, do YALSA's ALEX Awards, which are presented annually to the ten best adult books for young adults. Moreover, it was our hope that, by limiting the eligibility to books published expressly for young readers, the prize would encourage the publication of ever more YA titles and more titles that have previously been described as "edgy" or "risk-taking" -- that this would give writers an opportunity, as Chris Lynch once put it, to
"take the gloves off," creatively.
As I believe I indicated in my previous post, the task force further believes this award will serve notice on the world of readers (and this includes booksellers, editors, publishers, librarians, teachers, academics, and interested others) that young adult literature (books written and published for teen readers) has come of age. By stressing that this is an award solely for literary merit, it was also our hope that this would encourage authors
(and their publishers) to bring even greater complexity to considerations of theme, style, structure, and characterization, to include - rather than eschew - ambiguity, and more widely to embrace other literary considerations that previously had found only limited exposure in young adult books.
I suppose the guidelines for the award are an implicit statement that a separate literature for young adults is essential; that young adulthood is a separate part of life's evolution from childhood to adulthood and that young adults have distinct developmental, intellectual, social and life needs that want addressing in a distinct body of literature written and published for them.
Perhaps Marc and Frances (and any other member of the task force who is a subscriber) may wish to comment on this issue, as well.
Michael Cart Past Pres., YALSA
Received on Thu 24 Feb 2000 11:54:15 AM CST
