From: Julius Lester <jbles>
Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 14:08:19 -0500

Yes, it is true that the decision on the winner is made at a lunch of the judges on the day of the awards. By that time, however, the experience of my panel was that there was a consensus among us about the winner.

The process involved e-mails and conference calls and was quite lengthy and extensive. I never felt a need to meet face-to?ce. Because of the number of e-mails and conference calls it was easy for a consensus to develop and everyone on the panel was pleased by the choice we made, even if it hadn't been their personal first choice.

In judging for a contest, the cover art work does not make any difference since I recall seeing a number of books in uncorrected bound galleys. What I found interesting about the process is that the very first book I read remained in my mind some 20000 books later and, in fact, ended up as one of the nominees. So, an exceptional book, i.e. one that resonates in the feelings long after one has finished it, will not get lost in the pile. What was also interesting were the books that one liked and remembered but were technically flawed.

The one thing that truly makes the NBA unique that I don't think has been touched on is that it is the only award that involves writers as well as critics and professionals in the field. And I think this is why the NBA award for Young People's Literature is often surprising and very different than the Newbery.

And the logical question is what are the differences in how writers read and how librarians read, and I'm not sure that I know. But I do know that there is a difference which is why people are often baffled by the books chosen for the NBA.

Julius Lester
Received on Tue 09 Jan 2001 01:08:19 PM CST