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RE: Promising Debuts
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From: Gardow, Pamela <pgardow_at_ecasd.k12.wi.us>
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:11:55 -0600
I love looking at debut authors. There is a fun website/blog called 2010: A Book Odyssey by the "10'ers" debut authors. The teens in my library have enjoyed reading books by these new authors, an d have especially responded to Andrea Cremer, a Wisconsin author whose new book is Nightshade. They love the fact that she grew up in Ashland, Wiscon sin, and quite a few teens really enjoyed her fantasy novel.
Other 10'ers books popular with our teens are:
Mistwood, by Leah Cypress Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab The Iron King by Julie Kigawa The Duff by Kody Keplinger Tension of Opposites by Christina McBride Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien Dirty Little Secrets by Cynthia Omololu Paranormalcy by Kiersten White The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Pam
Pam Gardow, Library Media Specialist Advisor, Teen Literacy Initiative Memorial High School 2225 Keith St. Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-852-6309 pgardow_at_ecasd.k12.wi.us
________________________________
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 9:35 AM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Promising Debuts
Our topic for the second half of February is "Promising Debuts: First Books .":
The future of children's and young adult literature is dependent in part on a constant influx of new authors and illustrators to the field. Sometimes a debut is more than memorable, garnering critical accolades as well: The 2 011 Newbery award went to a first book for an author (Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press/Random House in 2010), and the 2011 Caldecott award went to a first book for an illustrator (A Sick Da y for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead, published by Roaring Brook P ress in 2010). The recently established William Morris Award, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, goes to a first young adul t novel each year. Of course, not every first book receives such distinguis hed honors, but many first books show promise even when they aren't masterp ieces. What are the challenges (and rewards) if you are a first-time autho r or illustrator? A publisher? A reviewer/critic? And what are some mem orable or promising recent "firsts" in childr en's and young adult publishin g? (Check out the 2011 debut authors blog !)
From my perspective, so often a first book comes out that I think shows imm ense promise but doesn't quite work as a whole. Because our primary evalua tion focus here at the CCBC is ultimately on creating a best-of-the-year li st (CCBC Choices), there are many promising new authors and illustrators wh o end up being someone about whom we note internally: "a writer (illustrat or) to watch." Yet not everyone can write a great book the first time out (or the second, or the fifth) but the first or second books need support if there is going to be a third or a fourth or a fifth that might be amazing.
So how do we as a profession support the work of promising authors and illu strators whose books don't quite rise to the top? It's one of the reasons I am glad there are so many "perspectives on excellence" (to use a phrase I learned working here at the CCBC under Ginny Moore Kruse) in children's a nd young adult literature--not only because the wide variety of award and b est-of-the-year lists offer a wide range of perspectives on the publishing year, and a wide range of resources for librarians and teachers to turn to for finding books for their libraries and classrooms, but because they also mean a greater number of books, including promise books by newcomers to th e field, get attention. What a horrible burden it would be for any body cr eating a best-of-the-year list or conferring an award if their's was the ON LY perspective on excellence in children's and young adult literature.
I would love to hear from reviewers how mindful (or not) they are of "first books" in their work.
Megan
Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:11:55 -0600
I love looking at debut authors. There is a fun website/blog called 2010: A Book Odyssey by the "10'ers" debut authors. The teens in my library have enjoyed reading books by these new authors, an d have especially responded to Andrea Cremer, a Wisconsin author whose new book is Nightshade. They love the fact that she grew up in Ashland, Wiscon sin, and quite a few teens really enjoyed her fantasy novel.
Other 10'ers books popular with our teens are:
Mistwood, by Leah Cypress Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab The Iron King by Julie Kigawa The Duff by Kody Keplinger Tension of Opposites by Christina McBride Birthmarked by Caragh O'Brien Dirty Little Secrets by Cynthia Omololu Paranormalcy by Kiersten White The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney
Pam
Pam Gardow, Library Media Specialist Advisor, Teen Literacy Initiative Memorial High School 2225 Keith St. Eau Claire, WI 54701 715-852-6309 pgardow_at_ecasd.k12.wi.us
________________________________
From: Megan Schliesman
Sent: Thursday, February 17, 2011 9:35 AM To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of Subject:
Promising Debuts
Our topic for the second half of February is "Promising Debuts: First Books .":
The future of children's and young adult literature is dependent in part on a constant influx of new authors and illustrators to the field. Sometimes a debut is more than memorable, garnering critical accolades as well: The 2 011 Newbery award went to a first book for an author (Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, published by Delacorte Press/Random House in 2010), and the 2011 Caldecott award went to a first book for an illustrator (A Sick Da y for Amos McGee illustrated by Erin E. Stead, published by Roaring Brook P ress in 2010). The recently established William Morris Award, administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association, goes to a first young adul t novel each year. Of course, not every first book receives such distinguis hed honors, but many first books show promise even when they aren't masterp ieces. What are the challenges (and rewards) if you are a first-time autho r or illustrator? A publisher? A reviewer/critic? And what are some mem orable or promising recent "firsts" in childr en's and young adult publishin g? (Check out the 2011 debut authors blog !)
From my perspective, so often a first book comes out that I think shows imm ense promise but doesn't quite work as a whole. Because our primary evalua tion focus here at the CCBC is ultimately on creating a best-of-the-year li st (CCBC Choices), there are many promising new authors and illustrators wh o end up being someone about whom we note internally: "a writer (illustrat or) to watch." Yet not everyone can write a great book the first time out (or the second, or the fifth) but the first or second books need support if there is going to be a third or a fourth or a fifth that might be amazing.
So how do we as a profession support the work of promising authors and illu strators whose books don't quite rise to the top? It's one of the reasons I am glad there are so many "perspectives on excellence" (to use a phrase I learned working here at the CCBC under Ginny Moore Kruse) in children's a nd young adult literature--not only because the wide variety of award and b est-of-the-year lists offer a wide range of perspectives on the publishing year, and a wide range of resources for librarians and teachers to turn to for finding books for their libraries and classrooms, but because they also mean a greater number of books, including promise books by newcomers to th e field, get attention. What a horrible burden it would be for any body cr eating a best-of-the-year list or conferring an award if their's was the ON LY perspective on excellence in children's and young adult literature.
I would love to hear from reviewers how mindful (or not) they are of "first books" in their work.
Megan
-- Megan Schliesman, Librarian Cooperative Children's Book Center School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison 600 N. Park Street, Room 4290 Madison, WI 53706 608/262-9503 schliesman_at_education.wisc.edu www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ ---Received on Thu 17 Feb 2011 11:11:55 AM CST
