2009 Literary Award Winners

Here is the link so that you can get all of the details. You can see what each award celebrates, see a list of all of the nominees, and learn about how the books are judged.

2009 Alex Awards

• City of Thieves by David Benioff
• The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
• Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris
• The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
• Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
• Over and Under by Todd Tucker
• The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom
• Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
• Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck

2009 Margaret A. Edwards Award

• Laurie Halse Anderson

William C. Morris YA Debut Award

• A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

2009 Odessey Award

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, read by the author
• Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady by L.A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren (Honor Book)
• Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, read by Marrion Willis (Honor Book)
• I'm Dirty! by Kate and Jim McMullan, read by Steve Buscemi (Honor Book)
• Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale by Carmen Agra Deedy, read by the author (Honor Book)
• Nation by Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs (Honor Book)

Michael L. Printz Award

• Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
• The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, Kingdom of the Waves by M.T. Anderson (Honor Book)
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockheart (Honor Book)
• Nation by Terry Pratchett (Honor Book)
• Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan (Honor Book)

2009 Newbery Medal

• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• The Underneath by Kathy Appelt
• The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
• Savvy by Ingrid Law
• After Tupac & D. Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

So many of these books are on my "Must Read" list so I am really excited to see them honored. Nation and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian are two of the best books that I read in December/January. I recently discovered Neil Gaiman and I love him! His books are so good, I can't believe that it has taken me so long to read something he wrote. I have never read anything by Laurie Halse Anderson, but I have been meaning to for quite some time (actually I checked out Chains on Friday but I haven't started it yet) so now I have to put her on the top of my list! Hopefully you guys have read some of these great books, and if not maybe you will be inspired like me to read them now!

Banned Books: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

UPDATE: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian won the 2009 Odyssy Award for best audiobook produced for youth available in English in the United States!!! Congratulations to Sherman Alexie for another well deserved award!

Disclaimer: This post is about a book that was recently banned in Oregon State. I will be making quotes from the article, and some people may find the language offensive. However, the language is only used to illustrate a point.

Last February I purchased the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie for our collection. It was a National Book Award winner, it was on several "Best Books for Teen Boys to Read" lists, and it received incredible praise. It has been a decently successful book here. We don't have many teen males who check out books, but it has been circulated. It has been on my to-read list since it came in, but it wasn't on the top of my list. Then in December I read this article, and the book shot to the top of my list.

In Crook County Oregon a parent picked up the book and wasn't thrilled with what he read. He proceeded to "copy a few pages" and go to the school board. The school board read those pages and decided to ban the book because "The protagonist in Alexie’s book discusses masturbation." I get that. I really do understand why a parent would be upset by that. However, in 230 pages the word is used five times. That isn't a lot. Arnold talks about how he loves lines and squares in geometry more than he loves his alone time with pictures of curvy girls. This isn't a celebration of this behavior. No, instead it is a fourteen year old boy struggling with his decision to leave his family, his home, and his life behind because he wants a good education. Not even a good education, just a decent education, one where he isn't condemned to use the same school books that were used by his parents more than thirty years earlier. This is the book that the Crook County School Board chose to remove from their shelves? A book that celebrates a love a learning and the struggle that every person faces between making people happy and finding a life worth living? A book about a young boy who is trying to find a better life than the one he is destined for? I think that it is incredibly small minded. Don't get me wrong. I think that every parent has a right to stop their child from reading any book that they think is inappropriate. There are many wonderful books that I love, but that I wouldn't want a middle school child to read. However, I think that it is horrible for any group to decide that something is wrong for everyone. Seriously, there are so many "classics" that deal with sex, drugs, alcohol, and harsh language that are required reading. Why is it okay for Holden Caulfield to use the profanity that he does and not be banned. Why can The Outsiders be filled with gang violence and not be banned. Today's banned and challenged books are tomorrows classics. It would be wise to realize that now.

I read this book in about twelve hours. It was great. It was a moving story about a boy who doesn't fit in anywhere, who has to fight for a place, and still feels like an outsider. He is an outsider. He deals with loss on a regular basis, some huge ones and some very small ones. It is a story about growing up and dealing with all of the things that you have to deal with when you grow up. Growing up stinks. Being an adult isn't fun. Neither is being a teenager who lives on the fringes, who doesn't quite fit in anywhere. Sherman Alexie captures this concept and illustrates it in a beautiful way. Arnold is funny and bright and sad. While reading, my heart broke and I laughed out loud as he grew up within the story. It was a beautiful Young Adult book that I think is a worthwhile read for any older teen. No, it isn't something you should pick up for your fifth grader, but I'm sure your sophomore could relate in many ways.