This was an exciting week for all of us kid lit enthusiasts: The 2012 Newbery winner and honor books were announced on Monday. Big congrats to the champ, Dead End in Norvelt (Jack Gantos) and runners-up Inside Out & Back Again (Thanhha Lai) and Breaking Stalin's Nose (Eugene Yelchin). I look forward to adding these newly famed tomes to my Newbery Ketchup! goal -- only four more months. And this can be difficult. Especially when I am distracted by many other great reads that catch my eye in passing or by other recommendations or award categories. Which brings me to the Georgia Peach Awards.
As an educator, this is one of my favorite go-to reading lists, as the winners/honors are actually chosen by young adults (grades 9-12) in Georgia. A committee of school media specialists and librarians nominate 20 books, but then high school students actually cast their votes for those that get top marks. Although the Newbery and Caldecott Awards may be arguably the most prestigious, the voting system makes one stop and think a bit. Per the ALA website, the committee that chooses the books for these awards is composed of 15 people, all members of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC). Each year, ALSC members elect 8 members to the committee and then the ALSC president chooses the other 7. And then they read, read, read and narrow down the discussions (all top secret), and THEN these 15 lucky people decide which books are the greatest of the year. Did I mention 15 people? Is my tongue in cheek? Maybe a little. Would I love to be on this elite committee? Well, of course! Nevertheless, one may argue that the winners of the Newbery and Caldecott awards are very skewed, with the electoral college consisting of a very tiny, although likely very "qualified" group of folks. So, when you look at a system like the Georgia Peach Book Awards, which not only considers, but depends on the opinion of the intended audience, doesn't it seem to hold more validity?
See the Georgia Peach Award website for details on the upcoming nominees and how to get your high school students involved!
