The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators today announced the winners and honor recipients of the annual Golden Kite and Sid Fleischman Awards.
The Golden Kites are the first children’s literary award judged by a jury of peers. The awards recognize excellence in children’s literature in six categories: Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, Non-Fiction for Younger Readers, Non-Fiction for Older Readers, Picture Book Illustration, and Picture Book Text.
The esteemed judges for this year’s Golden Kite Awards were: Crystal Allen, Elana K. Arnold, Monica Brown, Jack Cheng, Carolyn Crimi, Karen Cushman, Susan Middleton Elya, Deborah Heiligman, Wendell Minor, LeUyen Pham, Anita Sanchez, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Ray Shepard, Francisco X. Stork, and Liara Tamani.
The Sid Fleischman Award is for exemplary writing for children in the genre of humor.
The Golden Kite and Sid Fleischman Awards will be presented at a gala during the New York Winter Conference on Friday, February 8 at 7pm at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. Guest speaker U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will deliver remarks at the event.
Executive Director Lin Oliver said of the award, “We are proud to celebrate these wonderful books and send congratulations to the authors, artists, and publishers who are contributing to today’s thriving body of children’s literature.”
Middle Grade Fiction:
Susan Hood – LIFEBOAT 12 (Simon & Schuster)
This compelling novel in verse, based on true events, tells the story of a boy’s harrowing experience on a lifeboat after surviving a torpedo attack during World War II.
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Non-Fiction for Younger Readers:
Barb Rosenstock – OTIS AND WILL DISCOVER THE DEEP (Little Brown)
The suspenseful, little-known true story of two determined pioneers who made the first dive into the deep ocean.
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Non-Fiction for Older Readers:
Elizabeth Partridge – BOOTS ON THE GROUND: AMERICA’S WAR IN VIETNAM (Viking)
A personal, moving foray into the Vietnam War and its impact that goes beyond the historical facts to show how the war irrefutably changed the people who were there.
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Picture Book Illustration:
Becca Stadtlander – MADE BY HAND: A CRAFTS SAMPLER (Candlewick)
A beautiful, one-of-a-kind volume invites readers to marvel at the time, effort, and care that went into creating handmade toys, tools, and treasures of the past.
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Picture Book Text:
Jessie Oliveros – THE REMEMBER BALLOONS (Simon & Schuster)
A tender, sensitive picture book that gently explains the memory loss associated with aging and diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
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Young Adult Fiction:
Jane Yolen – MAPPING THE BONES (Philomel)
Influenced by Dr. Mengele’s sadistic experimentations, this story follows twins as they travel from the Lodz ghetto, to the partisans in the forest, to a horrific concentration camp where they lose everything but each other.
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Sid Fleischman Award Winner:
Angela Dominguez– STELLA DIAZ HAS SOMETHING TO SAY (Roaring Brook Press)
A heartwarming story based on the author’s experiences growing up Mexican-American.
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GOLDEN KITE HONOR BOOKS
Young Reader and Middle Grade Fiction:
Dusti Bowling –24 HOURS IN NOWHERE(Sterling Children’s Books)
Susan Fletcher – JOURNEY OF THE PALE BEAR (Margaret K. McEldery Books)
Jewell Parker Rhodes – GHOST BOYS (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)
Young Adult Fiction:
Elizabeth Acevedo – THE POET X (Harper Teen)
Vesper Stamper – WHAT THE NIGHT SINGS (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Non-Fiction for Young Readers:
Sandra Neil Wallace – BETWEEN THE LINES: HOW ERNIE BARNES WENT FROM THE FOOTBALL FIELD TO THE ART GALLERY (Paula Wiseman Books)
Annette Bay Pimentel – GIRL RUNNING: BOBBI GIBB AND THE BOSTON MARATHON (Nancy Paulsen Books)
Melissa Stewart – PIPSQUEAKS, SLOWPOKES, AND STINKERS (Peachtree)
Non-Fiction for Older Readers:
Jarrett J. Krosoczka – HEY, KIDDO: HOW I LOST MY MOTHER, FOUND MY FATHER AND DEALT WITH FAMILY ADDICTION (Graphix/Scholastic)
Gail Jarrow – SPOOKED!: HOW A RADIO BROADCAST AND THE WAR OF THE WORLDS SPARKED THE 1938 INVASION OF AMERICA (Calkins Creek)
Picture Book Text:
Cori Doerrfeld – THE RABBIT LISTENED (Dial Books for Young Readers)
John Himmelman – FLOATY (Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers)
Troy Howell – WHALE IN A FISH BOWL (Schwartz & Wade)
Picture Book Illustration:
Larry Day – FOUND (Simon & Schuster)
Barbara McClintock – NOTHING STOPPED SOPHIE: THE STORY OF UNSHAKABLE MATHEMATICIAN SOPHIE GERMAIN (Little Brown Books for Young Readers)