I have little doubt that you haven’t already heard who has been named the 2007 National Book Award finalists, but it seemed wrong not to post about them here.
The Young People’s Literature finalists are:
- Sherman Alexie for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
- Kathleen Duey for Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One
- M. Sindy Felin for Touching Snow
- Brian Selznick for The Invention of Hugo Cabret
- Sara Zarr for Story of a Girl
The 2007 Young People’s Literature Judges are Elizabeth Partridge (chair), Pete Hautman, James Howe, Patricia McCormick, and Scott Westerfeld. An impressive panel, eh?
Were you aware that this award accepts nominations only from publishers, although panel chairs can request books that publishers have not nominated? There is also a $125 entry free that publishers must submit for each nominated book. Not that I think there is anything sinister about that, I was just surprised.
Kate
I had read the list of finalists, but not the list of judges which you provided. In past years, to my knowledge, there has always been one librarian on the NBA judging panel. I wonder why there wasn’t one this year? Anyone know?
KT Horning
Your observation is interesting, Kate. I hadn’t noticed it until you pointed it out.
One thing that’s never been clear to me is how they narrow it down to the shortlist of five books. does the panel do that, or does some other entity? Perhaps a librarian who has served ont eh panel in the past will fill us in.
–KT Horning
dfoote
I can’t tell you how the shortlist is determined, but I can tell you that the body of books to choose from is much smaller than, say, for the Newbery. Publishers (or authors, I suppose) submit a selected number of books, pay a fee, secure the author’s permission to enter and commitment to appear at the announcement if selected for the shortlist, etc., which greatly narrows the choices.
One publisher I know who shall remain nameless noted once that the NBA isn’t for the best book published, it’s for the best book nominated by publishers.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with this process, necessarily, it’s just different, especially from the ALSC awards, the terms and criteria for which explicitly state that selection committee members aren’t to rely on publisher submissions.
Interesting!
–Diane Foote
acrewdson
I met Kathleen Duey at Washington DC, during Annual this summer. And she is soo cool. We were on the same buses together going back to our hotels and to the airport. She talked about just having visited Dubai and what an eye-opening experience she had!What wonderful news to see that she is among the Young People’s Literature finalists for Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic. She is truly a great person!
Kate
The NBAs will actually be given on November 14 at a pretty swanky dinner sometimes boradcast on CSpan Book TV. I’m especially delighted to see The Invention of Hugo Cabret nominated because of its innovative bookmaking and because it is a book young readers in a broad range of ages seem to have taken to their hearts already. It is gratifying when a book that is actually read and loved wins an award… which does not always happen.
Teresa Walls Post author
For some reason, I am always interested in the list of finalists for Young People’s Literature but don’t spend much time paying attention to who gets the award. Sherman Alexie won for his The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The National Book Award’s page for the 2007 award now includes interviews with the authors.