ALAN Online

Holly Atkins, Chair of the 2008 ALAN Award Committee, has announced that the ALAN Award Committee has voted to honor Laurie Halse Anderson with the 2008 ALAN Award. Anderson, author of several YA novels including Speak, Twisted, and the up-coming Chains, is a tireless advocate for teens and their books. Her novels have been a National Book Award Finalist, a Michael L. Printz Honor book, a New York Times bestseller, and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults

The ALAN award will be officially announced and presented at the annual ALAN Breakfast during the NCTE Convention, November 2008 in San Antonio. The ALAN Award Committee members are Holly Atkins, Catherine Balkin, Jeff Kaplan, Melanie Koss, and Denise Ousley.

Almost from its inception, ALAN has given the ALAN award to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the field of adolescent literature. The recipient may be a publisher, author, librarian, scholar, editor, or servant to the field. Each year, an honoree is chosen by the President’s committee and receives the ALAN Award at the annual ALAN breakfast, which is held early morning Saturday during the NCTE Convention. A list of past honorees includes Teri. Lesesne, Marc Aronson, Virginia Monseau, Jerry Spinelli, Jacqueline Woodson, Patty Campbell, and M.E. Kerr.