Call for 2012 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Selection Committee Members
Those interested in serving on the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee may self-nominate by completing a self-nomination form. Continue reading
Category Archives: News
Censorship and Challenges
Are you facing a censorship case? Afre the materials in your classroom or library being challenged? You are not alone! There is help for you from professional organizations. We have collected links directly from three national organizations–the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Library Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship–to give you a starting place in dealing with censorship challenges.
FROM NCTE (from http://www.ncte.org/action/anti-censorship):
“NCTE offers advice, helpful documents, and other support at no cost to teachers faced with challenges to literary works, films and videos, drama productions, or teaching methods. NCTE’s Anti-Censorship efforts are currently only funded to provide a public service to members and nonmembers when they are facing challenges to literary works, films, and videos.
Facing a challenge? Report A Censorship Incident - to report an incident, or call Millie Davis, NCTE Senior Developer, Affiliated Groups and Public Outreach, directly at 800-369-6283, ext. 3634.
Five Most Helpful Resources: The materials below have been identified by teachers as most useful in preventing and combating censorship.
- Students’ Right to Read–Gives model procedures for responding to challenges, including “Citizen’s Request for Reconsideration of a Work.”
- Guidelines for Selection of Materials in English Language Arts Programs–Presents criteria and procedures that ensure thoughtful teacher selection of novels and other materials.
- Rationales for Teaching Challenged Books–Rich resource section included table of contents of NCTE’s Rationales for Commonly Challenged Books CD-ROM, an alphabetical list of other rationales on file, the SLATE Starter Sheet on “How to Write a Rationale,” and sample rationales for Bridge to Terabithia and The Color Purple.
- Guidelines for Dealing with Censorship of Nonprint Materials–Offers principles and practices regarding nonprint materials.
- Defining and Defending Instructional Methods–Gives rationales for various English language arts teaching methods and other defenses against common challenges to them.
FROM ALA (http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/oif/ifissues/censorshipchallenges.cfm):
“A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials. Challenges do not simply involve a person expressing a point of view; rather, they are an attempt to remove material from the curriculum or library, thereby restricting the access of others.
- First Amendment Basics
- International Intellectual Freedom Basics
- American Library Basics
- International Library Basics
- News Sources for Information about Censorship, Intellectual Freedom, and the First Amendment
- Contacting Elected Officials about Issues/Legislation Related to Intellectual Freedom
- Coalitions Against Censorship
- First Amendment Advocates
- First Amendment Resources
ALA Policies and Statements on the Freedom to Read
- Library Bill of Rights
- Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights
- Libraries: An American Value
- Other ALA Policies, Procedures, Resolutions, and Guidelines Protecting the Freedom to Read
- ALA Intellectual Freedom Policies and the First Amendment
- The Freedom to Read Statement
- Protecting the Freedom to Read
FROM NCAC (http://www.ncac.org/resources):
“NCAC works to empower individuals facing censorship as well as individuals wanting to know more about censorship issues. These resources will give you a deeper look into the legal structure of protected expression.
- Book Censorship Toolkit–A great packet with information for parents, teachers, and school officials for fighting book censorship in schools.
- The Kids’ Right to Read Project Report–In the past couple of years the KRRP has confronted challenges and bans involving over 250 book tites in 28 states. This report details challenges and bans and how the KRRP responded to each.
- The First Amendment in Schools–A collection of materials on the topic of censorship in schools for students, educators, and parents.
- Graphic Novels: Suggestions for Librarians–A resource for librarians interested in creating a graphic novels section, adding graphic novels, and addressing concerns with graphic novels in libraries.
- Issues Facing Libraries in the High-Tech Era–An in-depth look into the rights of minors, parents, and the role of the library as a public space in the age of the internet.
- Online Resources–A collection of links to government resources, free expression organizations, listserves and usenet newsgroups.”
The Last Summer of the Death Warriors Wins Walden Award
The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents (ALAN) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is pleased and proud to announce the winner of the 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award for Young Adult Fiction. Established in 2008 to honor the wishes of young adult author Amelia Elizabeth Walden, the award allows for the sum of $5,000 to be presented annually to the author of a young adult title selected by the ALAN Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Committee as demonstrating a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit. This year’s committee considered nearly 300 young adult titles during the selection process.
The 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award winner is:
The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork (Arthur A. Levine)
When Pancho arrives at St. Anthony’s Home, he knows his time there will be short: If his plans succeed, he’ll soon be arrested for the murder of his sister’s killer. But then he’s assigned to help D.Q., whose brain cancer has slowed neither his spirit nor his mouth. D.Q. tells Pancho all about his “Death Warrior’s Manifesto,” which will help him to live out his last days fully–ideally, he says, with the love of the beautiful Marisol. As Pancho tracks down his sister’s murderer, he finds himself falling under the influence of D.Q. and Marisol, who is everything D.Q. said she would be; and he is inexorably drawn to a decision: to honor his sister and her death, or embrace the way of the Death Warrior and choose life.
Nuanced in its characters and surprising in its plot developments–both soulful and funny–Pancho & D.Q. is a “buddy novel” of the highest kind: the story of a friendship that helps two young men become all they can be.
The 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award finalists are:
- After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick (Scholastic Press)
- I Will Save You by Matt de la Peña (Delacorte Press)
- Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick (Little, Brown and Company)
- Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler (Viking)
The authors of the winning title and the finalists will be invited to speak on a panel on Monday, November 21st at the 2011 ALAN Workshop in Chicago, Illinois. They will also be honored at an open reception immediately following the Monday sessions of the ALAN Workshop. All Walden Award titles will be identified by an award sticker—gold for the winner and silver for the four finalists.
The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee would like to thank: the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Foundation; the ALAN Executive Council; the ALAN Board of Directors; NCTE; and the more than twenty publishers who submitted titles for consideration.
The 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee was comprised of eleven members representing the university, K-12 school, and library communities. They are:
- Teri Lesesne, Committee Chair Professor Department of Library Science, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX
- Daria Plumb, Past Chair Classroom Teacher Riverside Academy, Dundee, MI
- Carolyn Angus Director George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
- Erica Berg Classroom Teacher Rockville High School, Vernon, CT
- Jean Boreen Professor Department of English, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
- Lois Buckman Librarian Caney Creek High School, Conroe, TX
- Jeff Harr Classroom Teacher Theodore Roosevelt High School, Kent, OH
- Jeff Kaplan Associate Professor College of Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
- Diane Tuccillo Teen Services Librarian Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO
- Jennifer Walsh Classroom Teacher Forsythe Middle School, Ann Arbor, MI
- Barbara Ward Assistant Professor Washington State University, Department of Teaching and Learning, Pullman, WA.
Daria Plumb, Past Chair
Classroom Teacher
Riverside Academy, Dundee, MI
Carolyn Angus
Director
George G. Stone Center for Children’s Books, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
Erica Berg
Classroom Teacher
Rockville High School, Vernon, CT
Jean Boreen
Professor
Department of English, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ
Lois Buckman
Librarian
Caney Creek High School, Conroe, TX
Jeff Harr
Classroom Teacher
Theodore Roosevelt High School, Kent, OH
Jeff Kaplan
Associate Professor
College of Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
Diane Tuccillo
Teen Services Librarian
Poudre River Public Library District, Fort Collins, CO
Jennifer Walsh
Classroom Teacher
Forsythe Middle School, Ann Arbor, MI
Barbara Ward
Assistant Professor
Washington State University, Department of Teaching and Learning, Pullman, WA
For more information on the award, please visit ALAN Online: The Official Site of the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents http://www.alan-ya.org/ .
Book Blog – Bookends – Children’s Book Reviews – Booklist Online
Book Blog – Bookends – Children’s Book Reviews – Booklist Online.
Cindy and Lynn: We all know we are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but we all do. Our students do and it certainly influences us. We get really irritated (and so do our teens) when the cover art does not accurately portray the contents of the book. We understand that marketing is the primary motivator, but we don’t care–we want the illustration to match the author’s text. Here are ten 2011 titles that make us want to read them due to the fabulous cover art…
2011 ALAN Workshop Authors Announced!
**Changes to ALAN Workshop program:
–Andrew Peters won’t be able to attend ALAN. However, Scholastic Jennifer Nielsen will be taking his place. Jennifer is the author of The False Prince, a fantastic medieval mystery adventure.
–Maureen Johnson will not be able to attend ALAN this year as planned. We will miss her! Elizabeth Scott (Simon and Schuster) has graciously agreed to serve in her stead in the Dynamic Duo session, “Chick lit with a conscience,” scheduled with Abby McDonald on Monday afternoon from 3:25-3:50.**
The 2011 ALAN Workshop will be hosted at the Chicago Hilton from November 20-22 and will continue the tradition of celebrating the very best of young adult literature. This year’s lineup is wonderful indeed:
M.T. Anderson will deliver the keynote address at the Workshop, and Jacqueline Woodson will serve as the 2011 ALAN Breakfast speaker (Saturday morning, November 19, during NCTE).
Several fantastic authors will speak on Monday, including Angela Johnson, Walter Dean Myers, Janet Tashjian, Sean Beaudoin, John Green, Matt de la Peña, Leslie Margolis, Andrew Peters, Sarah Weeks, Rita Williams-Garcia, Sarah Dessen, Lauren Myracle, Cheryl Rainfield, Andrew Smith, Paul Yee, Kazu Kibuishi, Maureen Johnson, Abby McDonald, and Laurie Halse Anderson. The evening will conclude with a reception honoring the finalists for the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award (AEWA)—Kristen Chandler, Matt de la Peña, Matthew Quick, Jordan Sonnenblick, and Francisco X. Stork.
Tuesday will feature an equally impressive collection of authors, including Chris Crutcher, Cara Chow, Sharon Draper, J.L. Powers, Matthew Quick, Kenneth Oppel, Jennifer Donnelly, Neal Schusterman, Coe Booth, B.A. Binns, Simone Elkeles, Stephanie Perkins, Sara Zarr, Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler, James Dashner, Megan McCafferty, Veronica Roth, Dom Testa, Katie Alender, Beth Fantaskey, Michelle Hodkin, Thanhha Lai, and David Levithan.
The Workshop will begin with a cocktail reception on Sunday evening where attendees can mingle and chat with participating authors over wine and light snacks. Monday sessions will be held from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with the AEWA reception following from 5:15-6:15 pm. Tuesday sessions will be held from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. We encourage participants to attend the full workshop to avoid missing any worthwhile presentations. Space is limited to 500 attendees; registration is now open at www.ncte.org.