Newbery, Caldecott winners announced

NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Gantos’ “Dead End in Norvelt” has won the John Newbery Medal for the best children’s book of 2011. Chris Raschka’s “A Ball for Daisy” won the Randolph Caldecott award for best illustrated story.

The Newbery and Caldecott prizes, the most prestigious in children’s literature, were recently announced by the American Library Association during its “Midwinter Meeting” in Dallas.

Gantos’ novel follows the adventures of a boy named “Jack Gantos,” grounded from a family vacation, but restored by the stories he learns about his hometown. Raschka’s picture book recounts the saga of a dog whose favorite toy is destroyed. Both winners are well established in children’s publishing. Gantos, 60, has been a finalist for the Newbery and National Book Award. Raschka, 52, won the Caldecott in 2006 for “The Hello, Goodbye Window.”

Other winners were announced including John Corey Whaley’s “Where Things Come Back,” which received the Michael L. Printz Award for best young adult literature; and Kadir Nelson’s “Heart and Soul,” winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award for best African-American story. The King prize for best illustrated book was given to Shane W. Evans’ “Underground: Finding the Light to Freedom.”

Jesmyn Ward’s “Salvage the Bones,” winner last fall of the National Book Award for fiction, was among 10 recipients of the Alex Award for adult books which appeal to teens. Others cited included Erin Morgenstern’s acclaimed debut “The Night Circus” and David Levithan’s “The Lover’s Dictionary.”

The Pura Belpre award for best Latino author went to Guadalupe Garcia McCall for “Under the Mesquite,” while the Belpre illustration prize was given to Duncan Tonatiuh for “Diego Rivera: His World and Ours.” Susan Cooper, known for her fantasy series “The Dark is Rising,” won the Margaret A. Edwards award for lifetime achievement in young adult literature.

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