Authors in the News

Before we get into today’s look at the the archives, some exciting news for a few of our clients! First, I’m thrilled to announce that Ellen Booraem‘s The Unnameables has been named to Voya’s list of the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror of 2008. The full list is here, but their blurb, an excerpt from their December review, describes the book thusly:

A skilled artist faces expulsion from a puritanical culture so tied to rules and the past that change is viewed as evil in a tale in which beauty and pleasure have all but disappeared.

But that’s not all! The Unnameables has also been nominated to YALSA’s list of Best Books for Young Adults (BBYA) for 2010. I had the pleasure of hearing some of the discussion at the recent ALA Midwinter meeting of the nominated titles for 2009, and I think we can look forward to Ellen’s book being read and discussed all year long. For a look back, you can find the list of 2009’s final BBYA titles on the ALA website here, with their top ten listed separately.

But wait! There’s more! Lili Wilkinson, whose forthcoming novel Pink will be published by Allen & Unwin this summer, and by HarperCollins US next year, has been interviewed on Hey, Teenager of The Year. We love her because she chooses Buffy as a favorite kick-butt heroine.

Finally, Wands & Words has a thought-provoking post up on her site debating the value in lists like BBYA or the NYPL’s “Stuff for the Teen Age” focusing on fewer titles — mainly those that are already well-known. What of those undiscovered gems that deserve recognition?

It truly is a fascinating article, and well worth a close read.