For immediate release | January 10, 2011

YALSA announces 2011 Alex Awards

91´«Ã½

SAN DIEGO - The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), has selected 10 adult books with special appeal to teen readers to receive the 2011 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust, were announced today at the 2011 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meeting in San Diego, Jan. 7 – 11.

The 2011 Alex Award winners are:
  • “The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To” by DC Pierson, published by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc. (ISBN 9780307474612)
  • “Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard,” by Liz Murray, published by Hyperion (ISBN 9780786868919)
  • “Girl in Translation,” by Jean Kwok, published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group ( (ISBN 9781594487569)
  • “The House of Tomorrow,” by Peter Bognanni, published by Amy Einhorn Books, an imprint of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of the Penguin Group (ISBN 9780399156090)
  • “The Lock Artist,” by Steve Hamilton, published by Thomas Dunne Books for Minotaur Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press (ISBN 9780312380427)
  • “The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel,” by Aimee Bender, published by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. (ISBN 9780385501125)
  • “The Radleys,” by Matt Haig, published by Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. (ISBN 9781439194010)
  • “The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel” by Alden Bell, published by Holt Paperbacks, a division of Henry Holt and Company, LLC (ISBN 9780805092431)
  • “Room: A Novel,” by Emma Donoghue, published by Little, Brown and Company a division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc. (ISBN 9780316098335)
  • “The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel,” by Helen Grant, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, division of Random House, Inc.(ISBN 9780385344173)
“This year’s list runs the gamut of mystery, suspense, magical realism, adventure and memoir,” said Beth Gallaway, chair of the 2011 Alex Awards Committee. “Our selections are accessible to a wide range of ages, and feature a mute, a zombie slayer, a family of vampires, a Chinese American immigrant, a homeschooler, and insomniac – truly, there is something for everyone.”
The Alex Awards were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens. A full list of official nominations will be available online at .
The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, fondly called “Alex” by her closest friends, a pioneer in providing library services to young adults. At Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Edwards used adult books extensively with teens to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.
In addition to selecting titles for the Alex Awards, the Alex Committee presents a program at the 91´«Ã½ Annual Conference, which will be held in New Orleans, June 23 – 28, 2011. Winning authors will discuss the impact the award has had on their careers.
Members of the 2011 Alex Awards Committee are: Chair Beth Gallaway, Haverhill Public Library Haverhill M.A., Lana Adlawan, Franklin Community Library, Elk Grove, Calif.; Hope Baugh, Carmel Clay (Ind.) Public Library; Meghan Cirrito, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, N.Y.; Crystal Faris, Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library; Karen Keys, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, N.Y.; Ann Perrigo, Allegan (Mich.) District Library; Jessi Snow, Boston Public Library; Ellen Wathen, Walnut Hills High School, Cincinnati, Ohio; Scott Rader, administrative assistant, Hays (Kan.) Public Library; and Ian Chipman, Booklist consultant, Chicago.
For more than 50 years, YALSA has been the world leader in selecting books, videos and audio books for teens. For more information about YALSA or for lists of recommended reading, viewing and listening, go to .
For information on the Alex Awards and other 91´«Ã½ Youth Media Awards, please visit .
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Contact:

Macey Morales

Media Relations Manager

91´«Ã½

mmorales@ala.org

312-280-4393