91´«Ã½

PHILADELPHIA – 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 2020 Alex Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust and Booklist, were announced today at the 91´«Ã½ Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits held in Philadelphia, from Jan. 24 – 28, 2020.

The 2020 Alex Award winners are:

• “A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World,” written by C.A. Fletcher, published by Orbit, a division of Hachette Group (978-0316449458)
• “Do You Dream of Terra-Two?” written by Temi Oh, published by Saga Press/Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. (978-1534437401)
• “Dominicana,” written by Angie Cruz, published by Flatiron Books, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers (978-1250205933)
• “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” written by Maia Kobabe, published by Lion Forge, an imprint of Oni Press (978-1549304002)
• “High School,” written by Sara Quin and Tegan Quin, published by MCD, a division of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers (978-0374169947)
• “In Waves,” written by AJ Dungo, published by Nobrow (978-1910620632 )
• “Middlegame,” written by Seanan McGuire, published by Tor.com Publishing, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan (978-1250195524)
• “The Nickel Boys,” written by Colson Whitehead, published by Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House LLC (978-0385537070)
• “Red, White & Royal Blue,” written by Casey McQuiston, published by St. Martin’s Griffin, a division of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers (978-1250316776)
• “The Swallows,” written by Lisa Lutz, published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC (978-1984818232 )

“The winners are a creative collection of memoir and story that will take teens from the sky to the sea and from the past to the future,” said 2020 Alex Awards Committee Chair Paula Gallagher.

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.

Members of the 2020 Alex Awards Committee are: Chair Paula Gallagher, Baltimore; Dr. Pat M. Couts, Yukon, Okla.; Jennie Law, Atlanta, Ga.; Amber Peterson, Kirkland, Wash.; Candace L. Reeder, Northport, N.Y.; Carrie Shaurette, New York; Lauri Vaughan, Santa Clara, Calif.; Courtney Waters, Jefferson City, Mo.; Rachel M. Webb, Monroe, N.C.; and Booklist Consultant Julia Smith, Chicago.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or email, yalsa@ala.org.

For information on the Alex Awards and other 91´«Ã½ Youth Media Awards, please visit .