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2022 Winner

A.S. King wins 2022 Edwards Award for “Ask the Passengers,” “Glory O'Brien's History of the Future,” “Please Ignore Vera Dietz”

A.S. King's Margaret A. Edwards Award speech from the 2022 YA Services Symposium.

A.S. King is the recipient of the 2022 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens for Ask the Passengers, Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz. The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the 91��ý (91��ý), announced the award this morning virtually during the 91��ý Youth Media Awards at LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience, Jan. 21 - 24.

A.S. King provides diverse characters in her books, among those is Astrid from Ask the Passengers. Readers can connect with her struggles to love herself and others. In Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, readers can understand the struggles of loss where Glory wonders if she will meet the same fate as her mother or if she is in control of her own future. Lastly, in Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Vera struggles with the loss of her best friend Charlie. Teens can relate to Vera and her relationship with Charlie, who faced both domestic and physical abuse in his life. King understands what it is like to be a teen and listens to her readers. A.S. King has continually crafted stories about the daily struggles and obstacles faced by teens on a regular basis through discussion of tough topics.

A.S. King will be honored at YALSA’s 2022 YA Services Symposium, which is to take place Baltimore, MD, where she will be presented with a citation and cash prize of $2,000. The award is sponsored by School Library Journal.

Members of the 2022 Edwards Committee are: Joni Bodart (Chair), Sarah Carpenter, Candace Fox, Susan Polos, Celeste Swanson