Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award
Encyclopedia
The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award, presented by The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents
The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents
ALAN, The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is an independent assembly of NCTE. Founded in November 1973, ALAN is made up of teachers, authors, librarians, publishers, teacher-educators and their students, and others who are particularly interested in the area of young adult literature...
of NCTE (ALAN), is an annual award in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for a book that exemplifies literary excellence, widespread appeal, and a positive approach to life in young adult literature
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
. It is named for Amelia Elizabeth Walden who died in Westport, Connecticut
Westport, Connecticut
-Neighborhoods:* Saugatuck – around the Westport railroad station near the southwestern corner of the town – a built-up area with some restaurants, stores and offices....
in 2002 and was a pioneer in the field of Young Adult Literature. The national award is presented annually to the author of a title selected by ALAN's Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Committee.
History and Creation of the Award
The Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award was established in 2008 to honor the wishes of Amelia Elizabeth Walden. It allows for the sum of $5,000 to be awarded annually to the winning title, and was first awarded on Monday, November 23, 2009. The award highlights works written for a young adult audience that demonstrate a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit.Amelia Elizabeth Walden was born in New York City on January 15, 1909. She graduated from Columbia University in 1934 and attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. From 1935 to 1945, she taught English and Dramatics at Norwalk High School in Connecticut. She married John William Harmon in 1946. Her first novel, Gateway, was published in 1946. Walden told her editor that she intended the novel for young people who lived at the gateway, on that middle ground between adolescence and adulthood. Walden claimed, “I respond to young people because I remember my own adolescence so vividly – and fondly. It was a period of total involvement, of enjoying life to the hilt.” Walden wrote over 40 young adult novels. She died in 2002 in Westport, Connecticut. A collection of some of her literary manuscripts and correspondence with McGraw-Hill between 1954 and 1977 relating to book production is available for review in the Special Collections and University Archives of the University of Oregon Libraries.
Criteria for the award
The selection committee composed of ten The Assembly on Literature for AdolescentsThe Assembly on Literature for Adolescents
ALAN, The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents is an independent assembly of NCTE. Founded in November 1973, ALAN is made up of teachers, authors, librarians, publishers, teacher-educators and their students, and others who are particularly interested in the area of young adult literature...
(ALAN) members (3 teachers, 3 university professors, 3 librarians, and 1 chair) appointed by the previous year's chair and current ALAN President for a one-year term with the possibility of re-election for a second term. They award one winning title and honor up to four additional titles on their shortlist.
Per Walden’s request, the selected title must:
- be a work of fiction, ideally a novel (stand-alone or part of a series);
- be published within one year prior to the call for titles;
- be published in the United States but may have been published elsewhere prior; and
- possess a positive approach to life, widespread teen appeal, and literary merit (please see below for additional guidance).
A Positive Approach to Life
Submitted titles should:
- treat teen readers as capable and thoughtful young people
- offer hope and optimism, even when describing difficult circumstances
- have a credible and appropriate resolution
- portray characters involved in shaping their lives in a positive way, even as they struggle with the harsh realities of life
Widespread Teen Appeal
Submitted titles should:
- be intended expressly for readers aged 12–18
- have universal themes that transcend time and place
- have themes that resonate with a wide variety of readers, regardless of race, class, gender, and sexual orientation
- provide readers with a window to the world and/or reflect their own experiences
Literary Merit
Submitted titles should:
- contain well-developed characters
- employ well-constructed forms suitable to function
- include language and literary devices that enhance the narrative
- suggest cogent and richly-realized themes
- present an authentic voice
Recipients
| Year | Author | Book | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Last Summer of the Death Warriors | Winner | |
| 2011 | After Ever After After Ever After After Ever After is a book written by Jordan Sonnenblick. It is presumed that it is a continuation of Sonnenblick's earlier book, Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie or even Notes From the Midnight Driver... |
Honor | |
| 2011 | Honor | ||
| 2011 | Sorta Like a Rockstar | Honor | |
| 2011 | Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me | Honor | |
| 2010 | Fire Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition.... |
Winner | |
| 2010 | Marcelo in the Real World | Honor | |
| 2010 | Honor | ||
| 2010 | North of Beautiful | Honor | |
| 2010 | The Sweetheart of Prosper County | Honor | |
| 2009 | My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park | Winner | |
| 2009 | After Tupac and D Foster | Honor | |
| 2009 | Honor | ||
| 2009 | The Graveyard Book The Graveyard Book The Graveyard Book is a children's fantasy novel by English author Neil Gaiman. The story is about a boy named Nobody Owens, who after his family is murdered is adopted and raised by the occupants of a graveyard... |
Honor | |
| 2009 | Me, the Missing, and the Dead | Honor | |
See also
- Printz Award for literary excellence in young adult literature
- Newbery MedalNewbery MedalThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
the first children's literary award in the world - Caldecott MedalCaldecott MedalThe Caldecott Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children , a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published that year. The award was named in honor of nineteenth-century English...
for outstanding American picture books - Carnegie Medal in Literature for outstanding children's books published in the United Kingdom
- Coretta Scott King AwardCoretta Scott King AwardThe Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table, part of the American Library Association...
for outstanding children's books related to the African-American experience - Guardian AwardGuardian AwardThe Guardian Children's Fiction Prize or Guardian Award is a prominent award for works of children's literature by British or Commonwealth authors, published in the United Kingdom during the preceding year. The award has been given annually since 1967, and is decided by a panel of authors and the...
for works of children's literature written by British or Commonwealth authors - Kate Greenaway MedalKate Greenaway MedalThe Kate Greenaway Medal was established in the United Kingdom in 1955 in honour of the children's illustrator, Kate Greenaway. The medal is given annually to an outstanding work of illustration in children's literature. It is awarded by Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for outstanding works of illustration in children's literaure from the United Kingdom - Laura Ingalls Wilder MedalLaura Ingalls Wilder MedalThe Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal is a prize awarded by the American Library Association to writers or illustrators of children's books published in the United States who have over a period of years made substantial and lasting contributions to children's literature...
for outstanding lifetime contribution to children's literature