The Margaret A. Edwards Award is awarded annually to an author for a specific body of his or her work, which has made a significant and lasting contribution to 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 recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world. It was named for twentieth-century American librarian Margaret A. Edwards

Margaret A. Edwards

Margaret Alexander Edwards was an educator and librarian who was at the forefront of the movement for young adult services in the 20th century.-Early life:Margaret Edwards was born in the small farming community of Childress, Texas...

. First presented in 1988, the award is administered by the Young Adult Library Services Association

Young Adult Library Services Association

The Young Adult Library Services Association , established in 1957, is a division of the American Library Association. The mission of YALSA is to advocate, promote and strengthen service to young adults as part of the continuum of total library service, and to support those who provide service to...

 (YALSA) a division of the American Library Association

American Library Association

The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....

 (ALA) and is sponsored by the School Library Journal

School Library Journal

The School Library Journal is a monthly magazine with articles and reviews for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with a focus on technology and multimedia. Reviews are included for preschool to 4th grade,...

. Recipients are presented with a citation at a luncheon during the ALA annual conference in July along with a cash prize of $2,000. In the past 22 years (1988–2009), 21 authors have been honored with the award.

Award winners

Year	Author	Body of Work
2011	Terry Pratchett Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...	The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents is the 28th novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, published in 2001. It was the first Discworld book to be aimed at the younger market; this was followed by The Wee Free Men in 2003... (2001) The Wee Free Men The Wee Free Men The Wee Free Men, first published in 2003, is the second Story of The Discworld book for younger readers. A sequel, A Hat Full of Sky, appeared in 2004 , a third book, Wintersmith appeared in 2006, and the fourth, I Shall Wear Midnight, was released in September... (2003) A Hat Full of Sky A Hat Full of Sky A Hat Full of Sky is a novel written by Terry Pratchett set on the Discworld, written with younger readers in mind. First published in 2004, it is set two years after The Wee Free Men, and features an 11-year old Tiffany Aching.... (2004) Going Postal Going Postal Going Postal is Terry Pratchett's 33rd Discworld novel, released in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2004. Unlike most of Pratchett's Discworld novels, Going Postal is divided into chapters, a feature previously seen only in Pratchett's children's books and the Science of Discworld series... (2004) The Colour of Magic The Colour of Magic The Colour of Magic is a 1983 comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the Discworld series. Pratchett has described it as "an attempt to do for the classical fantasy universe what Blazing Saddles did for Westerns."... (1983) Guards! Guards! Guards! Guards! Guards! Guards! is the eighth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989. It is the first novel about the City Watch. The first Discworld computer game borrowed heavily from Guards! Guards! in terms of plot.-Plot:... (1989) Equal Rites Equal Rites Equal Rites is a comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the third novel in the Discworld series and the first in which the main character is not Rincewind. The title is a play on words to "Equal Rights".... (1987) Mort Mort Mort is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1987, it is the fourth Discworld novel and the first to focus on the Death of the Discworld, who only appeared as a side character in the previous novels... (1987) Small Gods Small Gods Small Gods is the thirteenth of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, published in 1992. It tells the origin of the god Om, and his relations with his prophet, the reformer Brutha... (1992)
2010		The Great Fire (1995), A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy (1996), The Long Road to Gettysburg (2000), Blizzard! The Storm That Changed America (2000), and An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (2003)
2009		Speak Speak (novel) Speak is a 1999 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a girl named Melinda Sordino who is an outcast as a high school freshman. It was made into a film of the same name in 2004. The novel was a New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller... (1999), Fever 1793 Fever 1793 Fever, 1793 is a historical novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that was published in 2000. Set during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1793, its protagonist and narrator is a teenage girl named Matilda Cook who lives with her hardworking mother, war-fought grandfather, and their ex- slave... (2002), and Catalyst Catalyst (novel) Catalyst is a 2002 novel by Laurie Halse Anderson about a senior named Kate Malone. It can be regarded as a sequel to Speak, as it has the same setting in Merryweather High School and a cameo appearance by Melinda Sordino , and it takes place a year after the events in Speak... (2003)
2008		Ender's Game Ender's Game Ender's Game is a science fiction novel by American author Orson Scott Card. The book originated as the short story "Ender's Game", published in the August 1977 issue of Analog Science Fiction and Fact. Elaborating on characters and plot lines depicted in the novel, Card later wrote additional... (1985) and Ender's Shadow Ender's Shadow Ender's Shadow is a parallel science fiction novel by the American author Orson Scott Card, taking place at the same time as the novel Ender's Game and depicting the same events from the point of view of Bean, a supporting character in the original novel. It was originally to be titled Urchin, but... (1999)
2007		The Giver The Giver The Giver is a 1993 soft science fiction novel by Lois Lowry. It is set in a society which is at first presented as a utopian society and gradually appears more and more dystopian. The novel follows a boy named Jonas through the twelfth year of his life... (2002)
2006		I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This (1994), From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun (1997), Lena (1999), If You Come Softly, and Miracle's Boys (2000)
2005		Weetzie Bat Weetzie Bat Weetzie Bat is a young adult novel, the first written by American author Francesca Lia Block, originally published in 1989. It is the first in her Dangerous Angels series.... (1989), Witch Baby Witch Baby Witch Baby is the second book in the Dangerous Angels series of novels written by Francesca Lia Block. It follows the adventures of Witch Baby, a young purple eyed girl who lives with Weetzie Bat, My-Secret-Agent-Lover-Man, and the rest of their crazy clan.Witch Baby is trying to find her place... (1991), Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys (1992), Missing Angel Juan (1993), and Baby Be-Bop (1995)
2004		A Wizard of Earthsea A Wizard of Earthsea A Wizard of Earthsea, first published in 1968, is the first of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in the fantasy world archipelago of Earthsea depicting the adventures of a budding young wizard named Ged... (1968), The Left Hand of Darkness The Left Hand of Darkness The Left Hand of Darkness is a 1969 science fiction novel by Ursula K. Le Guin. It is part of the Hainish Cycle, a series of books by Le Guin all set in the fictional Hainish universe.... (1969), The Tombs of Atuan The Tombs of Atuan The Tombs of Atuan is the second of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in her fantasy archipelago of Earthsea, first published in 1971. Its events take place a few years after those in A Wizard of Earthsea and around two decades before those in The Farthest Shore... (1971), The Farthest Shore The Farthest Shore The Farthest Shore is the third of a series of books written by Ursula K. Le Guin and set in her fantasy archipelago of Earthsea, first published in 1972. It follows on from The Tombs of Atuan, which itself was a sequel to A Wizard of Earthsea. It is the Earthsea series novel which inspired the... (1972), The Beginning Place The Beginning Place The Beginning Place is a short novel by Ursula K. Le Guin, written in 1980. It was subsequently published under the title Threshold in 1986. The novel does not belong to any of the cycles for which Le Guin is well known. The story's genre is a mixture of realism and fantasy literature... (1980), and Tehanu Tehanu Tehanu is the fourth of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea books. It won the Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1990, and the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1991.-Plot summary:... (1990)
2003		Annie on My Mind Annie on My Mind Annie On My Mind is a 1982 novel by Nancy Garden about the romantic relationship between two 17-year-old New York City girls, Annie and Liza.-Characters:... (1982)
2002		The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds: A Drama in Two Acts The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds is a 1964 play written by Paul Zindel, a playwright and science teacher. Zindel received the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for the work. The play's world premiere was staged in 1964 at the Alley Theatre... (1965), The Pigman The Pigman The Pigman is a young adult novel written by Paul Zindel, first published in 1968. Zindel wrote a screenplay, adapting the book for the stage and screen, but it was not taken up by any film maker.-Plot:... (1968), My Darling, My Hamburger (1969), The Pigman's Legacy (1980), and The Pigman & Me (1992)
2001		The Contender (1967), The Brave (1991), The Chief (1993), and One Fat Summer (1977)
2000		Running Loose (1983), Stotan! (1986), The Crazy Horse Electric Game (1987), Chinese Handcuffs Chinese Handcuffs Chinese Handcuffs is a 1989 a young adult novel by young adult writer Chris Crutcher. The story alternates between the two main characters, Dillon and Jennifer, both high school athletes dealing with personal issues... (1989), Athletic Shorts (1991), and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes is a young-adult fiction novel by Chris Crutcher. It has been recognized by the American Library Association as a "Best of the Best Books for Young Adults". It is also one of fifty books on Young Adult Library Services Association's The Ultimate Teen Bookshelf... (1993)
1999		Dragonflight Dragonflight Dragonflight is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the first book in the Dragonriders of Pern series. Dragonflight was first published by Ballantine Books in July 1968... (1968), The Ship Who Sang The Ship Who Sang The Ship Who Sang is a science fiction novel by Anne McCaffrey, a fix-up of five stories published 1961 to 1969. Alternatively, "The Ship Who Sang" is the earliest of the stories, a novelette, which became the first chapter of the book... (1969), Dragonquest Dragonquest Dragonquest is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. It is the sequel to Dragonflight, set seven years later and the second book in the Dragonriders of Pern series... (1970), Dragonsong Dragonsong Dragonsong is a fantasy or science fiction novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Released by Atheneum Books in March 1976, it was the third to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey... (1976), Dragonsinger Dragonsinger Dragonsinger is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1977, it was the fourth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.... (1977), The White Dragon The White Dragon The White Dragon is a 2004 Hong Kong wuxia comedy film directed by Wilson Yip and starring Cecilia Cheung and Francis Ng.The White Dragon is directed by Wilson Yip, whose best known works to date are Bullets Over Summer, Juliet in Love and SPL: Sha Po Lang... (1978), and Dragondrums Dragondrums Dragondrums is a young adult fantasy novel by the American-Irish author Anne McCaffrey. Published by Atheneum Books in 1979, it was the sixth to appear in the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne or her son Todd McCaffrey.... (1979)
1998		Meet the Austins Meet the Austins Meet the Austins is the title of a 1960 novel by Madeleine L'Engle, the first of her books about the Austin family. It introduces the characters Vicky Austin and her three siblings, and Maggy Hamilton, an orphan... (1960), A Wrinkle In Time A Wrinkle in Time A Wrinkle in Time is a science fantasy novel by Madeleine L'Engle, first published in 1962. The story revolves around a young girl whose father, a government scientist, has gone missing after working on a mysterious project called a tesseract. The book won a Newbery Medal, Sequoyah Book Award, and... (1962), A Swiftly Tilting Planet A Swiftly Tilting Planet A Swiftly Tilting Planet is a 1978 science fiction novel by Madeleine L'Engle, part of the Time Quartet. In it, Charles Wallace Murry, an advanced and perceptive child in A Wrinkle in Time and A Wind in the Door, has grown into adolescence... (1978), and A Ring of Endless Light A Ring of Endless Light A Ring of Endless Light is a 1980 novel by Madeleine L'Engle. The book tells of a girl named Vicky and her struggle to understand life and significance in the universe as she deals with her dying grandfather, while at the same time finding love.... (1980)
1997		Dancing Carl (1983), Hatchet Hatchet (novel) Hatchet is a 1987 three-time Newbery Honor-winning wilderness survival novel written by Gary Paulsen. It is the first novel in the Hatchet series and is followed by four sequels.... (1987), The Crossing (1987), The Winter Room The Winter Room The Winter Room is a short novel by Newbery Honor award winning author Gary Paulsen. It is a mythical story about Vikings, elves, but primarily logging, narrated in the first person to two boys by their Norwegian uncle in the "winter room" of a farm in northern Minnesota... (1989), Canyons (1990), and Woodsong Woodsong Woodsong is a book of memoirs by Gary Paulsen. It is divided into two halves. The first half consists of Paulsen's early experiences running sled dogs in Wisconsin and then in Alaska, and the latter half describes the trials he faces in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.-Plot summary:Paulsen opens... (1990)
1996		Forever Forever (novel) Forever... is a 1975 novel by Judy Blume dealing with teenage sexuality. Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–2000 at number seven.-Plot... (1975)
1995		Homecoming Homecoming (novel) Homecoming is a young adult novel by American children's author Cynthia Voigt. It is the first of seven novels in the Tillerman Cycle. It was adapted into a for-TV film.-Plot introduction:... (1981), Dicey's Song Dicey's Song Dicey's Song is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1983.-Plot:Picking up where Homecoming left off, Dicey Tillerman and her three siblings, James, Maybeth, and Sammy, are now living with their widowed grandmother Abigail Tillerman,... (1982), A Solitary Blue A Solitary Blue A Solitary Blue is a novel by Cynthia Voigt. It was a Newbery Honor book in 1984. It takes place before, during and after the events described in Dicey's Song, Voigt's 1983 Newbery Medal winner and Come a Stranger... (1983), Building Blocks (1984), The Runner (1985), Jackaroo (1985), and Izzy, Willy-Nilly (1986)
1994		Hoops (1983), Motown & Didi (1985), Fallen Angels Fallen Angels (Myers novel) Fallen Angels is a 1988 young adult novel written by Walter Dean Myers, about the Vietnam war. It won the 1989 Coretta Scott King Award. Fallen Angels is listed as number 24 in the American Library Association's list of 100 most frequently challenged books of 1990–2000 due to its use of profanity... (1988), and Scorpions (1988)
1993		Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! (1972), Gentlehands (1978), Me Me Me Me Me: Not a Novel (1983), and Night Kites (1986)
1992		for her entire body of work which included more than 30 titles at the time of the award
1991		The Chocolate War The Chocolate War The Chocolate War is a young adult novel by American author Robert Cormier. First published in 1974, it was adapted into a film in 1988. Although it received mixed reviews at the time of its publication, some reviewers have argued it is one of the best young adult novels of all time... (1974), I Am the Cheese I Am the Cheese I Am the Cheese is a novel written by American author Robert Cormier and first published in 1977. It is categorized as young adult literature.- Plot summary :... (1977), and After the First Death After the First Death After the First Death is a suspense novel for young adults by American author Robert Cormier. The focus is on the complex relationships that develop between the various characters. -Synopsis:... (1979)
1990		Are You in the House Alone? (1976), The Ghost Belonged to Me (1976), Ghosts I Have Been (1977), Father Figure (1978), Secrets of the Shopping Mall (1979), and Remembering the Good Times (1985)
1989		No award was given this year.
1988		The Outsiders The Outsiders (novel) The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel based in 1965 by S. E. Hinton, first published in 1967 by Viking Press. Hinton was 15 when she started writing the novel, but did most of the work when she was sixteen and a junior in high school. Hinton was 18 when the book was published... (1967), That Was Then This Is Now That Was Then, This Is Now That Was Then, This Is Now is a coming-of-age young adult novel by S. E. Hinton. It follows the relationship between two brothers who find their relationship rapidly changing. It was later made into a film starring Emilio Estevez.- Plot :... (1973), Tex Tex (novel) Tex is a novel by S. E. Hinton, published in 1979. It was adapted to the film in 1982, which starred Matt Dillon. The book takes place in the same universe as Hinton's first book The Outsiders, but in a rural town called Garyville, Oklahoma, a fictional suburb of Tulsa.Tex and his older brother... (1982), and Rumble Fish Rumble Fish (novel) Rumble Fish is a 1975 novel for young adults by S. E. Hinton, author of The Outsiders. It was adapted to film and directed by Francis Ford Coppola in 1983.-Plot:... (1983)