The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002. Link to this page using its short URL, www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex.
The award is sponsored by the Margaret A. Edwards Trust. Edwards pioneered young adult library services and worked for many years at the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore. Her work is described in her book Fair Garden and the Swarm of Beasts, and over the years she has served as an inspiration to many librarians who serve young adults. The Alex Awards are named after Edwards, who was called “Alex” by her friends.
The 2009 Alex Awards Committee is Chair Priscille Dando, Robert E. Lee High School, Fairfax County Public Schools, Lorton, Va.; Vicki Emery, admin asst., Lake Braddock Secondary School, Burke Va.; Hope Baugh, Carmel (Ind.) Clay Public Library; Diane Colson, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, Fla. ; Jennifer Jung Gallant, Elyria (Ohio) Public Library system, Bay Village, Ohio; Sarah Hill, Paris (Ill.) Union School District #95; Jennifer Hubert Swan, Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School, New York; Betsy Levine, San Francisco Public Library; Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, Troy, Mich.; Kaite Mediatore Stover, Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library; and Ian Chipman, Booklist Consultant, Chicago, Ill.
In addition to selecting titles for the Alex Awards, the Alex Committee presents a program at the ALA Annual Conference. The 2009 program will take place in Chicago, Ill., Sunday, July 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and will feature a panel presentation highlighting the winners and how to sell them to young adults. Authors will discuss the impact the award has had on their careers.
City of Thieves | The Dragons of Babel | Finding Nouf | The Good Thief | Just After Sunset: Stories
Mudbound | Over and Under | The Oxford Project | Sharp Teeth | Three Girls and Their Brother