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This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. The selection committee may also select honor titles. The Odyssey Award is jointly given administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist.
The story of the wanderings of Ulysses, as he returns to his kingdom of Ithaca after the Trojan War, are ascribed to the blind poet Homer who either wrote, or dictated, the epic poem called The Odyssey. Whether this odyssey of Ulysses was based on one specific event, or many different ones, is argued by researchers today, though they all seem to agree that the poems comprising The Odyssey were originally told and retold in the oral tradition, hence the name for this award. The Odyssey Award allows us to return to the ancient roots of storytelling, while living in our modern world.
Listening is an important skill to be both taught and learned. Children of this century live in a world where media is a dominant form of communication, and imagination's greatest champion in this technological realm is the spoken word. Through the years our cultures have been nurtured and our customs passed on by storytellers; audiobooks carry on that tradition.
The selection committee consists of nine members: four members appointed by ALSC; four members appointed by YALSA; a chair, whose appointment alternates between ALSC and YALSA divisions; and a consultant from the staff of Booklist magazine who works with audiobooks. The consultant may participate fully in all book discussions but may not participate in voting.
Members of the 2009 Award Committee are: Chair Pam Spencer Holley, Hallwood, Va.; Ellen Fader, Multnomah County Library, Portland, Ore.; Juanita Foster, Hennepin County Library, Crystal, Minn.; Joan Schroeder Kindig, James Madison University, Charlottesville, Va.; Jennifer Michelle Lawson, San Diego County Library; Angela Leeper, Wake Forest, N.C.; Jamie Mayo, Kansas City (Mo.) Public Library; Louise Sherman, Leonia, N.J.; Cheryl Karp Ward, Broad Brook, Conn.; and Booklist consultant Sue Ellen Beauregard, Chicago.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Curse of the Blue Tattoo 
Elijah of Buxton 
I'm Dirty 
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach 
Nation