I’m quite happy to say that I didn’t post all the wonderfully talented, passionate and gifted people of color who won awards on Monday. In addition to those previously listed, I have to congratulate the following winners.

Lavonda Kay Broadnax digital project coordinator at the Library of Congress, is the 2013 recipient of RUSA’s Zora Neale Hurston Award. The award honors librarians who have demonstrated leadership in promoting African-American literature. Broadnax was selected for her bibliography project, “Selected Literature Published by the Civil War Soul Sisters.” The project showcases the writings of “black women who lived during the US Civil War, [during] a time when it was illegal for most African Americans to learn to read or write.”

 Librotraficante is the 2012 recipient of the Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award given by the faculty of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Librotraficante, a movement led by Tony Diaz, is being recognized for its efforts to oppose the censorship of ethnic and cultural studies materials in Arizona. Librotraficante efforts have since extended across the country, including the development of a magazine and a freedom of speech event created in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month.

 Rainbow Awards

The Rainbow Books list is a joint project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table and the Social Responsibilities Round Table.

Gonzalez, Rigoberto.  Mariposa Gown.  2012.  230p.  Tincture (Lethe Press), $13.00 (9781590213513).  Grades 8 & Up.
BFFs Maui, Trini, and Lib are confronted with difficult choices as they graduate- college, career, and who will wear a gown to the senior prom.

Takako, Shimura.  Wandering Son, Volume 2.  2012.  200p.  Fantagraphics Books, $19.99 (9781606994566).  Grades 6 & Up.
Shuichi spends his grandmother’s cash gift on a special present that leads to his sister finding out his secret, leading to disastrous consequences.  But can Shuichi find the strength and courage to withstand the trials that are to come?

Takako, Shimura.  Wandering Son, Volume 3.  2012.  200p.  Fantagraphics Books, $19.99 (9781606995334).  Grades 6 & Up.
As their friendship grows more strained after their secrets are exposed, Yoshino and Shuichi start to learn about the hard realities of being transgendered, and the consequences (unintended or not) that it can bring.

Wise, Tama.  Street Dreams.  2012.  264p.  Bold Strokes Books, Inc., $13.95 (9781602826502).  Grades 9 & Up.
Life, love, and hip-hop mix to push gay Moori teen Tyson to places he’s afraid to go when he suddenly starts crushing on a straight guy he meets through his involvements in the local scene

Davis, Tanita S.  Happy Families.  2012.  240p.  Random House Children’s, $16.99 (9780375869662).  Grades 6 & Up.
When twins Ysabel and Justin discover the true reason for their family’s split, they struggle with the secrets their father has been keeping.  Can they deal with their dad’s new life and find a way to put their happy family back together?

Lo, Malinda.  Adaptation.  2012.  400p.  Little, Brown, $17.99 (9780316197960).  Grades 9 & Up. (Top Ten Book)
Something strange has been going on with Reese Holloway since her car accident and her top secret medical treatment- but will she be allowed to figure it out, or will others take her apart to figure it out first?

Magoon, Kekla.  37 Things I Love (In No Particular Order).  2012.  224p.  Henry Holt, $16.99 (9780805094657).  Grades 7 & Up.
Bullied by her best friend and facing the impending death of her father, Ellis finds hope through  new therapist and in her emerging relationship with Cara.

Rice-Gonzalez, Charles.  Chulito:  a Novel.  2011.  275p.  Magnus Books, $14.95 (9781936833030).  Grades 10 & Up.
After sharing a secret with his best friend, a Latino teen’s ideas about what it really means to be a man are challenged.  Should he play ‘straight’ and keep his standing among his peers in the neighborhood, or come out and be his true self? (Top Ten Title)

Saenz, Benjamin Alire.  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.  2012.  368p.  Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (9781442408920).  Grades 9-12.
Dante and Aristotle are opposites in almost every way but, nevertheless, the two boys are best friends, almost like two halves making a whole.  Saenz’ lyrical novel examines the bonds of friendship and the uncertainties and saving graces of love. (Top Ten Title)

The Pura Belpré Award honors Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children’s books.  The Belpré Committee selected one Honor Book for narration.

Sonia Manzano for “The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano,” published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Stonewall Awards are given annually to English-language works of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.

  “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe,” written by Benjamin Alire Sáenz and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, is the Stonewall Award winner.

Four Stonewall Book Awards – Barbara Gittings Literature Award Honor Books

“Chulito,” written by Charles Rice-Gonzalez and published by Magnus Books.

The Stonewall Book Awards – Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award

“For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home,” edited by Keith Boykin and published by Magnus Press.

Amelia Bloomer List

The Amelia Bloomer Project is part of the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association’s Social Responsibility Round Table.

 fiction

McCall, Guadalupe Garcia. Summer of the Mariposas. 2012. 355p. Tu Books, $17.95 (978-1-6006-0900-8). Gr.7-up.
15-year old Odilia and her four sisters journey to Mexico to return the body of a dead man they found floating in the Rio Grande to his family. They battle supernatural forces and put aside their own differences for a trip that changes their lives forever.

Nonfiction

Bartels, Peggielene and Eleanor Herman. King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village. 2012. 333p. Doubleday, $25.95 (978-0-3855-3432-1). Gr.9-up.
A phone call awakens Peggielene Bartels in the middle of the night with news that she’s been chosen the next king of her home village Otuam, Ghana.  She overcomes corruption and sexism to bring progress to the village.

Wahab, Saima.In My Father’s Country: An Afghan Woman Defies Her Fate. 2012. 352p. Crown Publishers, $25.00 (978-0-3078-8494-7). Gr.10-up.
Escaping gender oppression and political strife, Saima immigrates to the US as a teen. Saima later ventures back to Afghanistan as an interpreter and offers a fascinating perspective on Afghan customs including a provocative analysis of gender issues.

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