By Joan Ruddiman
The American Library Association announced its literary award winners from the annual conference, held this year in Philadelphia. There are many awards the Caldecott Medal for best picture books, the Coretta Scott King awards that recognize African-American authors and illustrators, the Pura Belpre Award honoring Latino authors and illustrators, and many more.
The granddaddy of them all, however, is the John Newbery Medal that is given “for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature.” The winner this year is “Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village” (Candlewick, 2007) by Laura Amy Schlitz and illustrated by Robert Byrd. It is an unusual book that first captivated an editorial assistant who pulled it from a slush pile of unsolicited manuscripts and handed it over to Candlewick editor Mary Lee Donovan. She has called it “the most exciting submission that I’ve had in my 23-year career.”
The award was not a complete surprise, as the book has been a favorite for the Newbery Medal or Newbery Honor on the lit blogs for the past month.
”Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village” is one of four children’s books submitted to Candlewick several years ago by long- time story-teller/novice author Laura Amy Schlitz. It was the first to be accepted by the Boston-based publisher, but is the third to be published.
Ms. Schlitz’s previous three books are “A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama” (2006), “The Hero Schliemann: A Dreamer Who Dug for Troy” (2006) and “The Bearskinner: A Tale of the Brothers Grimm” (2007).
Now that Ms. Schlitz has joined the prestigious ranks of Newbery authors, fans of good children’s lit will seek out all her books. They will be surprised and delighted with the range of styles and subjects Ms. Schlitz tackles. “Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!” jumped up the bestseller charts within days of the announcement that it had earned the coveted Newbery. The other three of her fledging four discovered by Candlewick may also find new life as bestsellers.
Life is pretty exciting these days for this unassuming school librarian. Folks in Ms. Schlitz’s hometown of Baltimore are calling this event a “fairytale come true.”
The Baltimore Sun sent a couple of reporters and photographers to the Park School to capture the staff and students greeting their heroine with a tiara (from the prop closet) and a standing ovation by the 900 students. Within days, Ms. Schlitz had appeared on the “Today” show and granted interviews to national newspapers and outlets.
Though Ms. Schlitz is proud of her work, she said she was not sure the Newbery Committee would consider it for the prize, which is generally granted to traditional fiction.
”Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!” truly is based on voices. It began as a lesson plan a class play for students to act out. However, since “no one wanted a small part,” Ms. Schlitz made sure that the more than 20 characters each have their own monologue in various poetic forms and literary styles.
The story of life in an English village in the year 1255 is told through the voices of children who live in and around the grand manor house. In the book, illustrator Robert Byrd brings the setting to life with impressionistic watercolors.
Ms. Schlitz, true to her librarian roots, is a fine researcher, which is highlighted by the use of footnotes quite a rarity in children’s books, let alone a work of fiction.
Newbery Chair Nina Lindsay claims granting the medal to monologues was a “rock-solid decision.”
Along with the literary style, the committee appreciated the author’s wit. However, the selling point of this book, one which teachers and parents should note, is that the style of the book compels it to be read aloud, even encourages performance and play acting.
”It comes to life as you start reading it,” Ms. Lindsay said. “It is like a pageant of characters.”
Ms. Schlitz’s books reflect her dedication to entertain and inform her readers, much as she has in her career as an educator. As a school librarian, and their “chief storyteller,” she has the pulse of what children enjoy. She also has a proven talent for writing that assures children far and wide a memorable reading experience.
Another prestigious award that each year captivates a lot of attention at the convention is the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults.
His fans are over the moon that Orson Scott Card is this year’s recipient, honoring the body of his work that includes the now classic “Ender’s Game” (1985) and “Ender’s Shadow” (1991), both by Tor Books.
Mr. Card is widely acknowledged as an accomplished storyteller who “weaves everyday experiences of adolescence into broader narratives, addressing universal questions about humanity and society.”
Readers of science fiction are very familiar with Andrew “Ender” Wiggin from “Ender’s Game” and his counterpart Bean in the parallel novel “Ender’s Shadow.” In a world beset by interstellar warfare, these young men may have the skills to rebuff the insect-like aliens ruefully called “buggers.”
Yet, Mr. Card goes beyond typical Sci-Fi adventures as he probes the angst that all teens live through as they move to take their place in an adult world.
Committee Chair Brenna Shanks, commenting on Mr. Card’s enduring value to teen readers, wrote, “The conflicts of self and society, on a personal level and on a universal stage, never lose relevance.”
Besides his well-known Ender’s series that includes “Speaker for the Dead” (Tor, 1986) and other science fiction, Mr. Card writes contemporary and American frontier fantasy and biblical novels. He began his career in the 1960s and 70s, however, with writing plays and musical comedies. In the late 1970s, before his fiction made him famous, Mr. Card supported his family with writing scripts and screenplays for audiotapes and videos for the LDS Church the Mormons. (He has an interesting background, including a great grandmother who was the daughter of Brigham Young.)
Perhaps his teen readers sense a kindred spirit in this old guy who is so comfortable in multiple mediums. He now hosts an online magazine, “The InterGalatic Medicine Show,” at his official website, www.hatrack.com , that promotes Sci-Fi and fantasy by up-and-coming authors as well as works by well-known authors.
He blogs on culture, politics and world affairs online at “The Ornery American,” (www.ornery.org), and still dapples in the realm of video but now with video games. And he’s entered the age of graphic novels with the “Ultimate Iron Man” series for Marvel.
Mr. Card is accessible to his fans through school and bookstore visits, as well as workshops that he offers around the country. Through the “hatrack” website, he offers free writing workshops for adults and younger writers.
Recently, Mr. Card entered into a more “long-term relationship,” as he puts it, as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University. His students, I think, must be wild to have THE Orson Scott Card as a professor!
Books fiction, histories, the emerging genre of science fiction, as well as the Book of Mormon and the Bible shaped Mr. Card’s life. His advice to young writers is that the best education is “to try, through reading, to learn everything about everything.” It is advice based on his own “endless quest” begun in childhood that continues today.
Though Ms. Schlitz seemed a shoo-in for the Newbery, I’d imagine Mr. Card’s selection for the ALA’s Edwards lifetime achievement award was not without debate. However, he does exemplify a lifetime of ongoing contributions to young adult literature and a commitment to young adult readers. His fans applaud the decision.
Joan Ruddiman, Ed.D., is a teacher and friend of the Allentown Public Library.
