I'm not going to lie. The youth media awards day is one of my favorite librarian days of the year. The fact that it fell on a snow day this year and that I could watch them live was absolutely a bonus. I am always way too busy at school and have to settle for the press release as soon as I get a chance. Right or wrong, I generally evaluate my successes or failures at collection development in part at least on how many of these titles that I own. I eagerly prepare a book order to gather the ones that I don't have. And, I prepare to book talk the titles at my next available opportunity.

I have already shared my thoughts on Brown Girl Dreaming here. Certainly glad I found the time to read such an honored book: National Book Award; Coretta Scott King Authpr Award; Newbery Honor Award, and Robert F. Sibert Honor Award. I loved this book and am sharing it with as many kids, especially aspiring writers as I can.

I have this year's Newbery The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I will be adding it to my to do list. The seventh graders will definitely be hearing about it in the next book talk. We just talked about a number of Coretta Scott King books as we prepared for Black History Month. It will be lovely to add this title to the mix.

The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming has intrigued me since I read the first review. Now that it's an award winner times two: Robert F. Sibert Honor and YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, I will really have to get after it. Currently it is checked out; a good sign.

I didn't do so very well in the Printz category. I bought, read, loved, and book talked And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard. I am drawn to all things Emily Dickinson related. Certainly, I've noted before, the boarding school books intrigue me!

These are some of the titles I got right in the last year. I am sure anxious to get into several of today's winners. I love that ALA gives me so much food for thought each year!