For immediate release | December 9, 2013

YALSA announces 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults finalists

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CHICAGO — The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ (ALA), selected five books as finalists for the 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, which honors the best nonfiction books written for young adults between Nov. 1, 2012 and Oct. 31, 2013. YALSA will name the 2014 award winner at the Youth Media Awards on Jan. 27, in Philadelphia during the ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s Midwinter Meeting.

The 2014 finalists are:

  • “The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi,” written by Neal Bascomb, published by Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.;
  • “Go: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design,” written by Chip Kidd, published by Workman Publishing Company;
  • “Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans During World War II,” written by Martin W. Sandler, published by Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.;
  • “Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America's First Black Paratroopers,” written by Tanya Lee Stone, published by Candlewick Press;
  • “The President Has Been Shot! The Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” written by James L. Swanson, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.



"The 2014 finalists are examples of meticulous research, creative design, and the very best nonfiction writing for teens,” said Jamison Hedin, chair of YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction Award committee. “The committee members and I are excited to share these engaging, visually appealing, and beautifully written titles with you."



Annotations and more information on the finalists and the award can be found at . YALSA sells finalist seals to librarians and publishers to place on books at . YALSA will host a reception honoring the finalists and the winner, as well as YALSA’s Morris Award finalists and winner, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Jan. 27, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 114 Lecture Hall.



YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities.

Members of the 2014 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award committee are: Chair Jamison Hedin, Ludlow (Mass.) High School; Kathy M. Burnette, Discovery Middle School, Granger, Ind.; Molly M. Collins, Charlotte Mecklenburg (N.C.) Library; Maria E. Gentle, Arlington (Va.) Public Library; Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston; Sarah Holtkamp, Chicago Public Library; Sherry L. Rampey, First Baptist Church of Gaston (S.C.); Scott Robins, Toronto Public Library, Ontario, Canada; and Patti Tjomsland, Bureau of Education and Research (BER) Longview, Wash; and Gillian Engberg, Booklist Consultant, Chicago, Ill.



For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or e-mail, yalsa@ala.org.



For more information on the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and other ¾«¶«´«Ã½Youth Media Awards, please visit .

Contact:

Jaclyn Finneke

Communications Manager

Young Adult Library Services Association

jfinneke@ala.org