TLA congratulates Clare Vanderpool, winner of the 2011 John Newbery Medal for her novel, Moon over Manifest.

The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

On June 26, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the ALA, will honor the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott, and Wilder medals for outstanding writing and illustration in children’s literature from at a gala banquet to be attended by nearly 1,100 librarians, reviewers, publishers and fans of children’s literature.

Moon Over Manifest tells the story of eleven-year-old Abilene Tucker, the daughter of a drifter, and therefore a drifter in her own right. It’s the summer of 1936, and Abilene’s father has abruptly sent her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he lived as a boy. Manifest is a town with colorful, shadowy, even dubious characters, and Abilene becomes curious what role her father might have played in its history.

“Vanderpool illustrates the importance of stories as a way for children to understand the past, inform the present and provide hope for the future,” said Newbery Medal Committee Chair Cynthia K. Richey.

More information can be found on the ALA website.

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