We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books announces

The​ ​2018​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​and​ ​Honor​ ​Books for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature
Teen​ ​and​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Categories

January​ ​11,​ ​2018

The​ ​We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee​ ​has​ ​selected​ ​the​ ​winners​ ​and honorees​ ​for​ ​the​ ​third​ ​annual​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature. This​ ​year’s​ ​Awards​ ​expanded into​ ​​two​ ​categories:​ ​​Teen​​ ​(​ages​ ​13-18​)​ ​and​ ​​Younger​ ​Readers​​ ​(​ages 9-13​).​ ​One​ ​winner​ ​in​ ​both​ ​categories​ ​and​ ​three​ ​Honor​ ​Books​ ​have​ ​been​ ​named.

2018​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Teen​ ​Category
Long​ ​Way​ ​Down​ ​​by​ ​Jason​ ​Reynolds

2018​ ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Teen​ ​Category
You​ ​Bring​ ​the​ ​Distant​ ​Near​​ ​by​ ​Mitali​ ​Perkins
Disappeared​ ​​by​ ​Francisco​ ​X.​ ​Stork

2018​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category
Schomburg:​ ​The​ ​Man​ ​Who​ ​Built​ ​a​ ​Library​ ​​by​ ​Carole​ ​Boston​ ​Weatherford,​ ​illustrated​ ​by Eric​ ​Velasquez

2018​ ​Walter​ ​Honor,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category
Forest​ ​World​ ​​by​ ​Margarita​ ​Engle

The​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Ceremony​ ​will​ ​be​ ​held​ ​​Friday,​ ​March​ ​16,​ ​2018,​ ​in​ ​the​ ​James​ ​Madison Memorial​ ​Building​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​The​ ​newest​ ​National​ ​Ambassador​ ​for​ ​Young People’s​ ​Literature,​ ​Jacqueline​ ​Woodson,​ ​will​ ​serve​ ​as​ ​the​ ​Ceremony’s​ ​Emcee​ ​and​ ​Guest Speaker.

The​ ​Ceremony​ ​will​ ​be​ ​preceded​ ​by​ ​a​ ​symposium​ ​on​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature,​ ​co-hosted by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​​The​ ​symposium,​ ​titled​ ​“Seen​ ​and​ ​Heard:​ ​The​ ​Power​ ​of​ ​Books,”​ ​will be​ ​moderated​ ​by​ ​Newbery​ ​Medalist​ ​and​ ​bestselling​ ​author​ ​Linda​ ​Sue​ ​Park.

WNDB​ ​will​ ​be​ ​donating​ ​a​ ​minimum​ ​of​ ​2,000​ ​copies​ ​of​ ​each​ ​of​ ​the​ ​2018​ ​Walter​ ​Award-winning titles,​ ​​Long​ ​Way​ ​Down​​ ​and​ ​​Schomburg​,​ ​to​ ​schools​ ​with​ ​limited​ ​budgets​ ​across​ ​the​ ​United States.

The​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Award,​ ​also​ ​known​ ​as​ ​“The​ ​Walter,”​ ​is​ ​named​ ​for​ ​prolific​ ​children’s​ ​and young​ ​adult​ ​author​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​(1937-2014).​ ​Myers​ ​was​ ​the​ ​third​ ​National​ ​Ambassador for​ ​Young​ ​People’s​ ​Literature,​ ​appointed​ ​in​ ​2012​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Library​ ​of​ ​Congress.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​a​ ​champion of​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​books.​ ​The​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​honor​ ​Myers’​ ​memory​ ​and​ ​his​ ​literary heritage,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​celebrate​ ​diversity​ ​in​ ​children’s​ ​literature.

“Significant​ ​changes​ ​in​ ​the​ ​publishing​ ​industry​ ​have​ ​been​ ​especially​ ​visible​ ​with​ ​The​ ​Walters,” notes​ ​Ellen​ ​Oh, co-founder, President, and CEO of WNDB.​ ​“The​ ​eligible​ ​titles​ ​submitted​ ​over​ ​the​ ​last​ ​three years​ ​since​ ​the​ ​Awards’​ ​inception​ ​have​ ​increased​ ​dramatically,​ ​from​ ​50​ ​titles​ ​in​ ​2016,​ ​to​ ​almost 80​ ​in​ ​2017,​ ​to​ ​nearly​ ​200​ ​books​ ​that​ ​were​ ​considered​ ​for​ ​the​ ​2018​ ​Walters.​ ​The​ ​positive​ ​impact of​ ​the​ ​Walters​ ​feels​ ​like​ ​a​ ​fitting​ ​legacy​ ​to​ ​the​ ​late,​ ​great​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers.”

The​ ​2018​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee​ ​included​ ​the​ ​following​ ​seven​ ​members:​ ​Terry Hong​ ​(Co-Chair,​ ​Smithsonian​ ​BookDragon),​ ​Maria​ ​Salvadore​ ​(Co-Chair,​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Maryland, Politics​ ​&​ ​Prose​ ​Children’s​ ​Book​ ​Buyer),​ ​Derek​ ​Ivie​ ​(Youth​ ​Services​ ​Coordinator,​ ​Suffolk Cooperative​ ​Library​ ​System),​ ​Dora​ ​Maher​ ​(Information​ ​Specialist,​ ​San​ ​Diego​ ​Unified​ ​Schools), Nayantara​ ​Mhatre​ ​(Diversity​ ​&​ ​Social​ ​Studies​ ​Coordinator,​ ​Ethical​ ​Culture​ ​Fieldston​ ​School), Ruth​ ​Lowery​ ​(Associate​ ​Chair,​ ​Department​ ​of​ ​Teaching​ ​and​ ​Learning,​ ​Ohio​ ​State​ ​University), and​ ​Deborah​ ​Taylor​ ​(Youth​ ​Services​ ​Director,​ ​Enoch​ ​Pratt​ ​Free​ ​Library).​ ​Committee​ ​oversight was​ ​provided​ ​by​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Co-Director​ ​Kathie​ ​Weinberg.

For​ ​more​ ​information,​ ​please​ ​contact​ ​Caroline​ ​Richmond​ ​at carolinerichmond@wndb.local​​ ​or​ ​Steph​ ​Sinkhorn​ ​at​ ​​sesinkhorn@wndb.local​​ .