National Book Award Longlist for Young People's Literature Announced

Earlier this week the National Book Foundation announced the longlist for young people's literature. This is the first year for the longlist. Usually five finalists are announced in October and the winner is revealed in November. This year The National Book Award finalists will be announced on October 16th and the winners will be named on November 20th, so you have plenty of time to read all of them.

This year's longlist of authors include former Printz and Newbery Medal honorees and winners and a lot of familiar faces. The topics in these books range from dark magic and wizards to saving squirrels to raccoon brothers to a post-nuclear-apocalyptic world set inside a a city that is a glass pyramid. Talk about an eclectic mix!

Kathi Appelt, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp 

Kate DiCamillo, Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures 

Lisa Graff, A Tangle of Knots 

Alaya Dawn Johnson, The Summer Prince

Cynthia Kadohata, The Thing About Luck 

David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing 

Tom McNeal, Far Far Away 

Meg Rosoff, Picture Me Gone 

Anne Ursu, The Real Boy 

Gene Luen Yang, Boxers & Saints 

There are three other categories for the National Book Awards and they include poetry, fiction and nonfiction. The 2012 winner in the young people's literature category was Goblin Secrets by William Alexander.

Who do you think will win? Which of these have you read? My favorite is David Levithan's Two Boys Kissing.