What do teenagers surviving alone on the streets of Toronto, a Revolutionary War traitor who makes historians nervous, and uniquely illustrated nursery rhymes have in common? They’re the books that won top honors in the 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards. The Awards were announced on June 13, 2011.

Presented annually since 1967, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards reward excellence in children’s and young adult literature and are given in three categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Picture Book.

The 2011 BGHB winners are:





 

Canadian author Tim Wynne-Jones, winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Fiction in 1995 for his short story collection, Some of the Kinder Planets, and a fiction honoree in 2007 for Rex Zero and the End of the World, has done it again with Blink & Caution. This gritty, suspenseful novel tells the story of two teens on the run from trouble at home who help each other survive the danger of the streets and overcome their haunting pasts.

Steve Sheinkin, history textbook writer, creator of graphic novels, and author of the irreverent King George: What Was His Problem? is a first-time winner for his insightful look at one of American history’s most perplexing figures in The Notorious Benedict Arnold.

Using an intricate tapestry of wool, felt, embroidery, beads, and various types of needlework to illustrate classic nursery rhymes, Salley Mavor’s Pocketful of Posies — a Horn Book Magazine Fanfare title in 2010 — is a feast for the eye.The 2011 Honor Books are:

               

 

Award-winning picture book author and illustrator team Joyce Sidman (Newbery Honor 2011) and Rick Allen, along with two-time Newbery Honor winner Jacqueline Woodson and illustrator Sophie Blackall are the picture-book honor recipients. Fiction honorees include previous BGHB award winner (The Folk Keeper, 2000) Franny Billingsley for Chime, a tale for young adults of magic, murder, and love; and Nigerian-born author Atinuke for her semi-autobiographical stories for younger readers in Anna Hibiscus. The nonfiction honor books use text and illustrations to help readers understand the past and wonder about the future: Into the Unknown recounts fourteen historical explorations and explains how each was carried out; Can We Save the Tiger? is a sensitive discussion of the conservation challenges that lay ahead.

The 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards judges:

The winners will receive their awards at the 2011 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards ceremony on Friday evening, September 30, 2011, at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. The following day, several of the recipients will also be participating in the Horn Book at Simmons colloquium, which examines the winners and honor books in the context of library and educational work with children and teens. The colloquium will be led by Horn Book Editor in Chief, Roger Sutton, and Cathryn M. Mercier, Associate Dean and Director of the Center for the Study of Children’s Literature at Simmons College. For more information visit www.hbook.com/bghb-hbas.

About the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards
All children’s and young adult books published in the United States between June 2010 and May 2011 were eligible for the award. The winning authors and illustrators may be citizens of any country. Winners in each category receive a cash prize and an engraved silver bowl. Honor recipients receive an engraved silver plate. The acceptance speeches of the award winners will be published in the January/February 2012 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.