For Immediate Release
Half Brother wins CLA’s Book of
the Year for Children Award
(Ottawa, April 15, 2011) – From
a superb collection of children’s literature produced by
Canadian authors and publishers in 2010, the Canadian
Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliotheques (CLA/ACB)
has selected its 2011 winning title for the Book of the Year for
Children Award. This year’s winner is Half Brother
by Kenneth Oppel, published by HarperCollins.
Thirteen-year-old Ben Tomlin is at first annoyed that he is to
become a big brother to Zan, a baby chimpanzee that his behavioral
scientist parents intend to raise as a human and a member of their
family, but he soon becomes attached to the mischievous fellow. Within
months the chimp is "speaking" in signs, and Ben joins the team of
students helping with the experiment, acting not only an older brother
but also as a junior researcher. Then the project loses its funding
Xan’s place in the family is threatened. But what exactly is the
right placement for a chimp that thinks he’s
human?
"Oppel’s
provocative story introduces readers to a moral dilemma that has no easy
answer," commented Kay Weisman, Chair of the Book of the Year for
Children Award Committee. Set in Victoria, British Columbia in 1973,
Oppel convincingly explores the ethics of removing animals from their
natural habitats and manipulating them for our own needs, complex family
dynamics, and ultimately, what it means to be human.
The CLA’s Book of
the Year for Children Award has also selected two Honour Books this
year: Dear George Clooney Please Marry My Mom by Susin
Nielsen (published by Tundra Books) and The Secret Fiend
by Shane Peacock (also published by Tundra Books).
Dear George Clooney Please Marry My
Mom is Nielsen’s third children’s
book, following Hank and Fergus (2003) and Word Nerd (2009).
Twelve-year-old Violet is angry that her father has abandoned the family
for a blond trophy wife and young twins in Los Angeles. Complicating
matters, her mother has started dating Dudley Wiener, the nerdy owner of
a local bath shop. In desperation, Violet schemes to get actor George
Clooney to rescue Mom from her disastrous relationships. By turns
poignant, outrageous, and funny, Nielsen has a keen ear for teen dialog
and exposes the fallout from divorce.
The Secret Fiend is Shane
Peacock’s fourth book in The Boy Sherlock Holms series, following
Eye of the Crow (2007), Death in the Air (2008), and
Vanishing Girl (2009). Set in a period of political and social
upheaval in England, this book introduces an unidentified nocturnal
criminal known as the Spring-Heeled Jack. When someone fitting
Jack’s description assaults an acquaintance of Sherlock’s,
he finds himself on the trail of this fantastical marauder.
Sherlock’s character continues to develop in this book and Peacock
offers a cinematic view of Victorian London. Like the city, Sherlock can
be dark, moody, and unpredictable, and Peacock offers readers a
suspenseful tale full of action and surprising emotional
depth.
The CLA award committee
salutes the efforts and accomplishments of all Canadian writers of
children’s literature and their publishers for providing our
children with an exceptional collection of quality books that easily
meets the interests and reading abilities of all children.
The CLA Children’s
Book of the Year Award has been presented annually since its inception
in 1947 to recognize excellence in children’s books written and
published in Canada during the preceding year. This year’s award,
generously sponsored by Library Services Centre of Kitchener, Ontario,
will be presented to Kenneth Oppel for Half Brother on May 26,
2011, during the CLA National Conference and Tradeshow in Halifax. The
Book Award Reception is generously sponsored by TD Bank
Group.
The Canadian Library
Association / Association canadienne des bibliotheques is Canada’s
largest national and broad-based library association, representing the
interests of public, academic, school and special libraries,
professional librarians and library workers, and all those concerned
with enhancing the quality of life of Canadians through information and
literacy.
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Media Contact: Kay Weisman
Chair, Book of the Year for Children Award Committee
weismankay@gmail.com
