The following links will provide information on the award,

the requirements for nomination, and much more!

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/sibertmedal/index.cfm

http://www.ala.org/Template.cfm?Section=Home&template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=21608 http://www.library.pitt.edu/libraries/is/enroom/awards/sibert.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sibert_Medal Things We Found Interesting about the Sibert AwardWhile reading our books for this award, we noticed a few common factors to their classification as Sibert Honor Books and Medal Winners. Essentially, all of these books can be categorized as informational books. Yet one thing that caught us off guard, was that each book had a story to tell. Each work had a plot and obstacles to overcome. While some of the books on the Sibert list seemed daunting and a bit boring at first, each book was enthralling, and we found ourselves becoming engrossed in reading each of them. Some of us read more of the books just for fun! Many of the books can be placed in their own genres, such as autobiography, history, science, and art. The common link between these genres, however, was the historicism behind each piece. Each piece had a true back story, one that helped develop the main characters of each work, and each of the back stories were based on historical fact. Also, one key link between the science based books was that in each one, there were diagrams, detailed photos, and charts, making it easier for young readers to understand the material. As they were informational, each book was filled with definitions unlike typical textbooks. The writers would say a concept, or a technical term, and then define it within the context of the work. This technique made each book exceptionally easy to read. Award Winning and Nominated Books My Season with Penguins by Sophie Webb
2001 Honor Book
My season with Penguins is a compilation of an artists journey. Sophie Webb travels to the cold climate plain of Antartica. Throughout her two-month stay she observes, records and draws her new found animal friends.




The Brooklyn Bridgeby Lynn Curlee
2002 Honor Book

Brooklyn Bridge provides detailed information on the process of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built. A fourteen-year project now stands as on of the most popular world landmarks.


Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
2003 Honor Book
This book is a documented look into the past of a man destined for failure. After being imprisoned at a young age, Jack Gantos re-tells his story and how he turned his life around and become a well known author.


To Dance: A Ballerina's Graphic Novel written by Siena Cherson Siegel, artwork by Mark Siege
2007 Honor Book
This is a story of Siena Siegel, her dream of becoming a prima ballerina, and how she overcame her obstacles to make her dream a reality.


What to Do About Alice by Barbra Kerley
2009 Medal Winner
This is an entertaining bibliography about Alice, President Theodore Rooesevelts daughter and their chaotic life in the WHite House.


Team Moon:How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh
2007 Medal Winner
This is an in depth behind the scenes look into the first Apollo moon landing, from the first ideas to the final landing.


Sequoyah by James Rumford
2005 Honor Book
This is the telling of the tale of Sequoyah in 1958, and the struggles he dealt with in creating the Cherokee writing. Though crippled he was able to be strong and stand tall resulting in the beautiful Sequoia trees taking his namesake.


The Tararantula Scientist by Sy Montogomery
2005 Honor Book
This is a documentary of Sam Marshall's research and findings, dealing with the tarantula.


An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
2004 Medal Winner
An account of the Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793. A deadly outbreak of influenza in Philadelphia kills thousands of people, and threatens the newborn United States of America, forcing President Washington to flee the city.


Six Days in October: The Stock Market Crash of 1929 by Karen Blumenthal
2003 Honor Book
A compilation of stories from people who lived the Crash of '29, and the "hows" and "whys" about Black Tuesday, and how a series of bad economic moves brought the United States to its knees, causing millions of people to lose everything they had.


Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
2002 Medal Winner
An historical account of mid-19th century Ireland, English despotism, and the mysterious blight that rendered the staple diet of the Irish inedible, killing one million, and sending two million refugees abroad.


Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
2006 Honor Book
The recounting of growing up in Nazi-Germany, and the excitement and fury surrounding the notorious Hitler Youth. It explores the memories of those who lived during the Third Reich's rise to power and its ultimate demise.


Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps by Andrea Warren
2002 Honor Book
A biography of Jack Mendelbaum, a young Polish Jew in the years preceding World War II. Jack recounts his childhood, Hitler's rise to power, and the horrible atrocities of the death camps, and how, against all odds, he survived.


Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving the Mysteries of the H.L. Hunleyby Sally M. Walker
2008 Medal Winner
A scientific and historic exploration of the Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley, the first sub to destroy an enemy ship, and also the search and reclamation of the Hunley after its discovery in Charleston Bay in 1995.


I Face The Windwritten by Vicki Cobb, illustrated by Julia Gorton
2004 Honor Book
This book introduces the wind, how it works and functions, through a series of hands-on activities it teaches how to understand something you cannot see.


The Wall: Growing Up behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sís
2008 Medal Winner
The tale of a young boy growing up in Czechoslavakia during the time of the Cold War struggling with what his government is telling him is right and what he feels. He knows he is destined to be an artist but is constantly being censored.

Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned By Judd Winick

2001 Honor Book

Pedro and Me is a tale about a young man's journey to bring health awareness to young people.

Blizzard! The Storm That Changed America By Jim Murphy

2001 Honor Book

The Longitude Prize By Joan Dash

2001 Honor Book

Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El DoradoBy Marc Aronson

2001 Medal Winner

Vincent Van Gogh By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

2002 Honor Book

When Marian Sang By Pam Muñoz

2003 Honor Book

Marian must break down the walls of racism by using, the only weapon she has, her voice.

Action Jackson By Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

2003 Honor Book

Walt Whitman: Words for America By Barbara Kerley

2005 Honor Book

The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights By Russel Freedman

2005 Medal Winner

Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea By Sy Montgomery

2007 Honor Book

Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the Civil Rights Movement By Ann Bausum

2007 Honor Book

Spiders By Nic Bishop

2008 Honor Book

Lightship By Brian Floca

2008 Honor Book

Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glaciers and the Recovery of the Past By James M. Deem

2009 Honor Book

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball By Kadir Nelson

2009 Medal Winner

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream By Tanya Lee Stone

2010 Medal Winner

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand New Colors By Chris Barton

2010 Honor Book

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 By Brian Floca

2010 Honor Book

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice By Phillip Hoose

2010 Honor Book