I just found out that Holly Black has won the very first Norton Award for her unbelievably fabulous novel, Valiant. Go Holly! You rule! Onya!
The Norton Award is one of the first US genre awards to specifically recognise young adult books. It’s been a long time coming and it couldn’t have gone to a more deserving winner. I reckon Andre Norton would be dead pleased.
I think so too. (Though I don’t think she would have liked the actual book–she was a lady of her day, and at first, when we began talking about the award, she wanted bad words and sex to disqualify a novel. But after I and several others talked to her about how things had changed in regard to such matters, and what really counted was a good story, yadda yadda, she finally agreed to leave off the stipulation. “A good story.” I think VALIANT fits that bill quite nicely, i do!
Yay for Holly, yay for Valiant, yay for YA recognition.
Sherwood: I had no idea Andre Norton was involved directly in setting up the award; I thougth it was created in her honour. That makes me like the award even more.
That’s great that despite her own principles you were able to persuade her to have less restrictive guidelines for the award. One of the problems with Australia’s most prestigious award, the Miles Franklin, is that Ms Franklin had it written into the award description that the book had to be about Australia, which has knocked out all sorts of amazing books by Australians over the years.
Little Willow: Isn’t it the best?
I love all of your books holly and I am doing a project about you! If you can send me something that would be so cool to put on my poster board.
Thanks,
Samantha Erwin.
I thhink you did a good job in all of your books! Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!