Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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%ht 6amccocli American Library Association honors top children’s books by Greg Toppo Associated Press WASHINGTON—A series of vignettes set in Depression-era rural Illinois about a 15-year-old girl and her schemii% grand mother took top honors in children’s lit erature Monday from the American Li brary Association. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck won the association’s 2000 John Newbery Medal. David Small, illustrator of So You Want To Be President? won the Ran dolph Caldecott Medal for most distin guished picture book, the association’s other top honor. Small’s illustrations, a mix of water color, ink and pastel chalk, suggest po litical cartoons, producing wry personal portraits of the presidents. The book, called a “spiffy presi dential history” by Booklist, is written by Judith St George. A Year Down Yonder, the sequel to Peck’s Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago, tells the story of 15 year-old Mary Alice, who is sent from Chicago to live for a year in 1937 with her grandmother after Mary Alice’s fa ther loses his job. Mary Alice soon finds herself involved in her grandmoth er’s many oddball schemes. The Horn Book, which reviews chil dren’s books, called the stories “wise, exuberant and slyly heartwarming.” Peck, 66, who lives in New York, has written more than 20 novels for teenagers. His first book, Don’t Look and it Won’t Hurt, published in 1972, was adapt ed into the 1992 film Gas Food Lodging. He is also the author of four novels for adults. In an interview Monday, Peck said, “My cause and my joy is writing for younger teens — middle school is the age at which we lose most people to read ing.... I want to write to encourage read ing through that time, because neither parents nor schools are doing the Job. This is the age at which parents stop attend ing PTA meetings, and I want to be there, to encourage reading.” Peck said he makes sure all of his books include older characters. “This is a generation of young peo ple who no longer have to write thank you notes for gifts from grandparents, and so they rob themselves of their own roots. I give them elders — an eccentric cast of strong grandparental figures.” In other honors announced at the ALA’s midwinter meeting: Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer; The Wanderer by Sharon Creech; Because ofWinn-Dbdeby Kate DiCamil lo; and Joey Pigza Loses Control, by Jack Gantos. Three Caldecott Honor Books also were named: Casey at the Bat: A Bal lad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888, illustrated by Christopher Bing, written by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type, illustrated by Bet sy Lewin, written by Doreen Cronin; and Olivia, written and illustrated by Ian Fal coner. Jacqueline Woodson, author of Mir acle Boys, and Bryan Collier, illustrator for Uptown, were named the 2001 winners of the Coretta Scott King Awards honoring black authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults. The Newbery Medal was named for 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished contri bution to American literature for chil dren The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of 19th-century English illustra tor Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded an nually to the artist of the most distin guished American picture book for children. Hong Kong from page A7 Officials at Hong Kong’s Chek Lap Kok airport became suspicious that her Chinese passport was fake and began interrogating Lin. Lin, now 18, told the court Mon day that she was pressured into signing immigration documents as Chan Lai na, the name of a schoolmate of hers. I Lin said the interpreter raised his voice and warned, “If you do not sign, you will be sent back to mainland China and face a firing squad or be put behind bars in Hong Kong for the rest of your life.” On the orders of the interpreter, Lin said, she wrote two statements in sim plified Chinese characters, copying ex actly what the interpreter had written on two other pieces of blank paper. “I understand that my real name is Chan Lai-na. I was bom on Sept. 24,1983, in Fuzhou,” Lin wrote, using a false birth day. She also wrote: “I do not have the right of abode in Hong Kong. Please arrange for me to return to mainland Chi na as soon as possible.” The Chinese-born Lin said she was told that if she used the wrong birthday, she would go immediately back to the United States. Lin said she believed what the inter preter said because “he is also a native of Fuzhou.” Lin said she also believed the real Chan Lai-na, a good friend and school mate, would be coming through Hong Kong two days later after a visit to Fuzhou and would be able to help prove her iden tity. Lin said a plainclothes officer also talked of beatings as he ordered her to write down Chan’s name as her own. “If you were a male, I would have hit you,” Lin quoted the officer as say- ^ mg Hong Kong has been part of China since Britain relinquished its former colony in July 1997, but the capitalist bastion has a vastly different legal system from the communist mainland. Border con trols remain in place. -1 A# Compete in the • C. B.C.T. Quiz Bowl with questions from Pnr* Pnlfimi T itAratnrp -r-7-7-D-7 Math, Music, etc College Bowl Campus Tournament SpmmJb,.. January 31 - February 1 RUSSELL at the Russell House HOUSE Teams of 4-5 students needed UNIVERSITY UNION university of south Carolina Registration Deadline Friday, January 26 Applications available at the RHUU Information Center or call 777-8182for more information. © 2000 Playboy I v. ?!