The Schneider Family Book Award is an award given by the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
(ALA) recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellence of portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth. There is a category for
children's books
A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
, books appealing to
middle grade readers and for
young adult literature
Young adult fiction (YA) is a category of fiction written for readers from 12 to 18 years of age. While the genre is primarily targeted at adolescents, approximately half of YA readers are adults.
The subject matter and genres of YA correlate ...
. The award has been given since 2004. The award was founded by Dr. Katherine Schneider, who was the first
blind student to graduate from the
Kalamazoo Public School system.
Schneider had been helped through school as a child by a
librarian
A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users.
The role of the librarian has changed much over time, ...
at the Michigan Library for the Blind who provided books in
Braille
Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are Blindness, blind, Deafblindness, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on Paper embossing, embossed paper ...
to her.
The award is given out annually and the winners are announced at the ALA Midwinter Meeting.
Criteria
*The person with the disability may be the protagonist or a secondary character
*Definition of disability: Dr. Schneider has intentionally allowed for a broad interpretation by her wording, the book “must portray some aspect of living with a disability, whether the disability is physical, mental, or emotional.” This allows each committee to decide on the qualifications of particular titles.
*Books with death as the main theme are generally disqualified.
*The books must be published in English.
*The award may be given posthumously.
*Term of eligibility extends to publications from the preceding year.
*Books previously discussed and voted on are not eligible again.
Winners
References
External links
Official site
{{ALA(library)
American children's literary awards
Young adult literature awards
American Library Association awards
Awards established in 2004
2004 establishments in the United States
English-language literary awards
Lists of books