The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction is an annual American

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

award that recognizes

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

. It was established in 1982 by

Scott O'Dell Scott O'Dell (May 23, 1898 – October 15, 1989) was an American writer of 26 novels for young people, along with three novels for adults and four nonfiction books. He wrote historical fiction, primarily, including several children's novels ...

, author of ''

Island of the Blue Dolphins ''Island of the Blue Dolphins'' is a 1960 children's novel by American writer Scott O'Dell, which tells the story of a 23 year-old girl named Karana, who is stranded alone for years on an island off the California coast. It is based on the true ...

'' and 25 other children's books, in hopes of increasing young readers' interest in the history that shaped their

nation A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...

and their world. Eligibility for the award requires that a book be written in English for children or young adults, published by an American publisher, and the author must be a United States citizen. The award is recognized in the United States by publishers of children's literature and young adult literature, the American Library Association, and the Assembly for Literature of Adolescents.

Selection committee

The annual selection from qualifying books is made by the O'Dell Committee.

Zena Sutherland Zena Sutherland (1915 – June 12, 2002) was an American reviewer of children's literature. She is best known for her contributions to the ''Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books'' and as the author of the library science textbook ''Childr ...

— who was Professor Emeritus of

Children's Literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

— headed the committee from its formation in 1982 until her death in 2002. The committee currently consists of three people:

Chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Roger Sutton, Editor in Chief of ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

''; Ann Carlson, Librarian at Oak Park and River Forest High School; and Deborah Stevenson, Editor of ''The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books''.

History

No award was given in 1982 and 1983, as the committee felt that "no books of sufficient merit had been published".

Elizabeth George Speare Elizabeth George Speare (November 21, 1908 – November 15, 1994) was an American writer of children's books, best known for historical novels including two Newbery Medal winners. She has been called one of America's 100 most popular writers ...

was the first recipient, receiving the award for her book, '' The Sign of the Beaver'', a tale of

wilderness survival Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

. The award has been presented every year since 1984. O'Dell himself won the award in 1987 for ''Streams to the River, River to the Sea'', his fictional retelling of the story of

Sacagawea Sacagawea ( or ; also spelled Sakakawea or Sacajawea; May – December 20, 1812 or April 9, 1884)Sacagawea
...

Louise Erdrich Louise Erdrich ( ; born Karen Louise Erdrich, June 7, 1954) is an American author of novels, poetry, and children's books featuring Native American characters and settings. She is an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indian ...

has won the award twice, in 2006 and in 2013.

Winners

Documents

*Submission Information. *2007 Committee Press Release.

References

{{Reflist

External links