And the Nominees Are...

Okay, everyone loves the Fonz, so I won't say anything too snarky: This morning on the Today show, Henry Winkler talked about his newest... kid book... My Dog's a Scardey-Cat (Grosset & Dunlap, $13.99), title #10 of his Hank Zipzer (the World's Best Underachiever) YA series.
Not a word about "jumping the shark," people. Not a word.

You all see how much I adore you? I actually watched the video and had to stare at the oddly deflated Al Roker on the MSNBC website for several minutes, just so I could tell you who the nominees are for the Quills this year in young people's literature. (Actually, I couldn't figure out where the Nominees were, thus scalding my eyeballs with the vision. That won't happen again soon, I can tell you.)

Without further ado, the Nominees in the Children's Chapter Book/Middle Grade Category are...
Carl Hiaasen's Flush
Cornelia Funke's Inkspell, which is currently sitting on my nightstand;
Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,
Lemony Snicket's The Penultimate Peril (which is just such a cool title),
and Ptolemy's Gate, by Jonathan Stroud.

In the category of Young Adult/Teen, the Nominees Are...
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, which I think might win;
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock, (also on my bedside table);
Christopher Paolini's Eldest, which didn't impress me as much as it did the rest of humanity, apparently,
Gabrille Zevin's Elsewhere,
and Bay Area local Frank Portman's King Dork, which I can't wait to read

Authors at a black tie event, gaining the long sought-after celebrity once selfishly guarded by mere movie stars. It's all about you, writers.
Right? Right!
Uh-huh.