I had the pleasure of being in Boston this Monday when the American Library Association (ALA) announced their winners of some of the biggest book awards of the year. Now I am sure you all have clapped about a lot of things --- your favorite movie, game, or music performance. Well, this morning all the clapping --- and cheering --- was about BOOKS! And trust me, the crowd was really excited. I found myself yelling very loudly when the books I knew were announced. As booklovers, you would have been doing the same thing.

What also made me smile was when I recognized so many of the books that won. The voting for these awards is SUPER secret, so it's VERY exciting when the titles and authors are announced.

Read on for all the winners, and share this with your teachers, school librarians and local librarians. And then check out these books if you have not already.

Enjoy...clap clap clap! (I want to hear you clapping here in New York!)

Carol Fitzgerald for Kidsreads.com

The John Newbery Medal honors the author of the year's most outstanding contribution to children's literature. Presented every year since 1922, the Medal is named for 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery. Henrik Van Loon won the first Newbery Medal in 1922 for THE STORY OF MANKIND. Receiving the Newbery Medal virtually guarantees that the winning book will remain in print and on library and bookstore shelves for years to come.

The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal was awarded for the first time in 2001 to Marc Aronson for SIR WALTER RALEIGH AND THE QUEST FOR EL DORADO. It is given to honor the authors, illustrators and/or photographers of the most distinguished informational book published for children in the preceding year. Informational books are defined as those written and illustrated to present, organize and interpret documentable factual material. The award is named in honor of Robert F. Sibert, the long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc. of Jacksonville, Illinois.

-This year's winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal is ALMOST ASTRONAUTS: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone.

-Three Robert F. Sibert Honor Books were named: CLAUDETTE COLVIN: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose, THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Tony Persiani, and MOONSHOT: The Flight of Apollo 11 written and illustrated by Brian Floca.

The Coretta Scott King Awards honor African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults that demonstrate sensitivity to "the African American experience via literature and illustration." The books --- fiction or nonfiction --- must have been published in the year prior to the award.

-This year's winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award is Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, author of BAD NEWS FOR OUTLAWS: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.

-One Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book was named: MARE'S WAR by Tanita S. Davis.

-This year's winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award is Charles R. Smith Jr., author of MY PEOPLE, written by Langston Hughes.

-One Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book was named: THE NEGRO SPEAKS OF RIVERS written by Langston Hughes and illustrated by E.B. Lewis.

-The winner of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Author Talent Award is Kekla Magoon, author of THE ROCK AND THE RIVER.

The Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production is presented to the producer of the best audiobook produced for youth available in English in the United States. The first Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production was given in January 2008. Honor titles may also be selected. The award is jointly administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist magazine.

-This year's winner of the Odyssey Award is LOUISE, THE ADVENTURES OF A CHICKEN written by Kate DiCamillo and narrated by Barbara Rosenblat.

-Three Odyssey Honor Books were named: IN THE BELLY OF THE BLOODHOUND: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of Jacky Faber written by L.A. Meyer and narrated by Katherine Kellgren, PEACE, LOCOMOTION written by Jacqueline Woodson and narrated by Dion Graham, and WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball written by Kadir Nelson and narrated by Dion Graham.