Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo Wins Two National Literary Awards
Leven Thumps and the Gateway to Foo, published by local publisher Shadow Mountain, captured two critical national book awards—a Benjamin Franklin Award for 2005 Best Juvenile Fiction, and Book of the Year Award for Best Audio Fiction, awarded by ForeWord Magazine. Both prestigious literary awards were announced last week at the annual BookExpo America convention in Washington, DC.
The awards recognize excellence in independent publishing as juried by librarians, booksellers, and publishing professionals. These awards are a continuation of the praise and success Leven Thumps has enjoyed since its publication in April of 2005.
Leven Thumps has also been recommended by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, as a recommended read for “fans of Harry Potter.”
Additionally, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing will release a trade paperback edition in late June this year under the Aladdin imprint. Book two of the series, Leven Thumps and the Whispered Secret, will be released in hardcover by Shadow Mountain in late September 2006.
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About the Benjamin Franklin Awards
Named in honor of America’s most cherished publisher and printer, the Benjamin Franklin Award recognizes excellence in independent publishing. Publications, grouped by genre, are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. A panel of more than 150 judges from throughout the publishing industry evaluates more than 1,600 submissions in 52 categories to create the list of finalists for the 2005 publishing year. Publishers large and small from across the nation, Canada and Mexico compete for the coveted Benjamin Franklin Awards.
About the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards
Founded in 1997, ForeWord Magazine is the only literary review trade journal devoted exclusively to covering independent presses. ForeWord Magazine is a bi-monthly publication reaching approximately 8,000 librarians, booksellers, agents, and other industry professionals. ForeWord''s Book of the Year Awards, which began in 1998, has become one of the most prestigious honors for independent presses and their authors. From hundreds of entries, a jury of librarians and booksellers select the top three entries in 53 categories based on editorial excellence and professional production as well as the originality of the narrative and the value the book adds to its genre.
