Lerner Publishing Group Wins Michael L. Printz and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor

Lerner Publishing Group has received two 2016 American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards. The ALA announced at the Midwinter Meeting in Boston today that Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez is the recipient of a Michael L. Printz Honor, and The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie is the recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor.

Out of Darkness, written by Ashley Hope Pérez and published in 2015 by Carolrhoda Lab-a line of distinctive fiction for young adults from Carolrhoda Books-is the recipient of a Michael L. Printz Honor, which awards books that exemplify literary excellence in young adult literature. Named one of School Library Journal's Best Books of 2015 and one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Teen Books of 2015, Out of Darkness takes the facts of the 1937 New London school explosion-the worst school disaster in American history-as the backdrop for a riveting novel about segregation, love, family, and the forces that destroy people.

The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore, written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, and published in 2015 by Carolrhoda Books, is the recipient of a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, which is given annually to an African American illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions. This picture book from the author and illustrator of the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book No Crystal Stair follows Lewis Michaux Jr. as he watches his father run the National African Bookstore. R. Gregory Christie's rich, atmospheric artwork was honored with starred reviews in Booklist and Kirkus, and The Book Itch was also named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Children's Books of 2015.

"We are thrilled to receive a Michael L. Printz Honor and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor in the same year," said Adam Lerner, Lerner Publishing Group president and publisher. "The quality and diverse stories that Out of Darkness and The Book Itch share are a treasure for readers of all ages. Congratulations to Ashley Hope Pérez and R. Gregory Christie on these well-deserved awards, and thank you to the Printz and Coretta Scott King committee members who fell in love with these books as much as we did."

More information about Out of Darkness and The Book Itch, including downloadable discussion guides and bookmarks, can be found at www.lernerbooks.com, or by contacting Lindsay Matvick, publicity manager, Lerner Publishing Group.

About Ashley Hope Pérez
Ashley Hope Pérez is the author of The Knife and the Butterfly and What Can't Wait, which Kirkus Reviews called "Un magnífico debut" and which was included on the American Librarian Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults list in 2012. Visit her online at ashleyperez.com.

About R. Gregory Christie
R. Gregory Christie's illustrations have earned him three Coretta Scott King Honors and two spots on the New York Times' annual Best Illustrated Children's Books lists. Greg has also illustrated numerous jazz album covers and is a regular contributor to the New Yorker magazine.

About Carolrhoda Lab
Carolrhoda Lab is dedicated to distinctive, provocative, boundary-pushing fiction for teens and their sympathizers. Carolrhoda Lab probes and examines the young-adult condition one novel at a time, affording YA authors and readers an opportunity to explore and experiment with thoughts, ideas, and paradigms in the human condition. Adolescence is an experience we share and a condition from which some of us never quite recover. All of us at Carolrhoda Lab are proud to proclaim our lifelong adolescence and our commitment to publishing exceptional fiction about the teenage experience.

About Carolrhoda Books
Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, creates high-quality fiction and nonfiction for children and young adults. Founded in 1959, Lerner Publishing Group is one of the nation's largest independent children's book publishers and currently has thirteen imprints and divisions. For more information, visit www.lernerbooks.com or call 800-328-4929.

Follow Lerner Publishing Group and Carolrhoda Books online:
Blog: www.lernerbooks.blogspot.com
Twitter: @LernerBooks and @CarolrhodaLab
Facebook: Lerner Publishing Group and Carolrhoda Lab

To purchase Out of Darkness or The Book Itch please visit your local bookstore, order by phone at 800-328-4929, or visit us online at www.lernerbooks.com.

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