Jackie, Jason, & Kwame w/Dr. Bickmore at LSU YA Lit Conference

If you haven’t read Jackie Woodson’s “Brown Girl Dreaming” or Jason Reynolds’ “When I Was the Greatest” or Virginia’s Own Kwame Alexander’s “Crossover,” then hurry up and get on the bandwagon!  All 3 authors won the highest awards available for children’s and young adult fiction from the American Library Association.  Jackie won the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery Honor for 2015, after winning the National Book Award.  Jason won the Coretta Scott King Honor Award, and Kwame took home the gold….the 2015 Newbery Award!  Dr. Bickmore (3rd from left, is the organizer of the Louisiana State University Young Adult Literature Conference.  I don’t know who grabbed who, but I’m glad they got the picture taken together at the conference last fall!  It’s amazing none of them knew what was in store for them….except Jackie of course who won the National Book Award for Children’s Books, which is awarded in the fall.