Coretta Scott King Award Book

According to Brown and Tomlinson in Essentials of Children's Literature (2005), there are two Coretta Scott King Awards. One honors the writing in the book, the other honors the illustrations. Brown and Tomlinson (2005) define the Coretta Scott King Award for writing as, "Outstanding inspirational and educational contribution to literature for children and young people by an African-American author published in the previous year." The illustration award states the same only it names an illustrator instead. This award was developed in 1970 (Brown and Tomlinson, 2005). Like the Newbery and Caldecott Awards, the Coretta Scott King award may recognize books that receive the honor but do not receive the award/medal. For lack of a better term, these are the second or third place finishers.

1999 Winner:

Heaven

By: Angela Johnson

This book is a moving tale of a young girl who leads a "normal" life until one day she finds out it is all a lie. Marley is a fourteen year old girl with the world at her fingertips. She has a family that loves her, friends that support her, and is carefree as can be. She lives the life that most young girls do, spending her time babysitting, Feather, or hanging out with her friends. Throughout the book, Marley receives and sends letters back and forth with her Uncle Jack. She is intrigued by his adventures. The world outside of her peaceful town of Heaven is not spoken of. Most of the people who are in Heaven are content to have found themselves there and don't see a reason for leaving. Marley is content to spend her days following around her buddy, Shoogy, who she doesn't quite understand but loves anyway. Shoogy, seems to live the perfect life, but Marley soon realizes that maybe her own life isn't as bad as it seems. Sometimes having everything around you be true perfection isn't all it seems. Marley's world gets turned upside down when her "parents" reveal a secret to her that she wishes she would have been told years ago. This story takes you through her pain and tugs at your heartstrings. As complicated as it seems, Marley finds a way to make Heaven her home again.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a heartwarming tale of love and family relationships. The friendships that Marley shares reminds me of the ones I had growing up. The awkward banter between her and her brother reminds me of the desperate conversations my brother and I had when we were young. We always found a way to connect even if we didn't have a lot to say. Overall, this book touched my heart and reminded me of how important a family is. Whatever type of family system you grew up in, if you call them your family they are your family; whether they are blood relatives or not.

This book stands out amongst other books because it handles a very touchy subject with tenderness and maturity. I imagine that a fourteen year old would have acted as Marley did in the book right down to the lack of words to the uncontrollable tears. The author did an exceptional job of portraying a young woman in the heartache of betrayal. I could feel Marley's confusion and frustration.

From this book I realized that I am intrigued by books that do not relate to my own life. I enjoyed being able to experience the life of someone else through this author's work. Marley's life was different than the one I live in, but I loved being able to see how she viewed the world around her. I found it very interesting to unfold the events in her life with her and imagine how she must have felt.

This book addresses diversity because it helps the reader experience the life of someone who is dealing with a dilemma that is not something that happens everyday. This book allows the reader to see the world through the eyes of a young woman who has just found out the world she has lived in for fourteen years is not what it seemed to be after all. As stated in Essentials of Children's Literature (2005), "Part of growing up involves the discovery that not all people are the same; part of becoming a healthy and humane adult is accepting the differences in oneself and in others." Throughout this entire book, Marley is recognizing the differences in her life and the lives of Shoogy and Bobby. Although, she wants to know more about their pasts, Marley is content to resolve that they are different from her. Each of their pasts have led them to the point that they are when they meet. This book addressed diversity by allowing me to see through the eyes of a young, African American woman. This book helped me to understand her life and the way she saw the world. Not to mention, I was able to learn about the life of a single father, and a "cutter" in this story. Overall, my eyes were opened to many new lifestyles that I was not originally in tune with.