The Minnesota Book Awards was created over two decades ago by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as part of a larger festival of the book.
Books created by writers, illustrators or book artists who are Minnesotans are eligible for Minnesota Book Awards. The Awards are given each year for books published in the previous year. For instance, the winners in 2008 were books published in 2007. The Book Awards process begins with nominations, which are received from authors, publishers and others from throughout the state. From the nominated works, Award finalists are chosen by panels of preliminary round judges. Award winners are then selected by different, final round, judging panels. Over the years of the Book Awards program, the categories of Award winners and the number of finalists has varied from year to year.
The Friends maintain an excellent web site that is well worth a visit. It includes a page offering downloads of reading notes about for the Minnesota Book Award Winners for the last few years, very thoughtful.
For vistors from outside the USA, Minnesota is the 12th biggest state in the country with a population of about 5 million. The capital is St. Paul.
22nd Minnesota Book Award winners 2010
Results of the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Award organised by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and the city of St. Paul.
Joyce Sidman won for "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
," which was a Caldecott honor book this year. St. Paul writer Marlon James won for "The Book of Night Women
," which was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction.
The winners were selected from a pool of 250 books nominated and narrowed to 32 finalists
• Children's literature, sponsored by Books for Africa: "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors," by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Sidman is the author of several books for children, including "Songs of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems
," which was a Caldecott Honor book
• General nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO: "I Go to America: Swedish Women and the Life of Mina Anderson
," by Joy K. Lintelman (Minnesota Historical Society Press). Lintelman is a professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead.
• Genre fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management Inc.: "Jelly's Gold
," by David Housewright (Minotaur/St. Martin's). Housewright has won an Edgar and a Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction.
• Memoir and creative nonfiction: "The Wolf at Twilight
," by Kent Nerburn (New World Library). Nerburn has written a dozen books on spirituality and Indian themes.
• Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy: "Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving,
" by Cary J. Griffith (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press). Griffith writes about the outdoors.
Joyce Sidman won for "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
," which was a Caldecott honor book this year. St. Paul writer Marlon James won for "The Book of Night Women," which was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction. The winners were selected from a pool of 250 books nominated and narrowed to 32 finalists
Minnesota Book Award winners
Results of the 22nd annual Minnesota Book Award organised by the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library and the city of St. Paul.
Joyce Sidman won for "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors," which was a Caldecott honor book this year. St. Paul writer Marlon James won for "The Book of Night Women," which was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction.
The winners were selected from a pool of 250 books nominated and narrowed to 32 finalists
The full list of winners:
• Children's literature, sponsored by Books for Africa: "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors," by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Sidman is the author of several books for children, including "Songs of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems," which was a Caldecott Honor book
• General nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO: "I Go to America: Swedish Women and the Life of Mina Anderson," by Joy K. Lintelman (Minnesota Historical Society Press). Lintelman is a professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead.
• Genre fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management Inc.: "Jelly's Gold," by David Housewright (Minotaur/St. Martin's). Housewright has won an Edgar and a Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction.
• Memoir and creative nonfiction: "The Wolf at Twilight," by Kent Nerburn (New World Library). Nerburn has written a dozen books on spirituality and Indian themes.
• Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy: "Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving," by Cary J. Griffith (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press). Griffith writes about the outdoors.
Joyce Sidman won for "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
," which was a Caldecott honor book this year. St. Paul writer Marlon James won for "The Book of Night Women," which was a finalist for a National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction. The winners were selected from a pool of 250 books nominated and narrowed to 32 finalists
The full list of winners:
• Children's literature, sponsored by Books for Africa: "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
," by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Sidman is the author of several books for children, including "Songs of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems," which was a Caldecott Honor book• General nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO: "I Go to America: Swedish Women and the Life of Mina Anderson
," by Joy K. Lintelman (Minnesota Historical Society Press). Lintelman is a professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead.• Genre fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management Inc.: "Jelly's Gold
," by David Housewright (Minotaur/St. Martin's). Housewright has won an Edgar and a Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction.• Memoir and creative nonfiction: "The Wolf at Twilight
," by Kent Nerburn (New World Library). Nerburn has written a dozen books on spirituality and Indian themes.• Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy: "Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving,
" by Cary J. Griffith (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press). Griffith writes about the outdoors.
Posted by Kevin Park
• Children's literature, sponsored by Books for Africa: "Red Sings From Treetops: A Year in Colors
," by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Sidman is the author of several books for children, including "Songs of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems," which was a Caldecott Honor book• General nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO: "I Go to America: Swedish Women and the Life of Mina Anderson
," by Joy K. Lintelman (Minnesota Historical Society Press). Lintelman is a professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead.• Genre fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management Inc.: "Jelly's Gold
," by David Housewright (Minotaur/St. Martin's). Housewright has won an Edgar and a Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction.• Memoir and creative nonfiction: "The Wolf at Twilight
," by Kent Nerburn (New World Library). Nerburn has written a dozen books on spirituality and Indian themes.• Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy: "Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving,
" by Cary J. Griffith (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press). Griffith writes about the outdoors.
21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards Winners- 25th April
Tragic blog comment "Minnesota Book Awards Quake with Quality as Sister Act Wins Big
Novel & Short Story: The Plague of Doves: A Novel
Children’s Literature: - The House in the Night
General Nonfiction:- The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald's Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction: The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir
Genre Fiction: - Stalking Susan: A Novel
Young People’s Literature: Twelve Long Months
Minnesota: Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota
Poetry: National Monuments (American Indian Studies)
21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards Finalists
Comment 'Minnesota Book Awards Finalists- Very Tasty' , Tragic Blog
Chosen on Saturday, January 31, by 24 judges from around the state, the finalists in the following categories are:
Children’s Literature:
- My Friend, the Starfinder
- Henry's Amazing Imagination
- Monkey with a Tool Belt
General Nonfiction:
- A Hard-Water World: Ice Fishing and Why We Do It
- Potluck Paradise: Favorite Fare from Church and Community Cookbooks
- You Have Been Kind Enough to Assist Me: Herman Stern and the Jewish Refugee Crisis
Genre Fiction:
- A Carrion Death (Harper/HarperCollins Publishers) by Michael Stanley
- Phantom Prey (Lucas Davenport)
- Red Knife: A Cork O'Connor Mystery
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction:
- The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir
- Madness: A Bipolar Life
- Renaming the Earth: Personal Essays (Camino Del Sol)
- Swallow the Ocean: A Memoir
Minnesota:
- Crossing the Canal: An Illustrated History of Duluth's Aerial Bridge
- Landscapes of Minnesota: A Geography
- Minnesota on the Map: A Historical Atlas
Novel & Short Story:
- Famous Suicides of the Japanese Empire
- Shelter Half
- The Soul Thief (Vintage Contemporaries)
Poetry:
- Milk and Tides
- The Sound of It (Many Voices Project)
- Yellowrocket: Poems
Young People’s Literature:
- Black Box
- Julia Gillian (and The Art Of Knowing)
- Saturday Night Dirt: A MOTOR Novel (Motor Novels)
Award winners will be announced at the 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 25, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in downtown Saint Paul. The opening reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 and will be available Monday, February 2 by visiting www.thefriends.org or calling 651-222-3242.
2008 Minnesota Book Award Winners
2008 Award for Children’s Literature
Sponsored by Xcel Energy
Winner: Lynne Jonell
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
Henry Holt and Company
Other Finalists
Catherine Friend
The Perfect Nest
Candlewick Press
Jill Kalz
Farmer Cap
Picture Window Books*
Mia Posada
Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg
Millbrook Press/Lerner Publishing Group*
2008 Award for General Nonfiction
Sponsored by Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle, Ltd.
Winner: Charles Baxter
The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot
Graywolf Press*
Other Finalists
James Dawes
That the World May Know: Bearing Witness to Atrocity
Harvard University Press
Wing Young Huie
Looking for Asian America: An Ethnocentric Tour
University of Minnesota Press*
Jim Walsh
The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting – An Oral History
Voyageur Press/MBI Publishing Company*
2008 Award for Minnesota
Sponsored by Marquette Financial Companies
Winner: Doug Hoverson
Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota
University of Minnesota Press*
Other Finalists
Annette Atkins
Creating Minnesota: A History from the Inside Out
Minnesota Historical Society Press*
Mike Lynch
Mike Lynch’s Minnesota Weatherwatch: A Complete Guide for Weather-Obsessed Minnesotans
Voyageur Press/MBI Publishing Company*
Bruce White
We Are at Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe People
Minnesota Historical Society Press*
2008 Award for Young Adult Literature
Winner: Will Weaver
Defect
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Other Finalists
Nancy Crocker
Billie Standish Was Here
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Patrick Jones
Chasing Tail Lights
Walker & Company
Alison McGhee
Falling Boy
Picador/St. Martin’s Press
2008 Award for Poetry
Winner: Deborah Keenan
Willow Room, Green Door
Milkweed Editions*
Éireann Lorsung
Music for Landing Planes By
Milkweed Editions*
Leslie Adrienne Miller
The Resurrection Trade
Graywolf Press*
William Reichard
This Brightness
Mid-List Press*
2008 Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
Sponsored by Wellington Management, Inc.
Winner: Patricia Hampl
The Florist’s Daughter
Harcourt
Other Finalists
Kevin Kling
The Dog Says How
Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press*
Joni Tevis
The Wet Collection
Milkweed Editions*
Catherine Watson
Home on the Road: Further Dispatches from the Ends of the Earth
Syren Book Company*
2008 Award for Novel & Short Story
Winner: Wang Ping
The Last Communist Virgin
Coffee House Press*
Other Finalists
Garrison Keillor
Pontoon
Viking Penguin/Penguin Group
Lorna Landvik
The View from Mount Joy
Ballantine Books/The Random House Publishing Group
Heather McElhatton
Pretty Little Mistakes
HarperCollins Publishers
2008 Award for Genre Fiction
Winner: William Kent Krueger
Thunder Bay
Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Philip Donlay
Code Black
iBooks
Vince Flynn
Protect and Defend
Atria Books/Simon & Schuster
Mary Logue
Maiden Rock
Bleak House Books/Big Earth Publishing
2008 Readers' Choice Award (selected by online voters from across the state)
Winner: Jill Kalz
Farmer Cap
Picture Window Books*
* Denotes a Minnesota-based Publisher
The historic winners menu below connects to the Freinds of Saint Paul Library Data Base
1988 | 1989 | 1991* | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998
1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008