Odyssey Award

This annual award will be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. The selection committee may also select honor titles. The Odyssey Award is jointly given and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist.

2012 Winner
Rotters by Daniel Kraus. Narrated by Kirby Heyborne and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of
Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc, Heybornes versatile character voicing animates the strange tale of Joey, a 16-year-old whose mother has died. His struggle begins as he is dropped into the isolated world of his father, a grave robber. The exquisite timing pulls us through the chilling story of the destruction and rebuilding of Joeys personality.

2012 Honor Recordings

Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri. Narrated by JD Jackson and produced by Brilliance Audio.

Twelve-year-old Cole grows from near-delinquent to responsible teen and passionate horseman as he helps his father and the cowboys save their endangered stables in inner-city Philadelphia. Neris captivating tale, inspired by real-life black urban cowboys, resonates in Jacksons rich baritone performance. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. Dougs miserable life includes a new town and a dysfunctional family until the works of Audubon help him see that his life might just be okay. Narrator Hoppe wears this audiobook like Dougs beloved baseball jacket and his empathetic performance echoes long after the last word. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater. Narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham and produced by Scholastic Inc., Scholastic Audiobooks. The stakes are high for Sean and Puck in their islands annual race of savage water horses. Narrators West and Hardinghams lyrical narration evokes the atmosphere of a rugged island culture forever bound to fearsome mythical creatures. Young Fredle by Cynthia Voigt. Narrated by Wendy Carter and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of Random House Audio Publishing Group, Random House, Inc. Carter captures all the curiosity, fear and delight of young Fredle, as listeners follow the mouses adventures both inside and outside the house. Voigts gentle and heartwarming story features cats, dogs, raccoons and owls, all brought to fine characterization through Carters spectacular performance.

2011 Winner

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Narrated by Bahni Turpin, has won the 2011 Odyssey
Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. Turpin gives an unforgettable performance, seamlessly slipping into the voices of wiseacre eighth-grader, Gratuity Tip Tucci, and her alien Boov companion as they embark on a rollicking road trip to track down Tips missing mother and save the planet. A laugh-outloud presentation of Adam Rexs popular satire.

2011 Honor Audiobooks

Alchemy and Meggy Swann, written by Karen Cushman, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and produced
by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group. Kellgren is well-matched to this historical novel about feisty heroine Meggy Swann. Through her ability to sing in character, honk like a goose and capture the voices of a variety of Londoners, Kellgren transports audiences to Meggys Elizabethan world. The Knife of Never Letting Go, written by Patrick Ness, narrated by Nick Podehl and produced by Candlewick on Brilliance Audio, an imprint of Brilliance Audio.

In a futuristic settlement on New World, the thoughts of men and animals can be heard by all. On the brink of manhood, Todd discovers a secret so dark he must flee for his life. Podehls gripping narration of this disquieting work of dystopian fiction is masterful. Revolution, written by Jennifer Donnelly, narrated by Emily Janice Card and Emma Bering and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group. In a story told across continents and centuries, Card and Bering portray both an edgy Brooklyn teen mourning the death of her younger brother and an eighteenth-century Parisian girl, caregiver to the doomed dauphin. The narrators dramatic, forceful performances meld two emotional and wrenching plot lines. will grayson, will grayson, written by John Green and David Levithan, narrated by MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl and produced by Brilliance Audio.

2010 Winner

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken, written by Kate DiCamillo, narrated by Barbara Rosenblat and
produced by Live Oak Media, has won the third annual Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production. Louise, a French chicken with wanderlust, finds adventure in Kate DiCamillos comical picture book. Whimsical sound effects, playful background music and Barbara Rosenblats impressive repertoire of voices combine in this tour-de-force listening experience.

2010 Honor Recordings

In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the Life of
Jacky Faber, written by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and produced by Listen & Live Audio, Inc. Katherine Kellgren pulls out all the vocal stops, singing and spinning yarns in her dynamic reading of L.A. Meyers fourth dramatic Bloody Jack escapade. Peace, Locomotion written by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by Dion Graham and produced by Brilliance Audio. Through Dion Graham's heartfelt performance, Lonnie Collins shares hopes for peace in letters to his beloved sister, heightening the lyrical narrative of Jacqueline Woodson's story. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball, written by Kadir Nelson, narrated by Dion Graham and produced by Brilliance Audio. Bluesy harmonica music introduces Dion Grahams smooth baritone voice, eloquently returning listeners to the era of Negro League baseball in Kadir Nelsons awardwinning book.

2009 Winner

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was written and narrated by Sherman Alexie and
produced by Recorded Books, LLC. With equal doses of humor and pathos, Sherman Alexies lilting narration places listeners squarely in 14-year-old Spokane Indian Arnold Spirits shoes as he expands his world beyond the reservation to attend a predominantly white high school. Alexies pitch-perfect voicing and dead-on pacing capture Arnolds struggles.

2009 Honor Recordings Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and
Fine Lady, written by L.A. Meyer, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and produced by Listen & Live Audio, Inc. Versatile narrator Katherine Kellgren takes feisty, seafaring Mary Jacky Faber on an ill-fated voyage to become a lady as Jacky stretches her sea legs at an elite Boston finishing school in this humorous and melodramatic sequel to Bloody Jack, a 2008 Odyssey Award Honor title. Elijah of Buxton, written by Christopher Paul Curtis, narrated by Mirron Willis and produced by Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group. Mirron Willis enthralling, richly authentic narration of Christopher Paul Curtis award-winning novel, transports listeners to a historic Canadian settlement of former slaves as 11-year-old Elijah Freeman confronts the realities of slavery. Im Dirty! written by Kate & Jim McMullan, narrated by Steve Buscemi and produced by Weston Woods Studios, Inc/Scholastic. Jaunty music, energetic background sounds, and Steve Buscemis rollicking narration enliven Kate and Jim McMullans vibrant picture book about a dirt-loving backhoe loader.

 Martina the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale was written and narrated by Carmen Agra Deedy
and produced by Peachtree Publishers. Storyteller Carmen Agra Deedy brings spirited wit and cultural touches to her retelling of the traditional Cuban tale of Martinas quest to find a husband. Bonus tracks include a Spanish version and a storytelling performance. Nation written by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs and produced by Harper Childrens Audio/HarperCollins Publishers. Narrator Stephen Briggs crisp, precise British narration artfully enhances Terry Pratchetts a survival story focusing on 13-year-old Mau and British teen Daphne, the sole survivors of a tsunami.