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PHILADELPHIA– “Free Lunch,” written by Rex Ogle, and published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company, has been named the 2020 winner of the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award, the first national award that honors the best nonfiction books for teens. The award was presented today by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) at the �������ϲʿ���app’s Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits held Jan. 24 – 28, in Philadelphia.

An honest and engrossing memoir of Ogle’s sixth-grade year, his family’s experience with poverty, and its effect on their relationships. Ogle captures the voice and emotion of his young self in this powerful story about growing up.

“’Free Lunch’ is a brilliant example of a young adult memoir that is written with striking narrative, impactful details and lessons about resilience. It is a memoir that will speak to so many young readers and gives voice to the often-unheard teens who struggle every day with poverty and abuse,” said YALSA Nonfiction Award Chair Rachel Adams.

The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. Award winners are announced annually during the Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits’ Youth Media Awards. The award will be presented to Rex Ogle at a reception in Philadelphia on Monday, Jan. 27, from 10:30 a.m. – noon at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

2020 YALSA Nonfiction Award finalists, which were announced in December, include:

• “The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance,” written and illustrated by Lynn Curlee, and published by Charlesbridge Teen

• “A Light in the Darkness: Janusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the Holocaust,” written by Albert Marrin, and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House

• “A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II,” written by Elizabeth Wein, and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
  
  
• “Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of ‘The Children’s Ship,’” written by Deborah Heiligman, and published by Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

The full list of official nominations for the award will be available online at

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Members of the 2020 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award committee are: Chair Rachel Adams, King County Library, Issaquah, Wash.; Alicia Blowers, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, Alexandria, Va.; Jennifer Cooper, Potomac Senior High School, Dumfries, Va.; Heather Dickerson, Lewis & Clark Library, Helena, Mont.; Elizabeth E. Nelson, St. Luke's School, New Canaan, Conn.; Joe Prince, Jerome Library, Bowling Green, Ohio; Erica Ruscio, Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, Mass.; Carolyn Vidmar, New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans; Steve Zampino, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, Conn.; Ronny Khuri, Booklist Consultant, Chicago.

For more than 50 years, YALSA has worked to build the capacity of libraries and librarians to engage, serve and empower teens. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to , or contact the YALSA office by phone, (800) 545-2433, ext. 4390, or email, yalsa@ala.org.

For more information on the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults and other Youth Media Awards, please visit .

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