50 best British authors since 1945?

The TimesOnline has published a list of what they think are the best 50 British authors since 1945. Do you agree with the list?

The following are those that are considered children's or young adult authors:

6. J. R. R. Tolkien
11. C. S. Lewis
16. Roald Dahl
24. Philippa Pearce
28. Alan Garner
42. J. K. Rowling
43. Philip Pullman
48. Benjamin Zephaniah
49. Rosemary Sutcliff

Have you read any books by these authors? The names in bold are represented in the SCCS library.

Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger, a 28 year-old Australian actor, passed away this week. Ledger has been in a variety of films, including 10 Things I Hate about You (which was based on Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew), The Patriot (a US Revolutionary War story, in the library this subject matter is found at 973.3), Brokeback Mountain and A Knight's Tale. Before his death he finished filming Dark Knight, a sequel to Batman Begins; he plays the Joker.

Please check out the Internet Movie Database for more information on Heath Ledger, or other actors and movies.

Magazine subscriptions

We're currently deciding which magazine subscriptions to keep, and which to toss. Can't live without Seventeen? Think PC Gamer is boring? Want to save Time? Or get rid of Newsweek? Speak up and tell Ms. Hanneman!

You're opinion counts, let us know what's on your mind.

Old Newbery awards

Yesterday's post was about the newest addition to the Newbery Award family, and today's is about previous ones. You can read some of the older Newbery winning books, like The Story of Mankind, through a service provided by the University of Pennsylvania. Check it out here.

There are also links to Nobel and Pulitzer winning authors.

Newbery and Caldecott announced!

The ALA just announced the Newbery and Caldecott winners!

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature was awarded to Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village, written by Laura Amy Schlitz.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children was awarded to The Invention of Hugo Cabret, illustrated by Brian Selznick.

These books will be available at the SCCS library in August 2008. For the full list of this year's American Library Association awards and nominees, check out their press release.