The Judy Lopez Memorial Awards for Children’s Literature The Judy Lopez Memorial Awards for Children’s Literature are granted annually to works of literary excellence for nine- to twelve-year-olds.  The awards are made in remembrance of Judy Lopez, a founding member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women’s National Book Association who was deeply interested in seeing that children’s literature of quality is recognized and rewarded.

Each year, a panel of judges composed of children’s librarians and other professionals in the field of books for young readers selects a winning book and several honor books.  Books submitted for the award must have been published in the United States in the year that precedes the award.  The author must be a United States citizen or a resident of the United States.

The medal awarded the winning book was designed by sculptor Alex Shagrin and is cast in solid bronze.  The medalist and the authors of the honor books are celebrated each June at a reception and dinner held in the Faculty Center of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Established in 1985, the Judy Lopez Memorial Awards for Children’s Literature are administered by the Women’s National Book Association, Los Angeles Chapter, in association with the Judy Lopez Memorial Foundation.

CLICK HERE to download Judy Lopez winner's list.

For information, contact:

The Judy Lopez Memorial Awards

Margaret Byron Flanders, Chairman for WNBA/LA

1225 Selby Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

meg_flanders@verizon.net or Download our Invitation

We welcome your donations to perpetuate the awards.

Winners of the 2009 Judy Lopez Awards Announced

Save the date! A reception and dinner to celebrate the winners of the 2009 Judy Lopez Awards for Children’s Literature will be held at the UCLA Faculty Center on Sunday, June 14, 2009. Invitations will be mailed personally  to all WNBA/LA members and to others who have indicated an interest over the years, including many members of the Children’s Literature Council of Southern California. But all who support good books for young people are cordially invited. Email Tess@worldtrust.org to request an invitation. You may also call 818-363-8650 with questions or Download our Invitation

This year’s medalist is …

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/Hyperion)

An “Everyman” player tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through its decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947 in this engaging and informative book. Both written and illustrated by Mr. Nelson, it features beautifully printed, full-page reproductions of his paintings.

Our three honor books are:

Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell (Atheneum)

In this novel set during the Vietnam era, a girl on the edge of adolescence learns from her career military father and her recently enlisted older brother that important issues affecting real-life decisions cannot always be resolved neatly into black or white.

Savvy by Ingrid Law (Dial Books)

A “savvy” is a superpower—always a different one—that each member of the Beaumont family begins to develop on turning 13. For Mibs, the discovery involves a series of adventures that are both comic and touching. A highly inventive novel, soon to be a film, which won a Newbery honor medal last year.

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall ( Alfred A. Knopf)

The four Penderwick sisters are faced with the unimaginable prospect of their widowed father dating, and they hatch a plot to stop him. A satisfying follow-up to Ms. Birdsall’s first book about the family.

Download our Invitation

Her-story: The WNBA, Founded in 1917

90th anniversary: Diane Scott, Kelly Sullivan Walden, Laurel Shapiro, Ruth Light and LaVergne Rosow prepare for the skit, WOMEN BOOKSELLERS UNITE!

Autumn 1917: Women across America awaited the Senate's vote on the proposed 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which, when ratified in 1920 by two-thirds of the state legislatures, would give women suffrage. A group of 15 women booksellers-excluded from membership in the all-male Bookseller's League-met in Sherwood's Book Store, 19 John Street, in downtown New York to form the Women's National Book Association.

Its unique characteristic was that membership was open to women in all facets of the book world-publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors, illustrators, agents, production people-the only criterion being that part of their income must come from books. Ninety years later, with eight chapters spanning the country from Boston to San Francisco and with Network members across the country, the WNBA continues to champion the role of women in the world of words. Today, membership is open to women involved in all aspects of publishing and to men who subscribe to the Association's goals.

During these years, WNBA has run seminars on bookselling techniques, published four books, led in-service courses for teachers on children's books, sponsored book and authors luncheons and dinners, cooperated on local book fairs, been active as a non-governmental organization member at the United Nations, entertained visiting book women from abroad, and surveyed the status of women in publishing.

The first issue of The Bookwoman, the organization's official publication, appeared in November 1936 through the generosity of Constance Lindsay Skinner, author, lecturer, and active member of WNBA. Since 1940, the Women's National Book Association Award (formerly the Constance Lindsay Skinner Award) has been given to a book woman for "meritorious work" in her special field. During the 1960s, the Amy Loveman National Award for the best personal library collected by an undergraduate in an American college was a major project. The Lucile Micheels Pannell Award, which promotes the creative use of books with children, was established in 1982 with funds bequeathed by the late Mrs. Pannell, who was a founder of the Chicago chapter of WNBA. This award is given annually at the American Booksellers Association convention.

Believing that books have power, WNBA has made it possible for people engaged in various book activities to help broaden their part in the book world, and to know one another as individuals with common problems, aspirations, and goals. Currently there are chapters in Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, and Washington.

Women today have more opportunity to make change and move ahead than ever before. The Women's National Book Association is the organization in which they can come together, define goals, develop leadership, further communication, and organize activities to benefit women. Ninety years after our foremothers struggled for the right to vote and learned how successful organized women can be, WNBA celebrates its continuous commitment to improving the status, image, and role of women in the world of books.