SPELLBINDERS SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT . . .

Congratulations to Vaunda Micheaux Nelson! A few days ago we posted this January newsletter featuring an interview with our dear friend Vaunda. She told SPELLBINDERS what it was like to serve on two different Newbery committees. Little did we know that on Monday, January 18, she would be receiving a prestigious American Library Association Award herself. Vaunda Micheaux Nelson has won the Coretta Scott King Award for her book, Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall. It is published by Carolrhoda Books and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. The biography relates the story of a slave who grew into one of the most feared and respected lawmen in Indian Territory in the 1800s. During his career, Reeves made more than 3,000 arrests but killed only fourteen men. The Coretta Scott King award is an American Library Association Youth Media Award, which recognizes outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Stay tuned next month when SPELLBINDERS will bring you an interview with Newbery Award Winner Linda Sue Park.