Annal:2006 Batchelder Award
From AwardAnnals
Results of the Batchelder Award in the year 2006. For a ranked list of books, try an honor roll:
- 2006 Batchelder winner
- Score: 10.56
Translated from the German by Michael Hofmann.
Adam is a farmhand conscripted by Napoleon's army, which is gathering strength for its campaign against Russia. Sergeant Krauter makes Adam the victim of his most sadistic urges. But when an aristocratic young lieutenant spots Adam and requisitions him as his personal valet, Adam's life seems to take a turn for the better.
As Adam and Lieutenant Konrad Klara draw closer to Moscow, they encounter a panoply of wartime horrors. The Innocent Soldier — both poignant and funny — explores the importance of friendship in persevering against overwhelming odds.
René Goscinny, Jean-Jacques Sempé
- 2006 Batchelder honor
- Score: 6.56
Nicholas is the first of five books that bring to life the day to day adventures of a young school boy — amusing, endearing and always in trouble. An only child, Nicholas, appears older at school than he does as home and his touchingly naive reaction to situations, cut through the preconceptions of adults and result in a formidable sequence of escapades.
This first book in the series contains a collection of nineteen individual stories where, in spite of trying to be good, Nicholas and his friends always seem to end up in some kind of mischief. Whether in the school room, at home, or in the playground, their exuberance often takes over and the results are calamitous — at least for their teachers and parents. Whether confusing the photographer hired to take the class picture, dealing with having to wear glasses for the first time, or trying desperately to help the teacher when the school inspector pays a visit, Nicholas always manages to make matters worse.
Nicholas was awarded the 2006 Batchelder Honor Award, which recognizes outstanding children's books published in a foreign language…
- 2006 Batchelder honor
- Score: 6.56
What is it like to be a young woman in a war?
At a time when Israel is in the news every day and politics in the Middle East are as complex as ever before, this story of one girl's experience in the Israeli national army is both topical and fascinating. Valerie begins her story as she finishes her exams, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves for service with the Israeli army. Nothing has prepared her for the strict routines, grueling marches, poor food, lack of sleep and privacy, or crushing of initiative that she now faces. But this harsh life has excitement, too, such as working in a spy center near Jerusalem and listening in on Jordanian pilots. Offering a glimpse into the life of a typical Israeli teen, even as it lays bare the relentless nature of war, Valerie's story is one young readers will have a hard time forgetting.
