Young Adult selection

Book and Author Information

Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. He overcame challenges in his early life, including brain surgery at the age of six months, seizures, and predictions of mental retardation. Proving the doctors wrong, he began reading at the age of three, creating a new round of problems for the young Sherman Alexie as he was soon ostracized by his peers. Like Junior, Mr. Alexie attended high school off the reservation and became a great basketball player. Although he planned to be a doctor, Alexie kept fainting in class and switched his studies to poetry. His publications are wide and varied, including adult novels, poetry, and screenplays. In addition to his writing prowess, Mr. Alexie has performed as a stand-up comic, provided political commentary, and received acclaim for his work on the film Smoke Signals. His latest work is a collection of poems entitled Face. Sherman Alexie lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons.

For contact information: www.fallsapart.com/contact.html
Mr. Alexie's website and blog: www.shermanalexie.com

Awards & Honors for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian:
A listing of these and more awards can be found at www.fallsapart.com/truediary.htm.

2009 Odyssey Award for audio version, produced by Recorded Books, LLC
2008 Washington Book Award: Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award for middle grades & YA
2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards for Excellence in Children's Literature in Fiction
2008 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Books for Children
2008 Book Sense Book of the Year Children's Literature Honor Book
2008 Pacific Northwest Book Award
2008 American Indian Library Association American Indian Youth Literature Award
2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2007 Los Angles Times Book Prize Finalist & LA Times Favorite Children's Books of 2007
Horn Book Fanfare Best Books of 2007
Kirkus Reviews Best Young Adult Books of 2007
National Parenting Publication Gold Winner 2007
The New York Times Notable Children's Books of 2007
Publishers Weekly 2007 Best Books of the Year - Children's Fiction
School Library Journal Best Books of 2007
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee
PEN/Hemingway Award for Best First Book of Fiction