The 67th annual William Allen White Children’s Book Award Ceremony celebrated two authors at Emporia State University’s Webb Hall on Saturday.
Happening every year since 1952, this award has gone to several authors to honor the legacy of Emporia’s most esteemed author. 2019’s Ceremony was completely filled with students with not a seat to spare.
This year two authors won this award. Sara Pennypacker was selected by voters in third, fourth, and fifth grade for her novel, Pax. Pennypacker, a now two-time William Allen White Award winner, says awards like these are most important to her.
Pennypacker wowed the crowd with a sneak preview of the previously unannounced sequel to Pax.
Jason Reynolds was awarded this honor by voters in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade for his deeply personal novel, Ghost. In his acceptance speech, Reynolds explained his life story and the experiences that allowed him to be where he is today. Reynolds’s biggest hope is to give his readers a story to relate to, something he did not have as a child.
Congratulations to both authors and for more information on their works, as well as the William Allen White Children’s Book Award, visit wawchildrensbookaward.com.
Photos from Devon Swartz/KVOE News
{gallery}100519 WAW Awards{/gallery}
