IPSWICH, Mass. — June 26, 2017 — EBSCO Information Services and the Graphic Novel Committee of the Children’s Book Council today announced The Imitation Game: Alan Turing Decoded, as the 2017 recipient of the first annual SEE-IT™ Award. The SEE-IT Award recognizes outstanding achievements of authors and illustrators in youth graphic novels.
The winner of the 2017 SEE-IT Award (“Stories Engagingly Expressed-Illustratively Told”), was announced by EBSCO and the Children’s Book Council at EBSCO’s School and Public Library Luncheon at ALA Annual in Chicago, Illinois. The presentation also included a virtual appearance from Gene Luen Yang, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Yang is the Printz Award winning author of American Born Chinese, a two-time National Book Award Finalist, and is the United States’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature.
The SEE-IT Award is a new annual book award developed by EBSCO and the Children’s Book Council to recognize the cultural and literary impacts of youth graphic novels. Youth graphic novels are highly appealing to visual learners and increasingly used in public libraries and classrooms to engage young readers, boost reading comprehension and help students develop a life-long love of reading.
Gail de Vos, Adjunct Professor, SLIS at the University of Alberta, and SEE-IT Award Juror Chair says every SEE-IT Award finalist is worthy of the award. “The inaugural jury had the pleasure of reading and discussing an abundance of titles intended for a young reading audience. The six finalists were as varied in their artistic and textual interpretations as they were in their intended readers and genres, and are all equally worthy of the award.”
de Vos says the creative storytelling, subject matter relevance and overall appeal of The Imitation Game-Alan Turning Decoded led the juror panel to select the graphic novel as the 2017 SEE-IT Award winner. “The Imitation Game offers the young adult reader a definite challenge in this engaging and germane biography of the genius of Alan Turing. Multiple narrators respond to a nameless interviewer to relate the story of the man and his accomplishments, while divulging the culture, historical environment and attitudes of the time. The illustrations, with their pastel backgrounds and bold lines, firmly ground the overall story of Turing’s life from adolescence until his death.”
EBSCO Information Services Vice President of Product Management for Books, Ken Breen, says the SEE-It Award recognizes the impact youth graphic novels can have on young readers. “Graphic novels have something for every reader, the stories and the images come together to tell the story in a way that appeals to students of all reading levels and we want to celebrate the growth of this literary genre and art form.”
A total of 56 submissions for the 2017 SEE-IT award were evaluated by panel of seven librarian jurors, with each submission weighted against the following criteria:
- Literary quality
- Interweaving of art and story
- Lasting impact and distinguished contributions to youth literature
- An audience range of K-12, or young readers through young adults.
The 2018 SEE-IT Award will begin soliciting publisher submissions in August. More information is available on the SEE-IT website (www.ebsco.com/see-it).
About EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Information Services (EBSCO) is the leading discovery service provider for libraries worldwide with more than 11,000 discovery customers in over 100 countries. EBSCO Discovery Service™ (EDS) provides each institution with a comprehensive, single search box for its entire collection, offering unparalleled relevance ranking quality and extensive customization. EBSCO is also the preeminent provider of online research content for libraries, including hundreds of research databases, historical archives, point-of-care medical reference, and corporate learning tools serving millions of end users at tens of thousands of institutions. EBSCO is the leading provider of electronic journals & books for libraries, with subscription management for more than 360,000 serials, including more than 57,000 e-journals, as well as online access to more than 1,000,000 e-books. For more information, visit the EBSCO website at: www.ebsco.com. EBSCO Information Services is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a family owned company since 1944.
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For more information, please contact:
Kathleen McEvoy
Vice President of Communications
(800) 653-2726 ext. 2594
kmcevoy@ebsco.com
