A look at the National Book Awards nominees/ Young People

To the National Book Foundation, there's nothing little about young-adult books. Indeed, the YA judges are the only ones free to consider books in any genre. Their fellow judges for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry must stay within the boundaries.

Books for young people win recognition in other prestigious contests, of course, but those prizes, such as the Newbery and Caldecott, take place in the world of children's literature. The National Book Awards ceremony is a special night when YA writers stand shoulder to shoulder - as they should - with the most celebrated "adult" writers in America.

Most of this year's nominees are familiar with the honor: Jacqueline Woodson was a finalist last year with "Hush," Polly Horvath was a finalist in 1999 for "The Trolls," and Richard Peck the year before with "A Long Way From Chicago." Keeping it all in the family, Paul Fleischman's father, Sid, was a finalist in 1979 for "Humbug Mountain."

The National Book Foundation sponsors literacy and book-appreciation programs in city schools, urban libraries, native American reservations, and other underserved communities. They also conduct a summer writing camp for young authors.

About 1,000 writers, editors, and publishers will attend the awards ceremony in Times Square on Nov. 19.

- Ron Charles

Fleischman takes one of life's most annoying situations - a messy L.A. traffic jam - and uses it to spin a vibrant portrait of a young playwright who's stuck in the mother of all gridlocks. We read the dual musings of Del, as both a 17-year-old trying to flee her miserable life in foster care, and as a 25 year old chronicling a traffic jam in her new play. Del is forced to ponder the smog of her past and the stagnancy of her future as she idles on the freeway and encounters other drivers who share her angst. Meanwhile, her older self offers a more creative take on the situation. Fleishman's polished writing zips right through the pages and will engage young readers. ("You can feel a thousand plans melting like snowflakes in a thousand palms.... We might as well be plants!") "Breakout" is a 124-page joy ride. Ages 14 and up. By Stephanie Broadhurst

Sent by a preoccupied mother to stay with her twin great-aunts, 13-year-old Ratchet - named for the tool - finds a home on the shores of Maine that is certainly odd. The eccentric old twins introduce her to suicide and swearing, alcohol and aging, family lore and local color. Horvath's subject matter - and the flip manner and blunt prose she uses to describe it - straddle a line between refreshing and perhaps a bit too precocious for young readers. But as the story picks up speed, after dragging at first, it paints an endearing picture of the peculiar relationship that blossoms between Ratchet, her aunts, and Harper, the young "firecracker" who turns up on their doorstep. The book seamlessly blends the familiar with the fantastical, and offers a take on family and home that feels both imaginative and familiar. Ages 11-14. (208 pp.) By Teresa Méndez

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