[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 8 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E125]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING GARY SCHMIDT AND OTHER WINNERS OF THE 2005 NEWBERY AND 
                           PRINTZ BOOK AWARDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2005

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer congratulations and 
recognition to Prof. Gary Schmidt for having his book for young adults, 
``Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy,'' recognized as a 2005 John 
Newbery Honor Book and as a 2005 Michael L. Printz Honor Book.
  Professor Schmidt, a member of the English Department faculty at 
Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in my district, took 3 years 
to write ``Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy,'' which he based on a 
tragic 1912 incident--the eradication of a small African-American 
community from a Maine island by townspeople from the nearby community 
of Phippsburg, Maine. The story follows the friendship between two 
teenagers--Lizzie Bright Turner, an African-American resident of the 
island of Malaga, and Turner Buckminster, the son of Phippsburg's newly 
arrived minister.
  In making the award, Newbery Award Committee chair Susan Faust said 
Professor Schmidt's book is ``[s]teeped in imagery and laced with 
surprising humor,'' and that it ``. . . explores powerlessness, 
possibility and the profound impact individuals can make.'' ``We spent 
a year studying the universe of eligible books, and it is a thrill to 
name this as one of our honor books,'' Faust said.
  Despite his success as an author, Professor Schmidt continues his 
work as an educator. In fact, he found out about his honors while 
leading a group of students on a 3-week study trip in Massachusetts 
and, after dealing with the requisite media interviews, celebrated with 
his students.
  ``It's a tremendous honor in a year when the books are strong and 
wonderful,'' Schmidt said. ``The (book) is very close to my heart.''
  Mr. Speaker, this is a book that we can recommend to all young 
people, with a wonderful theme of young people learning to make 
important decisions. It is a story that illuminates that important 
transition from childhood to adulthood.
  I hope all my colleagues will join me in congratulating Prof. Gary 
Schmidt and his fellow honorees: 2005 Newbery Medal winner Cynthia 
Kadohata for her book, ``Kira-Kira,'' and fellow Newbery Honor Book 
recipients Gennifer Choldenko (``Al Capone Does My Shirts'') and 
Russell Freedman (``The Voice that Challenged a Nation''), as well as 
2005 Printz Award winner Meg Rosoff for her book, ``how i live now'' 
and fellow Printz Honor Book recipients Kenneth Oppel (``Airborn'') and 
Allan Stratton (``Chanda's Secrets'').

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