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Renée Watson’s ‘All the Blues in the Sky’ wins Newbery Medal for best children’s book

NEW YORK (AP) — Renée Watson’s “All the Blues in the Sky,” in which the author blends poetry and prose to tell the story of a teen confronting the death of her best friend, has won the John Newbery Medal for the year’s best children’s book.

The Randolph Caldecott Medal, for outstanding illustration, was given to Cátia Chien for the summertime picture book “Fireworks,” written by Matthew Burgess.

The Caldecott and Newbery awards, along with dozens of other prizes for children’s literature, were announced Monday by the American Library Association.

Jewell Parker Rhodes’s adventure story “Will’s Race for Home” won the Coretta Scott King Award for best book by a Black author, and R. Gregory Christie won the King illustration award for the book he worked on with author Calvin Alexander Ramsey, “The Library in the Woods.” Author-illustrator Kadir Nelson, whose dozens of credits include the Caldecott-winning picture book “The Undefeated,” received the King-Virginia Hamilton lifetime achievement award.

“The Pecan Sheller,” written by Lupe Ruiz-Flores, won the Pura Belpré author award for Latino literature, and Abraham Matias won the Belpré illustration prize for “Popo the Xolo.” Janelle Brown’s ”What Kind of Paradise,” Daniel H. Wilson’s “Hole in the Sky” and Leila Mottley’s “The Girls Who Grew Big” were among 10 winners of the Alex Award for adult books that appeal to teen readers.

“Halfway to Somewhere,” written and illustrated by Jose Pimienta, won the Stonewall prize for a work of “exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.”

Dutch court allows rapper Ye concerts in the Netherlands

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A judge in Amsterdam on Wednesday rejected an appeal by a Jewish organization to block two performances by the rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, ruling that the concerts are not a threat to public order. Ye has drawn widespread controversy in recent years for a series of antisemitic remarks, leaving Dutch authorities under mounting pressure to cancel the gigs on June 6 and 8. The Central Jewish Council filed the emergency lawsuit on Tuesday, arguing that Ye should be banned from the country for voicing admiration for Adolf Hilter and selling T-shirts featuring swastikas. According to the Amsterdam District Court, there were no grounds to bar Ye from performing. “There are no indications that West’s presence in the coming days will lead to concrete public order dangers,” the court said in a statement.
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