Imdieke named chair of 2009 Batchelder Award Committee

NMU Professor Sandra Imdieke is the chair of the 2009 Batchelder Award Committee. The group selects the most outstanding children’s book originally published in a foreign language and country, then translated into English and published in the United States. This year’s winner is Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit by Arthur A. Levine Books. The book was originally published in Japanese and tells the story of a skilled female warrior who accepts the task of protecting a young prince from otherworldly demons and his father’s assassins. “This sophisticated and complex Japanese epic is filled with political intrigue, mystery and danger,” said Imdieke in a press release. The award was announced by the Association for Library Service to Children during the American Library Association’s midwinter meeting held Jan. 23-28 in Denver. For more information, visit the American Library Association.