And the (BoB) winner is.......

.....all of us, of course! Because we got to follow the progress of 16 fabulous books for young readers.

But in terms of actual claiming-the-trophy-winning, that honor goes to Marching for Freedom, by Elizabeth Partridge. All of Gary Schmidt's agony in the first round was worth it. Everyone loves a winner, and he made the right call, setting this book on the path to victory. 

Personally, I find it thrilling that a non-fiction, picture book for older readers (remember one of my favorite sayings: "picture book is a format, not a reading level") managed to out-last and out-wow the judges in a playing field with the likes of award winners (When You Reach Me,) runaway bestsellers (The Last Olympian,) popular high-fantasy (Fire,)  and librarian darlings (Marcello in the Real World.) Let this triumph be a reminder that non-fiction isn't just for homework or coffee tables; it is a genre which has potential for mass appeal to a generation growing up with reality television and 24 hour news access. Non-fiction is real and readable. And victorious, too!

The only down side to this entire experience? It's over :(