James Patterson Wins Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Award

Posted on April 15, 2014

Internationally bestselling author James Patterson has won The Chicago Tribune 2014 Young Adult Literary Award. The Chicago Tribune announced that Patterson will receive the award in recognition of his efforts to encourage, inspire and motivate children to read. The annual award acknowledges the power of literacy in the lives of young adults specifically.

Gerould Kern, senior vice president and editor of the Chicago Tribune said in a statement, �The Tribune carries on a great literary tradition, and we believe that the written word can transform lives. In celebration of that cause, we recognize James Patterson for his extraordinary efforts to reach a wide range of young readers, many of whom have not had the opportunity to savor a book. We applaud James Patterson for his determination to connect with readers and convince them of the rewards of books."

Patterson is the author of the Alex Cross detective series, as well as many young adult series such as Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard and Daniel X. His books have sold more than 300 million copies worldwide. The author has numerous initiatives to encourage children to read and to love books, such as the James Patterson Pageturner Awards program, website ReadKiddoRead.com, and the College Book Bucks scholarship program. He also regularly donates hundreds of thousands of books to schools.

The award will be presented at the Chicago Tribune's 2014 Printers Row Lit Fest, which takes place June 7 � 8, The Lit Fest is just one part of the Tribune's Printers Row literary program, which has events year round. This year's festival will be the 30th anniversary of the event, which is the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest. You can find more information about the festival here.