2006 Beatty Award Winner
The Balloon Boy of San Francisco by Dorothy Kupcha Leland rose to the top as the 2006 winner of the John and Patricia Beatty Award.
Red-haired Ready Gates is a resourceful newspaper boy in gold rush era San Francisco. From one job to the next, Ready darts around the city with new schemes to earn money for his hard-working, but cash-strapped, family. Using meticulously researched historical materials and based on a true account of a 14-year old boy's adventure in a runaway hot air balloon, The Balloon Boy of San Francisco is a light-hearted yet authentic picture of everyday life in 1850s San Francisco.
The John and Patricia Beatty Award, established in 1987 by Patricia Beatty, has been given annually since 1989. Since 1999, BWI Books has co-sponsored the award with the California Library Association. The winning author receives an engraved plaque, along with a prize of $500, which is presented at the annual CLA Conference's Beatty Award Breakfast. Ms. Leland will be present to receive the award at the November 12 Beatty Breakfast.
The 2006 Beatty Award Committee consists of: Lisa Bartle of California State University, San Bernardino-Pfau Library, Cynthia Corderman of Orange County Public Library, Los Alamitos-Rossmoor Branch, Shana Johnson of Santa Monica Public Library, John Kallenberg, retired Fresno County Librarian, and chair Jill Patterson of Orange County Public Library, La Habra Branch.