Lynne Rae Perkins hails from Cheswick. Click photo for larger image.
"The Hello, Goodbye Window," illustrated by Chris Raschka and written by Norton Juster, won the Caldecott prize for best children's picture book. Click photo for larger image.

Lynne Rae Perkins' "Criss Cross," a humorous series of vignettes, illustrations and poems about a group of small-town teenagers, has won the Newbery Medal for "the most outstanding contribution to children's literature."

In her Web page biography, Perkins writes, "I grew up in a small town not far from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. We lived on the raw frontier of a new subdivision, where 18 small ranch houses sat bravely on 18 lots with tiny sticks of trees and unpaved driveways. To a child, it was a paradise of uninterrupted back yards with unlimited playmates and extra mothers and fathers available if you should happen to need one. Not to mention woods and a creek right nearby.

"I thought we must be the luckiest people on earth. I remember even liking my age and feeling a little sorry for those born in a year other than 1956."

Other works by Perkins, who attended Penn State, include "All Alone in the Universe," an American Library Association Notable Book. She lives with her husband, two children, a cat and a dog in Suttons Bay, Mich.

In a statement yesterday, award committee chairwoman Barbara Barstow said of "Criss Cross," "Writing in a wry, omniscient third-person narrative voice, Perkins deftly captures the tentativeness and incompleteness of adolescence."

Previous winners of the Newberys, started in 1922, include Madeleine L'Engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" and Louis Sachar's "Holes."

Caldecott prize

The Caldecott prize for best children's picture book was given to "The Hello, Goodbye Window," illustrated by Chris Raschka from Huntingdon in central Pennsylvania and written by Norton Juster, whose most famous book is "The Phantom Tollbooth." The awards were announced by the American Library Association.

Coretta Scott King Award

Julius Lester, the author, musician and civil rights activist, won the Coretta Scott King award for the best young people's book by an African American. He was cited for "Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue." The King award for best illustration went to Bryan Collier for "Rosa," written by Nikki Giovanni.

Printz Award

John Green's "Looking for Alaska" won the Printz Award for "excellence in literature written for young adult."

Theodor Seuss Geisel Award

The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for "the most distinguished beginning reader book" went to "Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas," written by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Sucie Stevenson.

Carnegie Medal for video

The Andrew Carnegie Medal for best children's video was given to the producers of Mordicai Gerstein's "The Man Who Walked Between the Towers," winner of the Caldecott in 2004. The video is narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, who stars in "Brokeback Mountain."

Other awards

Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement, given to Jacqueline Woodson, author of "I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This," "If You Come Softly" and other books.

Belpre prize for best Latino author went to Viola Canales for "The Tequila Worm," while Raul Colon of "Dona Flor" won the Belpre for illustration.