The Scott O'Dell Award

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Established by Scott O’Dell and Zena Sutherland in 1982, the Scott O’Dell Award is given for a distinguished work of historical fiction for young readers. To be eligible, a book must be published by a U.S. publisher; the setting must be South, Central or North America; and the author must be a U.S. citizen. Books published during each calendar year are eligible for the following year’s award. Awards are normally given during the annual ALA Conference. However, due to author schedules, awards may be given during the Winter meeting or at the Public Library Association's annual conference. 

The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction's Awards Committee may consider any eligible book, but publishers’ submissions are valuable in bringing books to the attention of the Committee. 

Nominations must be submitted by December 1 each year to be considered. 

To be eligible for the award, a book must have been published as a book intended for children or young people, it must be set in the New World (Canada, Central or South America, or the United States), it must be published by a publisher in the United States, and it must be written in English by a citizen of the United States. 

Each year the selection is made by the Award Committee, which was headed from its inception in 1982 until her death in 2002 by Zena Sutherland, Professor Emeritus of Children's Literature at the University of Chicago.

The home of The Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction is the Reinberger Children’s Library Center at the Kent State University iSchool in Kent, Ohio.    

In 2022, the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction was moved to Kent State University’s iSchool Reinberger Children’s Library Center. In partnership with Kent State University, the O'Dell family and matriarchs Elizabeth Hall (Scott's widow) and Lauren Anderson Gerber (Scott's granddaughter) continue to administer and fund the annual award.

We are delighted to announce the following committee members who will decide the 2025 Award:  Uma Nori (Chair), Head of Youth Services at the Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL; Mackenna Dasco, Library Media Specialist at Shaker Heights Middle School, Shaker Heights OH; Christy Kepler, Head of Youth Services at the Oswego Public Library District, Montgomery, IL; Maura Moore, Teacher, Language Arts Grade 5, St. John of the Cross Parish School, Western Springs, IL; Desiree Thomas, Youth Services Librarian at Worthington Libraries, Columbus, OH; Carol Wolfenbarger, Adjunct Instructor, Curator of the Wolfenbarger Collection, Columbus, OH; and Kent State University representatives Mary Ann Stahr, Ph.D., Kent State iSchool faculty member, and Jessica Wise, Kent State iSchool Graduate Student/Youth Services Specialist - Columbus Metropolitan Library Franklinton Branch, Johnstown, OH. The Committee is assisted by Michelle Baldini, Director, Kent State iSchool Reinberger Children’s Library Center.

The O'Dell family is grateful to the following members of the 2024 Award Committee who selected L.M. Elliott and her book, Bea and the New Deal Horse (HarperCollins): Maria Trivisonno (Chair), Family Engagement Specialist, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH; Kristen Blackshear, Social Studies Teacher, Glenwood School, Smiths Station, AL, and Adjunct History Instructor, Southern Union State Community College, Opelika, AL; Marianne Martens, Ph.D., Professor, Kent State University School of Information, Kent, OH; Mary Anne Nichols, Senior Lecturer, Kent State University School of Information, Kent, OH; Uma Nori, Head, Youth Services, Thomas Ford Memorial Library, Western Springs, IL; Debra Liddell Quarles, Library and Information Specialist, Shaker Heights City Schools, Shaker Heights, OH; Mike Rogalla, Children's Services Manager, Champaign Public Library, Champaign, IL; and Kerry Shelton, Principal, St. Gabriel Consolidated School, Glendale, OH.

If you have inquiries regarding the submission process or timeline that the information provided in the column to the right doesn't address, please email Uma Nori at  uma@fordlibrary.org and put “O’Dell Award” in the subject line.

Books may be submitted throughout the year to the Award Committee. However, to be considered, submissions must be received by the Award Committee by December 1st of each year. 

An Awards Nomination Form (download below) must be submitted with the required information for each title you wish to bring to the attention of the Award Committee. 

Send the following information directly to Uma Nori, Committee Chair, at her email address,  uma@fordlibrary.org: 

• Indicate O’Dell Award Nomination Candidate; 
• Submit Book Title (include a subtitle if there is one), Author, Publisher, Month and Year of Publication; 
• Include Name, telephone number, and e-mail address of the publishing house contact. 

The Chair will send a roster to interested parties so that all committee members may receive a copy of the nominated title. 

In addition to print copies of nominated titles, the committee will also accept directly submitted PDFs or e-galleys via Edelweiss, which should whitelist the committee emails and have no expiration date, and committee members should be emailed notice of the Edelweiss submission. 

 Once the award recipient is selected and the publisher and/or literary agent is notified, the publisher must provide two additional copies of the selected book to the Committee for the O’Dell family.

If you have inquiries regarding the submission process or timeline that the information provided doesn't address, please email Uma Nori at uma@fordlibrary.org and put “O’Dell Award” in the subject line.