2007 New Voices Award Winners

New York, NY - LEE & LOW BOOKS is proud to announce that Pamela M. Tuck of Boyertown, Pennsylvania, is the winner of its eighth annual New Voices Award for 2007. Her story, A Fly in a Bowl of Milk (which upon publication was retitled As Fast As Words Can Fly), is based on her father's experiences with desegregation in North Carolina in the 1960s. Mason, a thirteen-year old African American boy, is given a second-hand typewriter after helping his father compose letters for a case his civil rights group is fighting. When Pa's group wins the case, Mason discovers he will attend a formerly all-white school. Facing his fears and adversity from students and faculty, Mason excels in school, particularly typing. As tensions mount, he bravely takes a stand at the county typing tournament.

Pamela M. Tuck's storytelling is honest and full of heart, which she credits to an upbringing surrounded by southern storytellers. A life-long writer, she began writing poetry at an early age. Inspired by teachers, family, and friends, she branched out into short stories and plays. Tuck will receive a prize of $1,000 and a publication contract. She is the mother of eight children, whom she and her husband home-school.

LEE & LOW BOOKS is also proud to announce that Katie Yamasaki of Brooklyn, New York, has been chosen as an Honor winner for her manuscript, Edwin's Lucky Thirteen. Yamasaki's story is an inspiring biography of her friend, African American Olympic track and field star Edwin Moses. Using his scientific training, Moses develops a way to reduce the number of steps he takes between hurdles, thus gaining an advantage over his competitors. Yamasaki is an illustrator, muralist, fine artist, and teaching artist in the New York City public schools. Guided by her mentors Ed Young and Leo and Diane Dillon, Yamasaki has for several years aspired to be a children's book author as well as an illustrator. She will receive a prize of $500.