Nearly 170 authors and organizations were named last Thursday as finalists for the annual Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's most lucrative prize in children’s books. Finalists from the United States are: Ashley Bryan, Kevin Henkes, Russell Hoban, Maira Kalman, Lois Lowry, Greg Mortenson, Walter Dean Myers, Anne Pellowski, Allen Say, Uri Shulevitz, Peter Sís, and the Room to Read organization. Nominated British authors include Jacqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo, Quentin Blake, David Almond, Diana Wynne Jones and Shirley Hughes. The winner will be announced on March 24, 2010, in Lindgren’s hometown of Vimmerby in Sweden. For a full listing of nominees, click here.