Author Keith Calabrese Honored with a Christopher Award

Los Angeles-based author Keith Calabrese received a Christopher Award for "A Drop of Hope" (Scholastic Press). Written for young adults the book is one of 11 for adults and young people by 16 authors and illustrators honored as the Awards mark their 71st year. They join the creators of nine winning TV/Cable and feature films also being honored.

The Christophers' motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness,” is particularly apt in 2020 said Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications. The celebrated authors, illustrators, writers, producers, and directors whose works exemplify this Chinese proverb also “affirm the highest values of the human spirit,” he said.

With the help of a seemingly-magical wishing well, three sixth graders in "A Drop of Hope" discover that acts of kindness can have positive ripple effects and that storytelling can bring people together. In a small Ohio town Ernest Wilmette believes a good deed makes magic happen. Ryan Hardy thinks they should just mind their own business. Lizzy MacComber believes in facts, not fairy tales. As more wishes are made, the well's true secret gets harder to keep. Ernest, Ryan, and Lizzy know they can't fix the world but they can give everyone a little hope...one wish at a time.

Keith Calabrese is an author and screenwriter who holds a degree in creative writing from Northwestern University. He is also the author of "Lena’s Shoes are Nervous," his debut novel and "Connect the Dots.". A former script reader, he lives in LA with his wife, kids, and a dog who thinks he's a mountain goat.

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org