Maria Leonard Senior Book Award

The Maria Leonard Senior Book Award is offered by the ALD Board of Directors to the chapters to award the graduating member with the highest GPA in their class. ALD Headquarters will provide each chapter with one copy of the book award at no charge. The cost for additional copies can be purchased for a nominal fee. Chapters requesting a 2025-26 book must be active and have submitted the 2024-25 Chapter Annual Report. Complete the order form now.

The 2025-26 Maria Leonard Senior Book Award is You Don't Have to Have a Dream: And Other Life Lessons by Tim Minchin.

A whimsically illustrated celebration of life, art, success, kindness, love, and thriving in a meaningless universe, drawn from three iconic graduation speeches from beloved comedian Tim Minchin in a unique blend of Charlie Mackesy meets Kurt Vonnegut.

Journey into life’s quirky truths with comedian Tim Minchin in this illustrated nonfiction book, that infuses his renowned comic flare with heartfelt wisdom. Minchin transforms three of his most adored speeches—including his viral “9 Life Lessons” speech—into a captivating book designed to inspire, amuse, and create a sense of wonder.

In the same vein as The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse and The Tao of Pooh, this book is a delightful, delicately woven tapestry of life’s simplicities and complexities, all captured through Minchin’s unique humor and tenderness.

With stark honesty, Minchin reminds us that our existence on this earth is fleeting and all that matters is that you fill it with passion, creativity, and laughter. You Don’t Have to Have a Dream is your invitation to embrace the full spectrum of the human experience—from the mundane to the profound, the joyful to the sorrowful, and from the first breath to the last. Accompanied by Andrew Rae’s charming illustrations, this book is sure to be a celebration of life in all of its absurdity and is a testament to the beauty that arises when we dare to live authentically, love deeply, and chuckle at the chaos.