The American Library Association (or ALA as acronym-loving librarians refer to it) has announced this year's top books, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpré, Newbery, and Printz awards. These awards are chosen by librarians across America and represent some of the top prizes that authors and illustrators in youth literature can achieve. Nothing warms our hearts more than knowing that not only will the lives of the authors and illustrators change, but so will the children and teens who get to read these exceptional books.
Below is a list of all the winners and a hearty congratulations go out to all of them and their contributions to providing excellent reading materials for our youth.
John Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is awarded for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature.
Newbery Honor Books
- Red, White, and Whole by Rajani LaRocca
- A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
- Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff
- Watercress by Andrea Wang, illustrated by Jason Chin
Randolph Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded for the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Caldecott Honor Books
- Have You Ever Seen a Flower? illustrated and written by Shawn Harris
- Mel Fell illustrated and written by Corey R. Tabor
- Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre illustrated by Floyd Cooper, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
- Wonder Walkers illustrated and written by Micha Archer
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognize African American authors and illustrators of outstanding books for children and young adults.
King Author Honor Books
- Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
- Revolution in Our Time by Kekla Magoon
- The People Remember by Ibi Zoboi
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
King Illustrator Honor Books
- Nina: A Story of Nina Simone illustrated by Christian Robinson
- We Wait for the Sun illustrated by Raissa Figueroa
- Soul Food Sunday illustrated by C.G. Esperanza
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
Coretta Scott King/Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
- Nikki Grimes is the winner of the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is for excellence in literature written for young adults.
Printz Honor Books
- Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People by Kekla Magoon
- Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Schneider Family Book Awards
Schneider Family Book Awards are for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.
Schneider Family Book Award - Young Children (Ages 0 - 10)
Honor Book for Young Children
- A Walk in the Words written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
- A Sky-Blue Bench by Bahram Rahman illustrated by Peggy Collins
Schneider Family Book Award - Middle Grades (Ages 11 - 13)
Honor Book for Middle Grades
- Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Raúl the Third
- A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll
Schneider Family Book Award - Teens (Ages 13 - 18)
Honor Book for Teens
- A Face for Picasso: Coming of Age With Crouzon Syndrome by Ariel Henley
Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.
- Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
- The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin
- The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
- The Library of the Dead by T.L Huchu
- How Lucky by Will Leitch
- Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell
- The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
- Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser
- Lore Olympus, Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe
- Malice by Heather Walter
Odyssey Award
The Odyssey Awards are for the best audiobooks produced for children and young adults, available in English in the United States.
Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
- Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson and narrated by Adjoa Andoh
- I Talk Like a River written and narrated by Jordan Scott
- Perfectly Parvin by Olivia Abtahi and narrated by Mitra Jouhari
Pura Belpré Awards
Pura Belpré Awards honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children's and young adult books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award
Belpré Illustrator Honor Books
- Boogie Boogie, Y’all illustrated and written by C. G. Esperanza
- Bright Star illustrated and written by Yuyi Morales
- De aquí como el coquí illustrated and written by Nomar Perez, translated by Farah Perez
- May Your Life Be Deliciosa illustrated by Loris Lora, written by Michael Genhart
Pura Belpré Author Award
Belpré Author Honor Book
- Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna by Alda P. Dobbs
- Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua by Gloria Amescua
- De aquí como el coquí written and illustrated by Nomar Perez, translated by Farah Perez
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award is for most distinguished informational book for children.
Sibert Honor Books
- The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
- Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown by Steve Sheinkin
- We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
- Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Estivate by Melissa Stewart, illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen
- Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award is given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience.
Stonewall Honor Books
- Almost Flying by Jake Maia Arlow
- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer
- Grandad’s Camper written and illustrated by Harry Woodgate
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award is for the most distinguished beginning reader book.
Geisel Honor Books
- Beak & Ally #1: Unlikely Friends written and illustrated by Norm Feuti
- I Hop written and illustrated by Joe Cepeda
- Nothing Fits a Dinosaur written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske
William C. Morris Award
The William C. Morris Award is for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
Morris Finalists
- Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
- Vampires, Hearts & Other Dead Things by Margie Fuston
- Me (Moth) by Amber McBride
- What Beauty There Is by Cory Anderson
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Excellence in Nonfiction Finalists
- Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Legacy of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre by Brandy Colbert
- From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial that Galvanized the Asian American Movement by Paula Yoo
- In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months and Years after the 9/11 Attacks by Don Brown
- The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield
American Indian Youth Awards for Literature
American Indian Youth Literature Awards are announced in even years and were established to identify and honor the very best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians and Alaska Natives. Selected titles present American Indians in the fullness of their humanity in the present and past contexts.
Picture Book
Herizon by Daniel W. Vandever [Diné], illustrated by Corey Begay [Diné]
Middle Grade Book
Young Adult Book
Picture Book Honor
- Diné Bich’eekę Yishłeeh [Diné Bizaad]/Becoming Miss Navajo [English] by Jolyana Begay-Kroupa [Diné]
- Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Gold Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer by Traci Sorell [Cherokee], illustrated by Natasha Donovan [Métis]
- Learning My Rights With Mousewoman written and illustrated by Morgan Asoyuf [Ts’msyen]
- I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha Spillet-Sumner [Cree and Trinidadian], illustrated by Michaela Goade [Tlingit & Haida]
- We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know by Traci Sorell [Cherokee], illustrated by Frané Lessac
Middle Grade Honor
- Ella Cara Deloria: Dakota Language Protector by Diane Wilson [Dakota], illustrated by Tashia Hart [Red Lake Anishinaabe]
- Indigenous Peoples’ Day by Katrina M. Phillips [Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe], illustrated by Tashia Hart [Red Lake Anishinaabe]
- Jo Jo Makoons: The Used-to-Be Best Friend by Dawn Quigley [Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe], illustrated by Tara Audibert [Wolastoqey]
- Peggy Flanagan: Ogimaa Kwe, Lieutenant Governor by Jessica Engelking [White Earth Band of Ojibwe], illustrated by Tashia Hart [Red Lake Anishinaabe]
- The Sea in Winter by Christine Day [Upper Skagit], cover art by Michaela Goade [Tlingit and Haida]
Young Adult Honor
- Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger [Lipan Apache Tribe]
- Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley [Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians]
- Hunting by Stars by Cherie Dimaline [Métis Nation of Ontario]
- Notable Native People: 50 Indigenous Leaders, Dreamers, and Changemakers from Past and Present by Adrienne Keene [Cherokee Nation]
- Soldiers Unknown by Chag Lowry [Yurok, Maidu and Achumawi], illustrated by Rahsan Ekedal
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
The Asian/Pacific American Awards promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit.
Picture Book
Picture Book Honor Title
- A Boy Named Isamu: A Story of Isamu Noguchi written and illustrated by James Yang
Children’s Literature
Children's Literature Honor Title
- Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh
Young Adult Literature
Young Adult Literature Honor Title
- We Are Not Free by Traci Chee
The Sydney Taylor Book Award
The Sydney Taylor Book Awards are presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature.
Picture Book
Picture Book Honors
- Nicky & Vera: A Quiet Hero of the Holocaust and the Children He Rescued written and illustrated by Peter Sis
- Dear Mr. Dickens by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Bethany Stancliffe
- The Christmas Mitzvah by Jeff Gottesfeld, illustrated by Michelle Laurentia Agatha
Middle Grade
Middle Grade Honors
- The Genius Under the Table: Growing up Behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Eugene Yelchin
- Linked by Gordon Korman
Young Adult
Young Adult Honors
- The Last Words We Said by Leah Scheier
- Whistle: A New Gotham City Hero by E. Lockhart, illustrated by Manuel Preitano
- The Summer of Lost Letters by Hannah Reynolds