Award Winning Books

Award Winners for Your Kids (and you)!

Do you want to expand your kids’ reading—or your own? Do you want to choose works that have made a difference in the literary community? There’s nothing better than reading great books together.

Each year, the American Library Association chooses books for kids and teens that are outstanding in different fields for many different awards. We’ve provided a list of some of these below. We’ve also included a handy link so you can check this book out at your local library right away!

Award Winners

John Newbery Medal

Awarded to the most outstanding contributor to children’s literature

♦ Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8385220

Randolph Caldecott Medal

Awarded to the most distinguished American picture book for children

♦ Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7980991

Coretta Scott King Book Award, Best Author

Recognizes an African-American author of outstanding books for children and young adults

♦ A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 by Claire Hartfield.
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7872264

Coretta Scott King Book Award, Best Illustrator

Recognizes an African-American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults

♦ The Stuff of Stars illustrated by Ekua Holmes. Written by Marion Dane Bauer.
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8648421

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Best New Author

Affirms new talent for excellence in writing at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books.

♦ Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8251942

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, Best New Illustrator

Affirms new talent for excellence in illustration at the beginning of a career as a published African American creator of children’s books.

♦ Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8385222

Michael L. Printz Award

Awarded for the best book written for teens

♦ The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7982582

Schneider Family Book Award

Honor authors and/or illustrators whose books embody an artistic expression of the disability experience for children and adolescent audiences

For Young Children
♦ Rescue & Jessica: A Life-changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, illustrated by Scott Magoon
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8650638

For Middle Schoolers
♦ The Truth as told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7976898

For Teens
♦ Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro 
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8244772

Odyssey Award

Awarded to best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States

♦ Sadie by Courtney Summers, produced by Macmillan Audio
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8250677

Pura Belpré Award, Best Author

Awarded to a Latinx writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth

♦ The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7982582

Pura Belpré Award, Best Illustrator

Awarded to a Latinx illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latinx cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth

♦ Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/8647965

Stonewall Book Awards

These 3 awards are given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) experience.

  • The award for fiction is the Barbara Gittings Literature Award.
  • The award for nonfiction is the Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award.
  • A third award for ‘other notable works,’ is the Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award.

Barbara Gittings Literature Award
♦ The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/staff/cat/catalog/record/8251241

Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award
♦ Go the Way Your Blood Beats by Michael Amherst

The Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
♦ Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7986691
♦ Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callender
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/staff/cat/catalog/record/8160366

(Theodor Seuss) Geisel Award

Awarded to the author and illustrator of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English during the previous year

♦ Fox the Tiger written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
https://york.sparkpa.org/eg/opac/record/7986339

Check them out today!

For a complete list of all book, audio, and media awards given out by the American Library Association please visit: http://www.ala.org/awardsgrants/awards/browse/bpma?showfilter=no