Youth Media Awards

The American Library Association (ALA) announced its youth media awards today.  See more information about these awards here and this year's winners here.

Click on the titles below to see the books in our library or follow the "ebook" link for ebooks.  If you'd like our library to purchase a book we don't currently own, you may fill out a "suggestion for purchase" form at the library or online here.

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

The Girl Who Drank the Moon, written by Kelly Barnhill

Newbery Honor Books
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, written by Adam Gidwitz, illustrated by Hatem Aly
Wolf Hollow, written by Lauren Wolk (ebook)





Corretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African-American author of outstanding books for children and young adults:

March: Book Three, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, illustrated by Nate Powell

King Author Honor Books
As Brave as You, written by Jason Reynolds
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan


Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award recognizing an African-American illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults:

Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

King Illustrator Honor Books
Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life by Ashley Bryan, illustrated and written by Ashley Bryan
In Plain Sight, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, written by Richard Jackson


Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award:



The Sun Is Also a Star, written by Nicola Yoon (ebook, e-audiobook)










Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop


Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

March: Book Three, created by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

Printz Honor Books
Asking for It, by Louise O’Neill
The Passion of Dolssa, by Julie Berry (ebook)
Scythe, by Neal Shusterman (ebook)
The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon (ebook, e-audiobook)







Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:

For children ages 0 to 10:
Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille, written by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Boris Kulikov

For middle grades (ages 11 to 13):
as brave as you, written by Jason Reynolds

For teens (ages 13 to 18)
When We Collided, written by Emery Lord


Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:
The Queen of Blood, by Sarah Beth Durst
The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided, by Diane Guerrero with Michelle Burford
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded, by Hannah Hart
Arena, by Holly Jennings
Every Heart a Doorway, by Seanan McGuire
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Choosable-Path Adventure, by Ryan North
Die Young with Me: A Memoir, by Rob Rufus
The Wasp that Brainwashed the Caterpillar, by Matt Simon
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko, by Scott Stambach


Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults:
Sarah Dessen


2018 May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children's literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site
Naomi Shihab Nye


Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States:

Cry, Heart, But Never Break, originally published in Danish in 2001 as “Græd blot hjerte,” the book was written by Glenn Ringtved, illustrated by Charolotte Pardi, and translated by Robert Moulthrop

Batchelder Honor Books
Over the Ocean, written and illustrated by Taro Gomi and translated from the Japanese by Taylor Norman
As Time Went By, written and illustrated by José Sanabria and translated from the German by Audrey Hall
The Ballad of a Broken Nose, written by Arne Svingen and translated from the Norwegian by Kari Dickson


Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States:

Anna and the Swallow Man, produced by Listening Library. The book is written by Gavriel Savit and narrated by Allan Corduner.

Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
Ghost (book, ebook) produced by Simon and Schuster Audio, written by Jason Reynolds and narrated by Guy Lockard
Dream On, Amber, produced by Recorded Books, written by Emma Shevah and narrated by Laura Kirman
Nimona, (book) produced by HarperAudio, written by Noelle Stevenson and narrated by Rebecca Soler, Jonathan Davis, Marc Thompson, January LaVoy, Natalie Gold, Peter Bradbury and David Pittu.


Pura Belpré Awards honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children's books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience:

Belpré Illustrator Award winner:
Lowriders to the Center of the Earth, illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez, written by Cathy Camper

Belpré Illustrator Honor Books:
Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist, illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh, written by Susan Wood
The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, illustrated and written by Duncan Tonatiuh

Pura Belpré Author Award winner:
Juana & Lucas, written and illustrated by Juana Medina

Belpré Author Honor Book:
The Only Road, written by Alexandra Diaz


Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children:

March: Book Three, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin and illustrated by Nate Powell

Sibert Honor Books:
Giant Squid, written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story, written by Caren Stelson a
Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II, written by Albert Marrin
We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler, written by Russell Freedman






Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience:

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, written by Rick Riordan
If I Was Your Girl written by Meredith Russo (ebook)

Honor Books:
When the Moon Was Ours, written by Anna-Marie McLemore a
Unbecoming, written by Jenny Downham
Pride: Celebrating Diversity & Community, written by Robin Stevenson





William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:

The Serpent King, written by Jeff Zentner

Finalists for the Morris Award:
Girl Mans Up, written by M-E Girard,
Rani Patel in Full Effect, written by Sonia Patel
The Smell of Other People’s Houses, written by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
Tell Me Something Real, written by Calla Devlin


YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:

March: Book Three, created by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell

Finalists for the YALSA award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults:
Hillary Rodham Clinton:  A Woman Living History, by Karen Blumenthal
In the Shadow of Liberty: The Hidden History of Slavery, Four Presidents, and Five Black Lives, by Kenneth C. Davis
Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune, written by Pamela S. Turner, illustrated by Gareth Hinds
This Land Is Our Land: A History of American Immigration, written by Linda Barrett Osborne


For more information on the ALA youth media awards and notables, please visit www.ala.org/yma .