Every January the American Library Association announces its annual awards for the best books in children’s and young adult literature. While there wasn’t a red carpet or glittering gowns, hundreds of publishers, librarians, and literary fans attended this yearly press conference to honor this year’s most accomplished authors. With so many awesome books to choose from the question is, “Which one will you read first?” Feel free to let us know in the comments below!
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults.
- Award Winner: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
- Honor Book: Why We Broke Up written by Daniel Handler and art by Maira Kalman
- Honor Book: The Returning by Christine Hinwood
- Honor Book: Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
- Honor Book: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Coretta Scott King Book Award recognizing an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults.
- Winner: Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
- Honor Book: The Great Migration: Journey to the North written by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
- Honor Book: Never Forgotten written by Patricia C. McKissack and illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.
- Middle School Award: Close to Famous by Joan Bauer
- Middle School Award: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
- Teen Award Winner: The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Alex Award Winners for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.
- Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin
- In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard
- The Lover’s Dictionary by David Levithan
- The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson
- Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
- The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston
- The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo
Margaret A. Edwards Award honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. Susan Cooper is the 2012 Edwards Award winner. Her books include: The Dark Is Rising Sequence: Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark Is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; and Silver on the Tree.
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adult.
- Award Winner: “Rotters” written by Daniel Kraus and narrated by Kirby Heyborne
- Honor Book: “Ghetto Cowboy” written by G. Neri and narrated by J.D. Jackson
- Honor Book: “Okay for Now” written by Gary D. Schmidt and narrated by Lincoln Hoppe
- Honor Book: “The Scorpio Races” written by Maggie Stiefvater and narrated by Steve Westand Fiona Hardingham
- Honor Book: Young Fredle written by Cynthia Voigt and narrated by Wendy Carter
Pura Belpre Author Award honoring a Latino writer whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
- Award Winner: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
- Honor Book: Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle
- Honor Book: Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller by Xavier Garza
Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awardis given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.
- Award Winner: Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
- Honor Book: a + e 4ever by Ilike Merey
- Honor Book: Money Boy by Paul Yee
- Honor Book: Pink by Lili Wilkinson
- Honor Book: With or Without You by Brian Farrey
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
- Award Winner: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
- Award Finalist: Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
- Award Finalist: Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
- Award Finalist: Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
- Award Finalist: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepety
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults.
- Award Winner: The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True
Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin - Award Finalist: Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science by Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos
- Award Finalist: Bootleg: Murder, Moonshine, and the Lawless Years of Prohibition by Karen Blumenthal
- Award Finalist: Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
- Award Finalist: Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein by Susan Goldman Rubin
