Each year in January, the American Library Association announces the Youth Media Awards, honoring outstanding materials for kids and teens. The official announcements will take place on January 27 at 8am. While you're waiting to see the winners, let's take a look at some of the books I think have a shot at winning this year.
ALA gives out a total of 18 youth awards each year; you can find the full list here. Because there are so many, I'll focus on just three of the most popular awards: The John Newbery Medal, the Randolph Caldecott Medal, and the Michael L. Printz Award.
Check out last year's children's winners here and last year's YA winners here.
John Newbery Medal
Awarded by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), this award is given to the author of the most distinguished children’s book of the year. Here are some of the books I think will be contenders this year:
Black Girl You Are Atlas: A thoughtful celebration of Black girlhood by award-winning author and poet Renée Watson.
The First State of Being: When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever.
Kareem Between: This heartfelt coming-of-age novel in verse tells the powerful story of a seventh grade Syrian-American boy and his struggles, big and small, as he navigates middle-school.
Louder Than Hunger: Revered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse.
Olivetti: Being a typewriter is not as easy as it looks. Surrounded by books (notorious attention hogs) and recently replaced by a computer, Olivetti has been forgotten by the Brindle family—the family he’s lived with for years.
Randolph Caldecott Medal
Also award by the ALSC, this award is given to the artist of the most distinguished picture book of the year. Here are some of the books I think will be contenders this year:
Being Home: From Sibert honor–winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal–winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family and the joys of moving back to their ancestral lands.
Joyful Song: What a happy day! Zachary’s baby sister will have her naming ceremony. In the temple! With his moms, the congregation, and all their friends! He’s so excited he can barely contain it.
My Daddy Is A Cowboy: A young girl and her father share an early morning horseback ride around their city in this picture book celebration of “just-us time,” perfect for fans of My Papi Has a Motorcycle.
Two Together: In this companion book to They All Saw a Cat and Inside Cat , a journey home leads to unexpected adventures for a cat and dog. A playful, imaginative story of friendship, empathy, and discovery by Caldecott Honor winner Brendan Wenzel.
Ursula Upside Down: Ursula the catfish finds confidence in seeing the world her own way in another innovative, flipped-format picture book from Caldecott Honoree and Geisel Award winner Corey R. Tabor.
Michael L. Printz Award
Presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), this award is given to the most outstanding book published for teens. Here are some of the books I think will be contenders this year:
Everything We Never Had: From the author of the National Book Award finalist Patron Saints of Nothing comes an emotionally charged, moving novel about four generations of Filipino American boys grappling with identity, masculinity, and their fraught father-son relationships.
Heir: Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives―and their hearts. Literally.
Lunar New Year Love Story: Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, forgiveness, and lion dancing.
Twenty-four Seconds From Now: Author Jason Reynolds tackles it—you know…it—from the guy’s perspective in this unfiltered and undeniably sweet stream of consciousness story of a teen boy about to experience a huge first.
When the World Tips Over: With road trips, rivalries, family curses, love stories within love stories within love stories, and sorrows and joys passed from generation to generation, this is the intricate, luminous tale of a family’s complicated past and present. And only in telling their stories can they hope to rewrite their futures.
