Youth Media Awards or BEST Day for Children’s Literature/Media
The Youth Media Awards are announced every January at 8:00 am, when most sane people are getting ready for work, commuting, or just beginning work. This year because the American Library Association Midwinter Conference was held in Seattle, the awards were announced at 11:00 am EST. For most of the world, these awards mean very little, but for children’s authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians, and teachers – this is a very exciting day!
18 Awards were presented less than 3 hours ago and I am so excited to see some of the great books that won this year! I’ll post the winners, but check http://www.ala.org/yma for the complete list of winners and honors. The awards include:
Newbery Award for the most outstanding contribution children’s literature
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished AMerican picture book for children
This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
Coretta Scott King Book Award (author & illustrator), recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.
Author: Andrea Pinkney Davis for Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America
Illustrator: Bryan Collier for I, Too, Am America
The Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults.
In Darkness by Nick Lake
The Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.
Back to Front and Upside Down! by, Claire Alexander
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis
The Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences.
Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman
Girlchild by, Tupelo Hassman
Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
One Shot at Forever by Chis Ballard
Pure by Julianna Baggott
The Round House by Lousie Erdrich
Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
The Andrew Carnegie Medal for excellence in children’s video.
Anna, Emma and the Condors – produced by Katha Torneman
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award which honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
Katherine Paterson (writer)
The Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement and award given to a librarian for their work in the field.
Demetria Tucker
The Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults.
Tamora Pierce (author)
The May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award for recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature.
Andrea Davis Pinkney (author/illustrator)
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English.
My Family for the War (originally published in German as Liverpool Street) – Anne C. Voorhoeve
The Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green produced by Brilliance Audio
The Pura Belpre Awards (author/illustrator) honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portrayal, affirm, and celebrate the LAtino cultural experience.
Writer: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Illustrator: Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert illustrated by David Diaz and written by Sonia Manzano
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for the most distinguished informational book for children.
Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
The Stonewall Book Award given to children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender experience.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Theodore Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book.
Up, Tall and High! by Ethan Long
The William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens.
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Try something new and read one of these amazing titles – I’m sure they won’t disappoint!