Library Blog

And The Best Children's Book of the Year Is...

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

In mid-February, the American Library Association held its annual midwinter conference in Denver. On the final day, the Youth Media Awards were announced—these are essentially the “Olympics” or the “Oscars” of the children’s and young adult book world. Librarians and book lovers around the nation waited with bated breath to learn who would take home the top prizes. Here’s a roundup of what the Library currently holds, nearly 25 titles!

Caldecott Medalist: Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
• Caldecott Honors: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James, Grand Canyon by Jason Chin, and Big Cat, Little Cat by Elisha Cooper

Newbery Medalist: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
• Newberry Honors: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

Printz Award: We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
• Printz Honors: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Alex Awards (available as ebooks in the Cloud Library): She Rides Shotgun by Jordan Harper and Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Pura Belpré Award for Writing: Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar
• Pura Belpré Honors for Writing: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya and The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez
• Pura Belpré Honor for Illustration: Frida and her Animalitos by Monica Brown, illustrated by John Parra

Coretta Scott King (CSK) Author Award: Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson
• CSK Author Honors: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• CSK Illustrator Honor: Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James
• CSK/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

Geisel Award: Charlie & Mouse by Laurel Snyder
• Geisel Honors: I See a Cat by Paul Meisel and My Kite is Stuck by Salina Yoon

Morris Award: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Schneider Family Book Award for Teens: You’re Welcome Universe by Whitney Gardner

Sibert Informational Honor Book: Grand Canyon by Jason Chin

Stonewall Book Award: Little & Lion, written by Brandy Colbert and The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
• Stonewall Honor: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults: Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman (available as an ebook in the Cloud Library)
• YALSA Nonfiction Finalist: The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater

In the weeks and months to come, we expect to add more books drawn from the long list of award winners. We invite you to drop by and inquire about these latest and greatest new titles in the NYSL collection. We hope you find these books to be rewarding reads as much as the committees that chose to bestow these honors upon them.