Award Winning Books for Kids and Teens
From GRPLpedia
The Newbery Medal
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. For a complete list of past winners, visit Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-present.
2010 Winner - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
"Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Honor Books
The Caldecott Medal
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children. For a complete list of past winners, visit Caldecott Medal Winners and Honor Books, 1938-present.
2010 Winner - The Lion & the Mouse written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
"The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney’s textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two very unlikely friends." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Honor Books
The Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association. For a complete list of past winners, visit Previous Michael L. Printz Winners.
2010 Winner - Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
"Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Honor Books
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, established in 2004, is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers. The winner(s) receive a bronze medal for their creativity and imagination and ability to "engage children in reading." The award is named for Theodor Geisel, otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, who championed children's literacy and told the world, "a person's a person, no matter how small." For a complete list of past winners, visit Past Winners
2010 Medal Winner - Benny and Penny in The Big No-No!: A Toon Book, by Geoffrey Hayes
Honor Books
Coretta Scott King Awards
Given to African American authors and illustrator for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions, the Coretta Scott King Book Award titles promote understanding and appreciation of the culture of all peoples and their contribution to the realization of the American dream. The award is designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood. For a complete list of past winners, visit Past Winners.
2010 Author Award - Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
"With lively language and anecdotes, Nelson (Juneteenth) chronicles the life of African-American lawman Bass Reeves in a biography that elevates him to folk hero. The folksy language is heavy with simile (Bass took to guns like a bear to honey) and jargon (vittles, slack-jawed cowpoke), inviting a drawly reading. It's an arresting portrait of a man who rose from escaped slave in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) to become a federal marshal who made thousands of arrests, including his own son, but killed only 14 men." -- FROM PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY REVIEW
Author Honor Books
2010 Illustrator Award - My People, illustrated by Charles R. Smith, Jr.
"(Langston) Hughes's spare yet eloquent tribute to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed photographer Smith interprets this beloved poem in vivid sepia photographs that capture the glory, the beauty, and the soul of being a black American today." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Illustrator Honor Books
2010 John Steptoe New Talent Award - The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon
"In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
The Pura Belpré Award
The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking (REFORMA), an ALA Affiliate. The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. For a complete list of past winners, visit The Pura Belpré Award Winners.
2010 Author Award - Return to Sender, written by Julia Alvarez
"After Tyler’s father is unable to maintain the family farm, he hires undocumented workers, resulting in an interdependent relationship that mirrors current social and political conditions in the United States. Alvarez humanizes a situation by giving a voice to millions of immigrants experiencing similar hardships. This outstanding novel about the solidarity between two children of different cultures will resonate in the hearts of readers of any age." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Author Honor Books
2010 Illustration Award - Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day = Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros, written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Rafael Lopez
"Rafael López utilizes vibrant colors and applies magical realism to show that the love of reading is universal. Through a series of fanciful images, the author depicts Latino children inviting children of other cultures into their book fiesta, leading the reader on a visual journey that shows that reading sparks the imagination across all cultures and has the power to unite us." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Illustration Honor Books
The Mildred L. Batchelder Award
This award, established in 1966, is a citation awarded to an American publisher for a children's book considered to be the most outstanding of those books originally published in a foreign language in a foreign country, and subsequently translated into English and published in the United States. The award honors Mildred L. Batchelder, a former executive director of the Association for Library Service to Children, a believer in the importance of good books for children in translation from all parts of the world. For a complete list of past winners, visit ALSC Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winners 1968-Present.
2010 Award Winner - Delacorte Press for A Faraway Island, written by Annika Thor and translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck
"In 1939 Sweden, two Jewish sisters wait for their parents to flee the Nazis in Austria, but while eight-year-old Nellie settles in quickly, twelve-year-old Stephie feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who is as cold and unforgiving as the island on which they live." -- BOOK DESCRIPTION
Honor Books
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up Award
The Thumbs Up! Award was established in 1986 to recognize the excellence, and to celebrate the uniqueness of Teen/Young Adult literature. A committee, consisting of Teen Librarians, meets several times during the year to determine the winner. Beginning in 2001, the Thumbs Up! Committee has included a teen vote. The Thumbs Up! Award is given annually by the Teen Services Division to an author for an outstanding contribution to teen literature having both literary quality and teen appeal. "Teen" for the award's purpose is someone between 12-18 years of age. The book must appeal to this age group, both in respect to its characters and setting, as well as in terms of subject and theme. Books may be hardcover or original paperback. Books may be either fiction or nonfiction. For a complete list of past winners and award guidelines, visit the Thumbs Up award page.
2009 Award Winner - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
"In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place." --BOOK DESCRIPTION
Honor Books
Michigan Library Association's Mitten Award
The Mitten Award is an annual award presented through the Michigan Library Association's Children's Services Division. The mission of the Mitten Award is "To recognize one children's book published in the United States within the calendar year that has captured the attention of the children's librarians throughout the State of Michigan for its ability to communicate through literature to an intended audience." For a list of past award winners and award guidelines, visit the Mitten Award page.
2008 Award Winner - Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
"In a remote area of Alaska, twelve-year-old Willow helps her father with their sled dogs when she is not at school, wishing she were more popular, all the while unaware that the animals surrounding her carry the spirits of dead ancestors and friends who care for her."
Honor Books
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
The Sibert Medal, established in 2001, is named for Robert Sibert, long-time President of Bound to Stay Bound Books. It recognizes the distinguished nonfiction, informational book of the year, the one that does best to "present, organize and interpret documentable, factual material for children."
2010 Award Winner - Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream, written by Tanya Lee Stone
Honor Books
