Young People's Literature Awards

Each year the Young People's Literature Awards Committee reads and reviews dozens of books to pick the current year award winners. Go to eligibility requirements.

Click here for submission Address.

2024

• JACK CHENG,   The Many Masks of Andy Zhou (Dial Books for Young Readers)
• SONDRA SODERBORG,   Sky Ropes (Chronicle Books)
• SHARI SWANSON,   The Darling Duck of WWII (Sleeping Bear Press)

2023

• ANGELA JOY,   Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement (Roaring Brook Press)
• XIXI TIAN,   This Place Is Still Beautiful (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray)
• LINDSAY S ZRULL,   Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe (North Star Editions-Flux)

2022

• ANGELINE BOULLEY,   Firekeeper's Daughter (Henry Holt and Company)
• WAKA T. BROWN,   While I Was Away (Quill Tree Books)
• LISA FIPPS,   Starfish (Penguin Young Readers: Nancy Paulsen Books)

2021

• LINDSAY CURRIE,   Scritch Scratch (Sourcebooks Young Readers, Sept 1, 2020)
• CAROLE LINDSTROM,   We Are Water Protectors (Roaring Brook Press, March 17, 2020)
• LINDSAY H. METCALF,   Beatrix Potter, Scientist (Albert Whitman & Company, Sept 1, 2020)
• LINDSAY H. METCALF,   Farmers Unite!: Planting a Protest for Fair Prices (Calkins Creek, Nov 10, 2020)

2020

• JESSIE ANN FOLEY,   Sorry For Your Loss (Quill Tree Books, June 4, 2019)
• ANN SCHOENBOHM,   Rising Above Shepherdsville (Beach Lane Books, July 16, 2019)
• JASMINE WARGA,   Other Words for Home (Balzer + Bray, May 28, 2019)

2019

• GLORIA CHAO,   American Panda  (Simon Pulse, February 6, 2018)
• ADIB KHORRAM,   Darius the Great Is Not Okay  (Dial Books, August 28, 2018)
• OGE MORA,   Thank You, Omu!  (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, October 2, 2018)

2018

• DAVID BARCLAY MOORE,   The Stars Beneath Our Feet  (Knopf Books for Young Readers September 19, 2017)
• TAMARA BUNDY,   Walking with Miss Millie (Nancy Paulsen Books July 4, 2017)

2017

• KATE HOEFLER,   Real Cowboys (Picture Book)  (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2016)
• RUTA SEPETYS,   Salt to the Sea  (Philomel Books, 2016)
• SHARON BIGGS WALLER,    The Forbidden Orchid  (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2016)

2016

• DAVID ARNOLD,   Mosquitoland  (Viking/Penguin, 2015)
• AIMÉE BISSONETTE,   North Woods Girl  (Minnesota Historical Society Press; 1 edition, 2015)
• CHRISTINE HAYES,    Mothman's Curse  (Roaring Brook Press, 2015)

2015

• ELEANOR GLEWWE,   Sparkers  (Viking Books for Young Readers, 2014))
• ADRIANA BRAD SCHANEN,   Quinny & Hopper  (Disney-Hyperion, 2014)

2014

• PAT ZIETLOW MILLER,   Sophie's Squash  (Schwartz & Wade)
• CLARE VANDERPOOL,   Navigating Early  (Delacorte for Young Readers)

2013

• W.H. BECK,   Malcolm at Midnight (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
• LUTRICIA CLIFTON,   Freaky Fast Frankie Joe (Holiday House)

2012

• BRYNNE BARNES,   Colors of Me (Sleeping Bear Press)
• DELIA RAY,   Here Lies Linc (Alfred A. Knopf)

2011

• REBECCA BARNHOUSE, The Coming of the Dragon   (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• MARIANNE MALONE, The Sixty-Eight Rooms   (Random House Books for Young Readers)
• KAT FALLS, The Dark Life  (Scholastic Press)

2010

• JOAN DONALDSON, On Viney's Mountain   (Holiday House)
• J. ADAMS OAKS, Why I Fight   (Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books)
• BARBARA OLENYIK MORROW, Mr. Mosquito Put on His Tuxedo   (Holiday House)* Special Mention *

2009

• BLUE BALLIETT, The Calder Game   (Scholastic Press)
• NANCY L. HULL, On Rough Seas   (Clarion Books)
• JENNY MEYERHOFF, Third Grade Baby   (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)

2008

• KASHMIRA SHETH, Keeping Corner  (Hyperion)
• ANDREA BEATY, Iggy Peck, Architect  (Abrahms Books)

2007

• CAROL HAGEN, The Night Henry Ford Met Santa  (Sleeping Bear Press)
• AMY TIMBERLAKE, That Girl Lucy Moon  (Hyperion Books)

2006

• JILL ESBAUM, Ste-e-e-eamboat A Comin!  (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• L. D. HARKRADER, Airball: My Life In Briefs  (Roaring Book Press)

2005

• JANICE N. HARRINGTON, Going North  (Dutton Children's Press)
• CAROLYN LIEBERG, West With Hopeless  (Dutton Children's Books)

2004

• TOM LICHTENHELD, What Are You So Grumpy About?  (Little, Brown & Co.)
• LAURA RUBY, Lily’s Ghost  (Harper Collins)

2003

• ALISON McGHEE, Countdown to Kindergarten  (Silver Whistle, Harcourt)
• SHARELLE BYARS MORANVILLE, Over the River  (Henry Holt & Co.)

2002

• KATE KLISE, Trial By Journal  (Harper Collins)
• RICHARD MOSHER, Zazoo  (Clarion Books)

2001

• KATE DiCAMILLO, Because of Winn-Dixie  (Candlewick Press)
• ANN BAUSUM, Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs  (National Geographic Society)

2000

• DENISE BRENNAN-NELSON, Buzzy the Bumblebee  (Sleeping Bear Press)
• LYNN E. McELFRESH, Can You Feel the Thunder  (Atheneum Books for Young Adults)

1999

• SUSAN MARIE SWANSON, Letter to the Lake  (D. K. Publishing, Inc.)
• LORRI HEWETT, Lives of Our Own  (Dutton Children's Press)

1998

• PATRICIA CURTIS PFITSCH, Keeper of the Light  (Simon & Schuster)
• SARAH STEWART, The Gardener  (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)

1997

• D. ANNE LOVE, My Lone Star Summer  (Holiday House)
• ELSA MARSTON, The Fox Maiden  (Simon & Schuster)

1996

• ELIZABETH ALDER, The King's Shadow (Farrar, Straus & Giroux)
• PATRICIA WILLIS, Out of the Storm   (Clarion Books)

1995

• JUNE RAE WOOD, A Share of Freedom  (G. P. Putnam's Sons)
• JACK BUSHNESS, Circus of the Wolves  (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)

1994

• SANDRA BELTON, From Miss Ida's Porch  (Four Winds Press)
• MARY LOUISE CUNEO, Anne Is Elegant  (Harper Collins)

1993

• MARIE G. LEE, Finding My Voice  (Houghton Mifflin)
• A. M. MONSON, The Deer Stand  (Lothrop, Lee & Shepard)

1992

• HARRIETTE GILLEM ROBINET, Children of the Fire  (Atheneum)

1991

• SHARON PHILLIPS DENSLOW, Night Owls  (Bradbury)
• RON KOERTGE, The Boy in the Moon  (Little, Brown)

1990

• GARY L. BLACKWOOD, The Dying Sun  (Atheneum)
• GEORGE SHANNON, Unlived Affections  (Harper & Row)

1989

• VIRGINIA BROSSEIT, The Secret Friendship  (Winston-Derek)
• SANDY STRYKER, Tonia the Tree   (Advocacy Press)

1988

• RABOO RODGERS, Island of Peril  (Houghton Mifflin)
• ARIELLE NORTH OLSON, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter   (Little, Brown and Company)

1987

• JOHN HAY, Rover and Coo Coo   (Green Tiger Press)
• JOSEPH E. MURPHY, Adventure Beyond the Clouds  (Dillon Press)

1986

• TOM TOWNSEND, Where the Pirates Are   (Eakin)
• WHITLEY STRIEBER, Wolf of Shadows  (Sierra Club/Knopf)

1985

• JUDIE GULLEY, Rodeo Summer  (Houghton Mifflin)
• CAROLYN LESSER, The Goodnight Circle  (Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich)

1984

• CHARLES FERRY, Raspberry One  (Houghton Mifflin)
• SUSAN E. KIRBY, Ike and Porker  (Houghton Mifflin)

1983

• QUANG NHUONG HUYNH, The Land I Lost  (Harper & Row)
• KATHY CALLAWAY, The Bloodroot Flower  (Knopf)

1982

• DAVID KHERDIAN, Beyond Two Rivers  (Greenwillow)
• EMILY CROFFORD, A Matter of Pride (Carolrhoda)

1981

• PATRICIA CALVERT, The Snowbird  (Charles Scribner's Sons)
• SARAH SARGENT, Weird Henry Berg  (Crown)
• ROBERT D. SUTHERLAND, Sticklewort and Feverfew (Pikestaff)

1980

• CRYSTAL THRASHER, Between Dark and Daylight  (Atheneum)
• CHARLOTTE TOWNER GRAEBER, Gray Cloud   (Four Winds)