Award Winning Books for Children
Caldecott Medal
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.
2022 Winner
Watercress
- by Jason Chin & Andrea Wang
2022 Honor Books
Have You Ever Seen a Flower?
- by Shawn Harris
Mel Fell
- by Corey R Tabor
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
- by Carol Boston Weatherford
Wonder Walkers
- by Micha Archer
Goldfinch Award
Goldfinch Award
The Goldfinch Award gives children an opportunity to choose the award winning book and to suggest books for the yearly reading list. Books chosen are fiction or nonfiction titles appropriate for children in preschool through 3rd grade.
2022-2023 Nominees
A New Day
- by Brad Meltzer
Anna & Samia: the true story of saving a black rhino
- by Paul Meisel
Boardwalk Babies
- by Marissa Moss
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners
- by Joanna Ho
Field Trip to the Ocean Deep
- by John Hare
How to Catch a Clover Thief
- by Elise Parsley
I Promise
- by LeBron James
I Will Dance
- by Bo Flood
Just Like Me
- by Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Lift
- by Minh Lê
Maryam’s Magic: the story of mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani
- by Megan Reid
Milo Imagines the World
- by Matt de la Peña
My Papi has a Motorcycle
- by Isabel Quintero
My Very Favorite Book in the Whole Wide World
- by Malcolm Mitchell
Swish!: the slam-dunking, alley-ooping, high flying Harlem Globetrotters
- by Suzanne Slade
The Paper Kingdom
- by Helena Ku Rhee
The Power of her Pen: the story of groundbreaking journalist Ethel L. Payne
- by Lesa Cline-Ransome
The Proudest Blue: a story of hijab and family
- by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Unicorns are the Worst
- by Alex Willan
You Matter
- by Christian Robinson
Your Name is a Song
- by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA)
Iowa Children's Choice Award (ICCA)
The Iowa Children’s Choice Award gives children an opportunity to choose the award winning book and to suggest books for the yearly reading list. Books chosen are fiction or nonfiction titles appropriate for children in 3rd through 6th grade.
2021-2022 Nominees
A Good Kind of Trouble
- by Lisa Moore Ramée
Ambrose Deception
- by Emily Ecton
Blended
- by Sharon M. Draper
Boy at the Back of the Class
- by Onjali Q. Rauf
Dragons in a Bag
- by Zetta Elliott
From the Desk of Zoe Washington
- by Janae Marks
Greystone Secrets: The Strangers
- by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Inkling
- by Kenneth Oppel
Look Both Ways
- by Jason Reynolds
Prairie Lotus
- by Linda Sue Park
Small Spaces
- by Katherine Arden
Some Places More Than Others
- by Renée Watson
Stay
- by Bobbie Pyron
Team Players
- by Mike Lupica
The Best at It
- by Maulik Pancholy
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl
- by Stacy McAnulty
The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA
- by Brenda Woods
Where the Watermelons Grow
- by Cindy Baldwin
Wonderland
- by Barbara O'Connor
Words on Fire
- by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Newbery Medal
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.
2022 Newberry Award Winner
The Last Cuentista
- by Donna Barba Higuera
2022 Newberry Honor Books
A Snake Falls to Earth
- by Darcie Little Badger
Red, White, and Whole
- by Rajani LaRocca
Too Bright to See
- by Kyle Lukoff
Watercress
- by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin
Coretta Scott King Award
Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
2022 Award Winner
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
- by Floyd Cooper & Carole Boston Weatherford
2022 Honor Books
Home is Not a Country
- by Safie Alhillo
Revolution in Our Time
- by Kekla Magoon
The People Remember
- by Ibi Zoboi
2022 Illustrator Award Winner
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre
- by Floyd Cooper & Carole Boston Weatherford
2022 Illustrator Honor Books
Nina: A Story of Nina Simone
- by Christian Robinson & Traci N. Todd
Soul Food Sunday
- by C.G. Esperanza & Winsome Bingham
We Wait for the Sun
- by Raissa Figueroa, Dovey Johnson Roundtree & Katie McCabe
Pura Belpré Award
Pura Belpré Award
The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually 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 REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate.
2022 Award Winner
The Last Cuentista
- by Donna Barba Higuera
2021 Honor Books
Child of the Flower-Song People
- by Gloria Amescua
2022 Illustrator Award Winner
¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge
- by Raúl Gonzalez
2022 Illustrator Honor Books
Boogie Bookgie, Y’all
- by C.G. Esperanze
Bright Star
- by Yuyi Morales
May Your Life Be Deliciosa
- by Loris Lora & Michael Genhart
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Geisel Award is given annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year.
2022 Award Winner
Fox at Night
- by Corey R Tabor
2022 Honor Books
Beak & Ally #1: Unlikely Friends
- by Norm Feuti
I Hop
- by Joe Cepeda
Nothing Fits a Dinosaur
- by Jonathan Fenske
Award Winning Books for Teens
Alex Awards
Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year’s publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002.
2022 Winners
Crossing the Line
- by Kareem Rosser
How Lucky
- by Will Leitch
Light from Uncommon Stars
- by Ryka Aoki
Lore Olympus, Vol. 1
- by Rachel Smythe
Malice
- by Heather Walter
The Library of the Dead
- by T.L. Huchu
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot
- by Marianne Cronin
The Rose Code
- by Kate Quinn
The Witch’s Heart
- by Genevieve Gornichec
Winter’s Orbit
- by Everina Maxell
Iowa High School Book Award (IHSBA)
Iowa High School Book Award
In March, high school students across Iowa take part in the nomination of books for the Iowa High School Book Award. These books are reviewed by the IHSBA committee and teacher librarian volunteer readers and the list is narrowed. During the summer, the readers read and rate the titles. The committee members finalize the list in the fall. The list for the next school year is released in January for the following school year.
2022-2023 Nominees
Burn
- by Patrick Ness
Clap When You Land
- by Elizabeth Acevedo
Concrete Rose
- by Angie Thomas
Dear Justyce
- by Nic Stone
Dragon Hoops
- by Gene Luen Yang
Punching the Air
- by Ibi Aanu Zoboi
The Cost of Knowing
- by Brittney Morris
The Gilded Ones
- by Namina Forna
The Girl from Widow Hills
- by Megan Miranda
The Inheritance Games
- by Jennifer Barnes
The Night Swim
- by Megan Goldin
We Are Not Free
- by Traci Chee
Iowa Teen Award (ITA)
Iowa Teen Award
In March, teens across Iowa take part in the nomination of books for the Iowa Teen Award. These books are reviewed by the ITA committee and volunteer readers and the list is narrowed. During the summer, the adult readers read and rate the titles.
In March, teens also vote for their favorite book from that year’s list.
2022-2023 Nominees
All This Time
- by Mikki Daughtry
Becoming
- by Michelle Obama
Breathing Underwater
- by Sarah Elizabeth Allen
Fighting Words
- by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Go With the Flow
- by Lily Williams
Ground Zero
- by Alan Gratz
Instructions for Dancing
- by Nicola Yoon
Just Like That
- by Gary D Schmidt
Long Way Down
- by Jason Reynolds
Love is a Revolution
- by Renée Watson
One Year at Ellsmere
- by Faith Erin Hicks
Raybearer
- by Jordan Ifueko
Roll With It
- by Jamie Sumner
Starfish
- by Lisa Fipps
The Inheritance Games
- by Jennifer Barnes
Morris Award
Morris Award
The William C. Morris YA Debut Award honors a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating impressive new voices in young adult literature. The award’s namesake is William C. Morris, an influential innovator in the publishing world and an advocate for marketing books for children and young adults.
2022 Winner
Ace of Spades
- by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Firekeeper’s Daughter
- by Angeline Boulley
Daunis, a half-Ojibwe, half-white former hockey player/aspiring scientist never feels fully settled in either her reservation or the outside world. She finds herself even more torn when she witnesses her best friend’s murder and is pulled into an FBI investigation centered on a lethal new drug running wild among her friends and family.
2022 Finalists
Ace of Spades
- by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Me (Moth)
- by Amber McBride
Vampires, Hearts and Other Dead Things
- by Margie Fuston
What Beauty There Is
- by Cory Anderson
Printz Award
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.
2022 Winner
Concrete Rose
- by Angie Thomas
Firekeeper’s Daughter
- by Angeline Boulley
2022 Finalists
Concrete Rose
- by Angie Thomas
Last Night at the Telegraph Club
- by Malinda Lo
Revolution in Our Time
- by Kekla Magoon
Starfish
- by Lisa Fipps
YALSA Nonfiction Award
YALSA Nonfiction Award
YALSA’s Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.
2022 Winner
Ambushed! The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield
- by Gail Jarrow
An intricately detailed narrative of the assassination of President Garfield, Jarrow uses historical documents, newspaper accounts, and diary entries to create an engaging chronology of events as part of her Medical Fiascoes series.
2022 Finalists
Black Birds in the Sky
- by Brandy Colbert
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry
- by Paula Yoo
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers
- by Don Brown
The Woman All Spies Fear
- by Amy Greenfield
YALSA Teens' Top Ten
YALSA Teen Top Ten
The Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are announced the Thursday of National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year. Readers ages twelve to eighteen vote online between August 15 and October 15; the winners are announced during October (TeenTober).
Nominate a book to be considered for next years Teen Top Ten!
2022 Winners
10 Truths and a Dare
- by Ashley Elston
Ace of Spades
- by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
All of Us Villains
- by Amanda Foody & Christine Herman
All These Bodies
- by Kendare Blake
Concrete Rose
- by Angie Thomas
Here’s to Us
- by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera
Ivies
- by Alexa Donne
Rule of Wolves
- by Leigh Bardugo
The Hawthorne Legacy
- by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This
- by Rachel Lynn Solomon
