Is there a collective name for a group of librarians? How about a Catalog of Librarians! Well, that was surely the case on a brisk Monday morning in Seattle Washington, where the librarian equivalent of the Oscar awards was held. If you were lucky enough to be in the audience, the excitement and joy were palpable, but even those having YMA (Youth Media Award) Pyjama Parties and watching the live stream were giddy with anticipation. The American Library Association (or ALA as acronym-loving librarians refer to it) was about to announce this year's top books, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Pura Belpré, Newbery, and Printz awards. These awards are chosen by librarians across America and represent some of the top prizes that authors and illustrators in youth literature can achieve.
Though the cheers and clapping, one name stood out for us at the Los Angeles Public Library. That of our very own Mary McCoy, who is the Senior Librarian in the Central Library's Art, Music and Recreation Department. She received a Michael L. Printz Honor Book recognition for excellence in literature written for young adults for her book, I, Claudia. The honor is particularly meaningful as it was bestowed by her librarian peers.
Below is a list of all the winners and a hearty congratulations goes out to all of them and their contributions to providing excellent reading materials for our youth.
John Newbery Medal
Newbery Honor Books
- The Night Diary, written by Veera Hiranandani
- The Book of Boy, written by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Randolph Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Honor Books
- Alma and How She Got Her Name, illustrated and written by Juana Martinez-Neal
- A Big Mooncake for Little Star, illustrated and written by Grace Lin
- The Rough Patch, illustrated and written by Brian Lies
- Thank You, Omu!, illustrated and written by Oge Mora
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
King Author Honor Books
- Finding Langston, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome
- The Parker Inheritance, written by Varian Johnson
- The Season of Styx Malone, written by Kekla Magoon
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
King Illustrator Honor Books
- Hidden Figures, illustrated by Laura Freeman, written by Margot Lee Shetterly
- Let the Children March, illustrated by Frank Morrison, written by Monica Clark-Robinson
- Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie, written by Alice Faye Duncan
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
- Monday’s Not Coming, written by Tiffany D. Jackson
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
- Thank You, Omu!, illustrated and written by Oge Mora
Michael L. Printz Award
Printz Honor Books
- Damsel, written by Elana K. Arnold
- A Heart in a Body in the World, written by Deb Caletti
- I, Claudia, written by Mary McCoy
Schneider Family Book Awards
Schneider Family Book Award - Young Children (Ages 0 - 10)
Honor Book for Young Children
- The Remember Balloons, written by Jessie Oliveros, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte
Schneider Family Book Award - Middle Grades (Ages 11 - 13)
Honor Book for Middle Grades
- The Collectors, written by Jacqueline West
Schneider Family Book Award - Teens (Ages 13 - 18)
Honor Book for Teens
- (Don’t) Call Me Crazy: 33 Voices Start the Conversation about Mental Health, edited by Kelly Jensen
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 Black God’s Drums, written by P. Djèlí Clark
- The Book of Essie, written by Meghan MacLean Weir
- Circe, written by Madeline Miller
- Educated: A Memoir, written by Tara Westover
- The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, written by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil
- Green, written by Sam Graham-Felsen
- Home After Dark, written by David Small, illustrated by the author
- How Long ’Til Black Future Month?, written by N. K. Jemisin
- Lawn Boy, written by Jonathan Evison
- Spinning Silver, written by Naomi Novik
Odyssey Award
Odyssey Honor Audiobooks
- Du Iz Tak, written by Carson Ellis and narrated by Eli and Sebastian D’Amico, Burton, Galen and Laura Fott, Sarah Hart, Bella Higginbotham, Evelyn Hipp and Brian Hull
- Esquivel! Space-Age Sound Artist, written by Susan Wood and narrated by Brian Amador
- The Parker Inheritance, written by Varian Johnson and narrated by Cherise Booth
- The Poet X, written and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo
Pura Belpré Awards
Pura Belpré Illustrator Award
Belpré Illustrator Honor Books
- Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa, written by Junot Díaz
- When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, illustrated by Jose Ramirez, written by Michael Mahin
Pura Belpré Author Award
Belpré Author Honor Book
- They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems, written by David Bowles
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
Sibert Honor Books
- Camp Panda: Helping Cubs Return to the Wild, written by Catherine Thimmesh
- Spooked!: How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America, written by Gail Jarrow
- The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees, written and illustrated by Don Brown
- We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Frané Lessac
- When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, written Michael Mahin, illustrated by Jose Ramirez
Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
Stonewall Honor Books
- Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World, written by Ashley Herring Blake
- Picture Us in the Light, written by Kelly Loy Gilbert
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
Geisel Honor Books
- The Adventures of Otto: See Pip Flap, written and illustrated by David Milgrim
- Fox + Chick: The Party and Other Stories, written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier
- King & Kayla and the Case of the Lost Tooth, written by Dori Hillestad Butler, illustrated by Nancy Meyers
- Tiger vs. Nightmare, written and illustrated by Emily Tetri
William C. Morris Award
Morris Finalists
- Blood Water Paint, written by Joy McCullough
- Check, Please!: #Hockey, written and illustrated by Ngozi Ukazu
- Children of Blood and Bone, written by Tomi Adeyemi
- What the Night Sings, written and illustrated by Vesper Stamper
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Excellence in Nonfiction Finalists
- The Beloved World of Sonia Sotomayor, written by Sonia Sotomayor
- Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam, written by Elizabeth Partridge
- The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, written and illustrated by John Hendrix
- Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction, written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka