The World's Common Tater

The ALA Youth Media Awards were announced this morning. As always, I watched the announcement and took notes.

I focused on books for teens as that was my specialty when I was in libraries.

I will only list the winners for all but the three major awards (Printz, Caldecott, Newbery).

I will list all ten Alex Awards books as those are usually my favorites.

I will include a link at the end where you can see all of the picture book and children’s book winners and all of the honor books.

Asian/Pacific Awards for Literature

Himawari House by Harmony Becker – Living in a new country is no walk in the park—Nao, Hyejung, and Tina can all attest to that. The three of them became fast friends through living together in the Himawari House in Tokyo and attending the same Japanese cram school. Nao came to Japan to reconnect with her Japanese heritage, while Hyejung and Tina came to find freedom and their own paths. Though each of them has her own motivations and challenges, they all deal with language barriers, being a fish out of water, self discovery, love, and family.

Sydney Taylor Award Book Award

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb – Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn’t have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Schneider Famly Book Award

The Words We Keep by Erin Stewart – It’s been three months since the Night on the Bathroom Floor—when Lily found her older sister Alice hurting herself. Ever since then, Lily has been desperately trying to keep things together, for herself and for her family. But now Alice is coming home from her treatment program, and it is becoming harder for Lily to ignore all of the feelings she’s been trying to outrun.

Stonewall Book Award

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb – Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn’t have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Coretta Scott King Award

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawns – Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

Alex Awards

A Lady’s Guide to Fortune-Hunting, by Sophie Irwin

Babel, Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution by R. F. Kuang,

Chef’s Kiss, written by Jarrett Melendez, illustrated by Danica Brine,

Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan

I’m Glad My Mom Died,” by Jennette McCurdy

Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora

The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. written and illustrated by James Spooner

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

True Biz by Sara Nović

Wash Day Diaries written by Jamila Rowser, illustrated by Robyn Smith,

William C Morris Award

Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen – Hoodie Rosen’s life isn’t that bad. Sure, his entire Orthodox Jewish community has just picked up and moved to the quiet, mostly non-Jewish town of Tregaron, but Hoodie’s world hasn’t changed that much. He’s got basketball to play, studies to avoid, and a supermarket full of delicious kosher snacks to eat. The people of Tregaron aren’t happy that so many Orthodox Jews are moving in at once, but that’s not Hoodie’s problem.

That is, until he meets and falls for Anna-Marie Diaz-O’Leary—who happens to be the daughter of the obstinate mayor trying to keep Hoodie’s community out of the town. And things only get more complicated when Tregaron is struck by a series of antisemitic crimes that quickly escalate to deadly violence.

Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award

Burn Down Rise Up by Vincent Tirado – For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize’s cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.

Printz Award

Honor Books–

Scout’s Honor written by Lily Anderson

Icebreaker written by A.L. Graziadei

When the Angels Left the Old Country written by Sacha Lamb

Queer Ducks (and Other Animals): The Natural World of Animal Sexuality written by Eliot Schrefer

Winner

All my Rage by Sabaa Tahir – Salahudin and Noor are more than best friends; they are family. Growing up as outcasts in the small desert town of Juniper, California, they understand each other the way no one else does. Until The Fight, which destroys their bond with the swift fury of a star exploding.

Now, Sal scrambles to run the family motel as his mother Misbah’s health fails and his grieving father loses himself to alcoholism. Noor, meanwhile, walks a harrowing tightrope: working at her wrathful uncle’s liquor store while hiding the fact that she’s applying to college so she can escape him—and Juniper—forever.

Caldecott Medal

Honor Books

Ain’t Burned All the Bright,” illustrated by Jason Griffin, written by Jason Reynolds

Berry Song illustrated and written by Michaela Goade

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement illustrated by Janelle Washington, written by Angela Joy

Knight Owl illustrated and written by Christopher Denise

Winner

Hot Dog,” illustrated and written by Doug Salati

Newbery Medal

Honor Books

Iveliz Explains It All written by Andrea Beatriz Arango

The Last Mapmaker written by Christina Soontornvat

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance written by Lisa Yee

Winner

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawns – Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp.

In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home.

A full list of winners and honor books can be found here