This morning, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video, and audio books for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at the Youth Media Awards, which took place virtually during LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience. Selected by librarians and other literature and media experts, the awards encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media.
The 2022 winners are:
John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature
The Last Cuentista (Levine Querido), written by Donna Barba Higuera
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children
Watercress, (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House), illustrated by Jason Chin and written by Andrea Wang
Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognizing an African American literature for children and young adults
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre (Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.), written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre (Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.), illustrated by Floyd Cooper and written by Carole Boston Weatherford
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Me (Moth) (Feiwell and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group), written by Amber McBride
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
The Me I Choose to Be (Little, Brown, and Company), illustrated by Regis and Kahran Bethencourt and written by Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
The winner is Nikki Grimes, author of Bronx Masquerade, Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, Words with Wings, and Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults
Firekeeper’s Daughter (Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), written by Angeline Boulley
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience
Schneider Family Book Award for Young Children
My City Speaks (Kids Can Press Ltd.), written by Darren Lebeuf and illustrated by Ashley Barron
Schneider Family Book Award for Middle Grade
A Bird Will Soar (Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House), written by Alison Green Myers
Schneider Family Book Award for Teens
Words in My Hands (Annick Press, Ltd.), written and illustrated by Asphyxia
Alex Awards for adult books that appeal to teen audiences
Light from Uncommon Stars (Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group), by Ryka Aoki
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot (Harper Perennial, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), by Marianne Cronin
The Witch’s Heart (ACE, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House), by Genevieve Gornichec
The Library of the Dead (Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group), by T.L Huchu
How Lucky (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), by Will Leitch
Winter’s Orbit (Tor Books, an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group), by Everina Maxwell
The Rose Code (William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) by Kate Quinn
Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever (St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group), by Kareem Rosser
Lore Olympus, Vol. 1 (Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House), by Rachel Smythe
Malice (Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House), by Heather Walter
Children’s Literature Legacy Award
The winner is Grace Lin, author/illustrator of more than 40 books for children, including Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same, and A Big Mooncake for Little Star
The Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award
Alma’s Way (Fred Rogers Productions)
Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
The winner is A.S. King whose books include SW/TCH, Still Life with Tornado, Ask the Passengers, Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future and Please Ignore Vera Dietz
Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book in translation:
Temple Alley Summer (Yonder: Restless Books for Young Readers), originally published in Japanese as Kimyōji Yokochō no Natsu, written by Sachiko Kashiwaba, illustrated by Miho Satake, and translated by Avery Fischer Udagawa
Odyssey Award for best audiobook
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children
Boogie Boogie, Y'all, produced by HarperAudio/Katherine Tegen Books and written and narrated by C. G. Esperanza
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for young adults
When You Look Like Us, produced by HarperAudio/Quill Tree Books, written by Pamela N. Harris and narrated by Preston Butler III
Pura Belpré Awards for Latinx literature
Pura Belpré Youth Illustration Award
¡Vamos! Let's Cross the Bridge (Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), illustrated and written by Raúl Gonzalez
Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award
The Last Cuentista (Levine Querido), written by Donna Barba Higuera
Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award
How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division), written by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award
The People’s Painter: How Ben Shahn Fought for Justice with Art (Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS), written by Cynthia Levinson and illustrated by Evan Turk
Stonewall Book Award–Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for LGBTQ books
Stonewall Book Awards–Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s Literature Award
Too Bright to See (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House), written by Kyle Lukoff
Stonewall Book Awards–Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award
Last Night at the Telegraph Club (Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House), written by Malinda Lo
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for beginning reader books
Fox at Night (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor
William C. Morris Award for a debut book for teens
Firekeeper’s Daughter (Henry Holt and Company, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group), written by Angeline Boulley
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Ambushed!: The Assassination Plot Against President Garfield (Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers), written by Gail Jarrow
American Indian Youth Literature Awards
American Indian Youth Literature Awards–Picture Book
Herizon (South of Sunrise Creative), written by Daniel W. Vandever [Diné] and illustrated by Corey Begay [Diné]
American Indian Youth Literature Awards–Middle Grade Book
Healer of the Water Monster (Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), written by Brian Young [Diné] with cover art by Shonto Begay [Diné]
American Indian Youth Literature Awards–Young Adult Book
Apple (Skin to the Core) (Levine Querido), written by Eric Gansworth [Onondaga] with cover art by Filip Peraić
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature–Picture Books
Watercress (Neal Porter Books), written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature–Children’s Literature
Amina’s Song (Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), written by Hena Khan
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature–Youth Literature
Last Night at the Telegraph Club (Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House), written by Malinda Lo
The Sydney Taylor Book Award for literature about the Jewish experience
Sydney Taylor Book Award–Picture Books
The Passover Guest (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House), by Susan Kusel and illustrated by Sean Rubin
Sydney Taylor Book Award–Middle Grade
How to Find What You’re Not Looking For (Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House), by Veera Hiranandani
Sydney Taylor Book Award–Young Adult
The City Beautiful (Inkyard Press), by Aden Polydoros
The Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award recognizes an author or entity who has made a substantial contribution over time to the genre of Jewish children’s literature.
This year's winner is Jane Yolen, author of more than 400 books for children and adults
Read more about the 2022 winners and honor books at American Libraries. Find these books and more at your local library!
