Amazon has created a list of the top books for the first half of 2019. They have a top 20 list for both children’s books and teen lit. Some of the books included are sure to surprise. Here they are:

TOP 20 CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Because by Mo Willems, illustrated by Amber Ren

Destination Moon by Richard Maurer

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal by Jeff Kinney

Don’t Let Them Disappear by Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Gianna Marino

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

The Good Egg by Jory John, illustrated by Pete Oswald

Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat by Johnny Marciano and Emily Chenoweth

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles, illustrated by Dapo Adeola

The Neighbors by Einat Tsarfati

Pay Attention, Carter Jones by Gary D. Schmidt

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Rumple Buttercup by Matthew Gray Gubler

The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Sweety by Andrea Zuill

To Night Owl from Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Kadir Nelson

Waiting for Chicken Smith by David Mackintosh

We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines, illustrated by Julianna Swaney

You Are My Happy by Hoda Kotb, illustrated by Suzie Mason

 

TOP 20 YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

Birthday by Meredith Russo

Courting Darkness by Robin LeFevers

Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life & Work by Victoria Ortiz

Enchantee by Gita Trelease

Finale by Stephanie Garber

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

In the Neighborhood of True by Susan Kaplan Carlton

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Ship of Smoke and Steel by Django Wexler

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

The Things She’s Seen by Ambelin Kwaymullina and Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

The Wicked King by Holly Black

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Wizenard Series: Training Camp by Wesley King and Kobe Bryant

The 2019 CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Children’s Book Award Medals have been awarded. Interestingly, both awards have gone to verse books in these oldest of the UK’s children’s book awards. Here are the winners:

Carnegie Medal Winner

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

Kate Greenaway Medal Winner

The Lost Words illustrated by Jackie Morris, written by Robert Macfarlane

The awards also have a Shadowing Project where young people across the UK get to shadow the judging process and make their own awards. This year, the award winners match, a testament to the skill of the judges and the children alike.

The winners of the 2019 Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards were announced last week by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader. These awards are the only national book awards where the winners are entirely selected by children and teens. With over 24,000 votes cast in total, these are the winners:

KINDERGARTEN-2ND GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR

I Say Ooh You Say Aah by John Kane

Honor Book: There’s a Dragon in Your Book by Tom Fletcher, illustrated by Greg Abbott

 

3RD-4TH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Back to the Future: The Classic Illustrated Storybook, based on the movie by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, illustrated by Kim Smith

Honor Book: Safari Pug by Laura James, illustrated by Églantine Ceulemans

 

5TH-6TH GRADE BOOK OF THE YEAR

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Honor Book: Sewing the Rainbow: A Story About Gilbert Baker by Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Holly Clifton-Brown

 

TEEN BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Honor Book: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

On Wednesday, the winners of the 2019 Boston Globe – Horn Book Awards were announced at SLJ’s Day of Dialog. Given in three categories, Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction, each category has a winner and two honor books. Here are the winning titles:

PICTURE BOOK WINNER

The Patchwork Bike by Maxine Beneba Clarke; illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd

 

FICTION AND POETRY WINNER

The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon

 

NONFICTION WINNER

This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

 

PICTURE BOOK HONORS

Dreamers written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga written by Traci Sorell; illustrated by Frané Lessac

 

FICTION AND POETRY HONORS

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

 

NONFICTION HONORS

Hey, Kiddo written and illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born written by Miranda Paul; illustrated by Jason Chin

The Summer 2019 Kids Indie Next List has been released. It features books for children and teens that are recommendations from independent booksellers. You can click through for all of the lists. Here are the Top 10 books:

If I Was the Sunshine by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Loren Long

The Important Thing about Margaret Wise Brown by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Sarah Jacoby

Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju

Nocturna by Maya Motayne

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry, illustrated by Monica Armino

The British Book Award winners were announced on Monday evening. The awards are given for adult and children’s books. Here are the juvenile winners:

CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Ice Monster by David Walliams, illustrated by Tony Ross

 

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED AND NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed