2021 British Book Awards

May 14, 2021 | Tasha

The winners of the 2021 British Book Awards were announced on May 13th. Two of the Best Book awards are for children’s titles and several of the trade awards are for children’s publishers. Here are the winners in those categories:

CHILDREN’S FICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

The Highland Falcon Thief by Junior MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATED AND NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR

Black and British: A Short, Essential History by David Olusoga

BEST SMALL PRESS

Sweet Cherry

BEST CHILDREN’S PUBLISHER

Wonderbly

BCCB 2020 Blue Ribbons

May 11, 2021May 10, 2021 | Tasha

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books has announced their 2020 Blue Ribbons, the best books of that year. Here is the list:

PICTURE BOOKS

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood

Ducks! by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by T. L. McBeth

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

Girl on a Motorcycle by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Julie Morstad

Home Base by Nikki Tate, illustrated by Katie Kath

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Outside In by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Cindy Derby

The Paper Boat by Thao Lam

The Three Brothers by Marie-Louise Gay

Up on Bob by Mary Sullivan

FICTION

All He Knew by Helen Frost

Black Girl Unlimited by Echo Brown

Cat Ears on Elizabeth by Rachel Vail, illustrated by Paige Keiser

Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song

The Girl Who Speaks Bear by Sophie Anderson

Leaving Lymon by Lesa Cline-Ransome

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

They Went Left by Monica Hesse

Thieves of Weirdwood by William Shivering and Christian McKay Heidicker

Thorn by Intisar Khanani

Tigers Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry

The Way Back by Gavriel Savit

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson, illustrated by Nina Mata

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee

When Life Gives You Mangos by Kereen Getten

NONFICTION

Being Frog by April Pulley Sayre

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph

The Cat Man of Aleppo by Irene Latham and Karim Shamsi-Basha, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu

Chance by Uri Shulevitz

Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

The Lights and Types of Ships at Night by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Annie Dills

The Racers: How an Outcast Driver, an American Heiress, and a Legendary Car Challenged Hitler’s Best by Neal Bascomb

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

Snow Birds by Kirsten Hall

2021 Locus Awards Top Ten

May 3, 2021May 1, 2021 | Tasha

The Locus Science Fiction Foundation has announced the top ten finalists in each of their categories for the 2021 awards. The winners will be announced on June 26, 2021. There is a young adult category and here is the Top Ten:

Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker

A Peculiar Peril by Jeff VanderMeer

Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

The Scapegracers by Hannah Abigail Clarke

Shadowshaper Legacy by Daniel Jose Older

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

The 2021 Anna Dewdney Read Together Award Winner

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 | Tasha

The Anna Dewdney Read Together Award is given annually to a picture book “that is both a superb read aloud and also sparks compassion, empathy, and connection.” The award includes a list of honor books that are listed below the winning title:

WINNER

Brown Baby Lullaby by Tameka Fryer Brown, illustrated by AG Ford

HONOR BOOKS

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School, Don’t! by Elise Parsley

Nana Akua Goes to School by Tricia Elam Walker, illustrated by April Harrison

Swashby and the Sea by Beth Ferry, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

You Matter by Christian Robinson

NCTE 2021 Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels

April 16, 2021April 15, 2021 | Tasha

School Library Journal has announced the selected books for the annual list from the NCTE Excellence in Children’s Poetry Award Committee that are their picks for the best poetry books and verse novels of 2020. The list contains 25 books of poetry and 13 verse novels. The list focuses on ages 3-13 and feature books that are notable for their use of language and poetic devices. Here are the notable titles:

All He Knew by Helen Frost

Amphibian Acrobats by Leslie Bulion, illustrated by Robert Meganck

Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson & Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

BenBee and the Teacher Griefer by A.K. Holt

Black Is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Michele Wood

By and By: Charles Albert Tindley, the Father of Gospel Music by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Bryan Collier

The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling

Cast Away by Naomi Shihab Nye

Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins

Construction People edited by Lee Bennet Hopkins, illustrated by Ellen Shi

Dictionary for a Better World by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini

Flooded: Requiem for Johnstown by Ann E. Burg

Follow the Recipe: Poems about Imagination, Celebration and Cake by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math by Jeannine Atkins

Green on Green by Dianne White

I Wish by Toon Tellegen, illustrated by Ingrid Godon

I’m Feeling Blue, Too! by Marjorie Maddox, illustrated by Philip Huber

In the Woods by David Elliott, illustrated by Rob Dunlavey

Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar

Love, Love by Victoria Chang

Mexique: A Refugee Story from the Spanish Civil War by Maria Jose Ferrada, illustrated by Ana Penyas, translated by Elisa Amado

A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis

No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson & Jeanette Bradley, editors, illustrated by Jeanette Bradley

On a Snow Melting Day by Buffy Silverman

On the Horizon by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Kenard Pak

A Place Inside of Me by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Noa Denmon

The Places We Sleep by Caroline Brooks DuBois

Snow Birds by Kirsten Hall, illustrated by Jenni Desmond

Summer Feet by Sheree Fitch, illustrated by Carolyn Fisher

This Poem Is a Nest by Irene Latham, illustrated by Johanna Wright

When You Breathe by Diana Farid, illustrated by Billy Renkl

When You Know What I Know by Sonja Solter

Wishes, Dares, and How to Stand Up to a Bully by Darlene Beck Jacobson

Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo & Olivia Gatwood, illustrated by Theodore Taylor III

The World Below the Brine by Walt Whitman, illustrated by James Christopher Carroll

Write! Write! Write! by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrated by Ryan O’Rourke

2021 Teens’ Top Ten Nominees

April 15, 2021April 14, 2021 | Tasha

YALSA has announced the nominees for the 2021 Teens’ Top Ten. The Top Ten is a list chosen by teens where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Nominations come from members of teen book groups in 15 school and public libraries across the nation. Here are this year’s nominees:

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Jackson

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace

Atomic Women by Roseanne Montillo

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The Betrothed by Kiera Cass

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph

The Bone Thief by Breeana Shields

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Dangerous Secrets by Mari Mancusi

The Dark Matter of Mona Starr by Laura Gulledge

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richards

Flamer by Mike Curato

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu

The Mermaid, the Witch and the Sea by Maggie Tokudo-Hall

One of Us Is Next by Karen M. McManus

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

We Used to Be Friends by Amy Spalding

2021 Hugo Award Finalists

April 14, 2021April 13, 2021 | Tasha

The finalists for the 2021 Hugo Awards have been announced. Amid many categories celebrating the best in science fiction for adults, there is also an award for the best YA book. Here are the finalists in that category:

LODESTAR AWARD FOR BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

2021 ABIA Shortlists

April 13, 2021April 12, 2021 | Tasha

The shortlists for the 2021 Australian Book Industry Awards have been announced. They are given in several categories with four youth-related categories. Below are the shortlisted youth titles:

BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR OLDER CHILDREN (Ages 13+)

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Future Girl by Asphyxia

Jane Doe and the Key of All Souls by Jeremy Lachlan

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr

BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN (Ages 7-12)

Finding Our Heart: A Story About the Uluru Statement for Young Australians

Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor, illustrated by Blak Douglas

The Grandest Bookshop in the World by Amelia Melor

Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend

The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Dangerous Animals by Sami Bayly

Took the Children Away by Archie Roach, illustrated by Ruby Hunter

CHILDREN’S PICTURE BOOK OF THE YEAR (Ages 0-6)

Bluey: The Creek

Our Home, Our Heartbeat by Adam Briggs, Kate Moon & Rachael Sarra

Sing Me the Summer by Jane Godwin & Alison Lester

When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke

Windows by Jonathan Bentley & Patrick Guest

SMALL PUBLISHERS’ CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR

Bindi by Kiri Saunders, illustrated by Dub Leffler

Family by Aunty Fay Muir & Sue Lawson, illustrated by Jasmine Seymour

Found by Bruce Pascoe & Charmaine Ledden-Lewis

Metal Fish, Falling Snow by Cath Moore

My Shadow Is Pink by Scott Stuart

2020 Aurealis Awards Shortlist

April 7, 2021April 6, 2021 | Tasha

The shortlists for the 2020 Aurealis Awards have been announced. The awards are given to works of speculative fiction by authors, editors and illustrators who are Australian citizens or permanent residents. Here are the shortlisted titles for the children’s and YA categories:

BEST CHILDREN’S FICTION