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

Across the Risen Sea by Bren MacDibble

The Chicken’s Curse by Frances Watts

Her Perilous Mansion by Sean Williams

How To Make A Pet Monster: Hodgepodge (#1)

Hodgepodge: How to Make a Pet Monster by Lili Wilkinson, illustrated by Dustin Spence

The Lost Soul Atlas by Zana Fraillon

Tricky Nick by Nicholas J. Johnson

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL

Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

The Erasure Initiative by Lili Wilkinson

Future Girl by Asphyxia

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix

The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Truel1f3 by Jay Kristoff

Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards Shortlists

March 25, 2021March 24, 2021 | Tasha

The shortlists for the first annual Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards have been announced. The awards will be given in three age categories with the winners announced on May 3. Here are the six shortlisted titles in each category:

PICTURE BOOKS

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Every Night Is Pizza Night by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt; illustrated by Gianna Ruggiero

Fern & Otto by Stephanie Graegin

Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor

The Whatifs by Emily Kilgore; illustrated by Zoe Persico

What the Road Said by Cleo Wade; illustrated by Lucie de Moyencourt

YOUNG READERS

Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Twins by Varian Johnson; illustrated by Shannon Wright

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Wink by Rob Harrell

YOUNG ADULT

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yuself Salaam

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

2021 Lambda Literary Award Finalists

March 16, 2021March 15, 2021 | Tasha

The finalists for the 2021 Lammy Awards have been announced. These awards celebrate the best in LGBTQ literature and have two categories that are focused on books for youth. Here are the finalists in those categories:

LGBTQ Children’s / Middle Grade

The Deep & Dark Blue by Niki Smith

From Archie to Zack by Vincent X. Kirsch

A High Five for Glenn Burke by Phil Bildner

King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender

Our Subway Baby by Peter Mercurio

LGBTQ Young Adult

Camp by L. C. Rosen

Flamer by Mike Curato

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Sasha Masha by Agnes Borinsky

You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson

2021 Ezra Jack Keats Award

March 11, 2021March 10, 2021 | Tasha

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the 2021 winners and honor books of the Ezra Jack Keats Award have been announced. The award is celebrates “exceptional early career authors and illustrators for portraying the multicultural nature of our world in the spirit of Ezra Jack Keats.” Here are this year’s winners:

WRITER AWARD