Awards

Publisher’s Weekly Best Middle Grade & YA Books

| Tasha

PW has released their list of the top books of the year for children and teens. The list includes the top 50 books out of the 1700 books reviewed in PW this year. Here are the top picks for Middle Grade and YA readers:

MIDDLE GRADE

Amal Unbound The Book of Boy

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed

The Book of Boy by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Dactyl Hill Squad Front Desk

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older

Front Desk by Kelly Yang

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings

Herstory: 50 Women and Girls Who Shook Up the World by Katherine Halligan, illustrated by Sarah Walsh

A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings by David Hockney and Martin Gayford, illustrated by Rose Blake

It Wasn't Me Merci Suárez Changes Gears

It Wasn’t Me by Dana Alison Levy

Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

The Parker Inheritance Sanity & Tallulah

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks

Small Spaces Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices

The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle by Leslie Connor

We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices edited by Wade Hudson and Cheryl Willis Hudson

 

YOUNG ADULT

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge The Boneless Mercies

The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge by M. T. Anderson, illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

The Boneless Mercies by April Genevieve Tucholke

Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Darius the Great Is Not Okay Dry

Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Dry by Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

Hey, Kiddo The Light Between Worlds

Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

On a Sunbeam The Poet X

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Pride The Prince and the Dressmaker

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

Sadie A Thousand Beginnings and Endings

Sadie by Courtney Summers

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman

Truly Devious (Truly Devious, #1) The War Outside

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

The War Outside by Monica Hesse

A Winter's Promise (The Mirror Visitor)

A Winter’s Promise by Christelle Dabos

Publisher’s Weekly Best Picture Books

| Tasha

PW has released their list of the Best Children’s and YA Books of 2018. They represent the top 50 books of the year out of the 1700 children’s and YA books published in 2018 that PW reviewed. Here are their picks for the best picture books:

 

34362953 Carmela Full of Wishes

A Big Mooncake for Little Star by Grace Lin

Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The Crocodile and the Dentist The Day You Begin

The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi

The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Dreamers The Elephant

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

The Elephant by Jenni Desmond

36761866 Fox & Chick: The Party: and Other Stories

The Eye That Never Sleeps: How Detective Pinkerton Saved President Lincoln by Marissa Moss, illustrated by Jeremy Holmes

Fox & Chick: The Party and Other Stories by Sergio Ruzzier

Hello Lighthouse Julián Is a Mermaid

Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

Julian Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love

Kitten and the Night Watchman Mary, Who Wrote Frankenstein

Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo

Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein by Linda Bailey, illustrated by Julia Sarda

The Patchwork Bike The Rabbit Listened

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

The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld

Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year Stumpkin

Sing a Song of Seasons: A Nature Poem for Each Day of the Year edited by Fiona Waters, illustrated by Frann Preston-Gannon

Stumpkin by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Thank You, Omu! Up the Mountain Path

Thank You, Omu! by Oge Mora

Up the Mountain Path by Marianne Dubuc

The Wall in the Middle of the Book

The Wall in the Middle of the Book by Jon Agee

2018 Environment Award for Children’s Literature

| Tasha

The winners of the 2018 Environment Award for Children’s Literature have been announced. The award is given annually by The Wilderness Society in Australia and is celebrating its 25th year. The winners are books that promote a love of nature in children. Here are the winners:

PICTURE FICTION

Florette

Florette by Anna Walker

 

FICTION

Wombat Warriors

Wombat Warriors by Samantha Wheeler

 

NONFICTION (Tie)

Coral Sea Dreaming Rock Pool Secrets

Coral Sea Dreaming by Kim Michelle Toft

Rock Pool Secrets by Narelle Oliver

2019 CILIP Carnegie & Kate Greenaway Nominations

| Tasha

The long list of nominations for the 2019 CILIP Carnegie Medal has been announced. The Carnegie Medal is awarded by UK children’s librarians for an outstanding book written in English for children.

At the same time, the long list for the 2019 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal was also announced. The Greenaway Medal is awarded by UK children’s librarians for an outstanding book in terms of illustration for children.

The long lists are seriously long, so I’ll post the full shortlists here when they are announced in March. The winners will be revealed in June 2019.

 

Blue Peter Book Awards 2019

| Tasha

The longlists for the Blue Peter Book Awards 2019 were announced a bit ago and I missed it, so this is a post on those longlists right before the shortlists are announced tomorrow. A reminder, that this is a UK book prize so some of the titles may not be known by American readers. Here are the nominees:

BEST STORY

The Boy At the Back of the Class The Boy Who Grew Dragons

The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Rauf

The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

Brightstorm The Clockwork Crow

Brightstorm by Vashti Hardy

The Clockwork Crow by Catherine Fisher

The House With Chicken Legs Iguana Boy Saves the World: With a Triple Cheese Pizza

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli

Iguana Boy Saves the World with a Triple Cheese Pizza by James Bishop, illustrated by Rikin Parekh

Into the Jungle: Stories for Mowgli Knights and Bikes

Into the Jungle: Stories for Mowgli by Katherine Rundell, illustrated by Kristjana S. Williams

Knights and Bikes by Gabrielle Kent

Sky Song Song of the Dolphin Boy

Sky Song by Abi Elphinstone

Song of the Dolphin Boy by Elizabeth Laird

 

BEST BOOK WITH FACTS

Absolutely Everything!: A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and Other Things Too Numerous to Mention 

Absolutely Everything! A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and Other Things Too Numerous to Mention by Christopher Lloyd

Alastair Humphrey’s Great Adventurers: The Incredible Expeditions of 20 Explorers by Kevin Ward

Ancient Warriors The Bacteria Book: Gross Germs, Vile Viruses, and Funky Fungi

Ancient Warriors by Iris Volant and Joe Lillington

The Bacteria Book: Gross Germs, Vile Viruses and Funky Fungi by Steve Mould

Beetle Boy: The Beetle Collector's Handbook (Beetle Boy) The Colours of History: How Colours Shaped the World

The Beetle Collector’s Handbook by M.G. Leonard

The Colours of History: How Colours Shaped the World by Clive Gifford, illustrated by Marc-Etienne Peintre

The Element in the Room: Investigating the Atomic Ingredients that Make Up Your Home Flying Colors: A guide to flags from around the world

The Element in the Room by Mike Barfield, illustrated by Lauren Humphrey

Flying Colours: A Guide to Flags from around the World by Robert G. Fresson

Peace and Me Professor Astro Cat's Human Body Odyssey

Peace and Me: Inspired by the Lives of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates by Ali Winter and Mickaël El Fathi

Professor Astro Cat’s Human Body Odyssey by Dr. Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman

 

2018 YABBAs Winners

| Tasha

The winners of the 2018 Young Australians Best Book Awards (YABBAs) have been announced. Started in 1985, the awards promote children engaging in reading Australian books. Children are engaged in the process by reading the recommended books and then rating them. Here are the winners:

PICTURE STORYBOOKS

Do not open this book again

Do Not Open This Book Again! by Andy Lee, illustrated by Heath McKenzie

 

FICTION FOR YOUNGER READERS

The Bad Guys: Episode 5: Intergalactic Gas

Bad Guys: Intergalactic Gas by Aaron Blabey

 

FICTION FOR OLDER READERS

The 91-Storey Treehouse (The Treehouse Series)

The 91-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, illustrated by Terry Denton

 

FICTION FOR YEARS 7-9 (TEEN)

The Fall

The Fall by Tristan Bancks

Kirkus Prize Winner

| Tasha

Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut

The winner of the Kirkus Prize for children’s literature is Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James. Praise for the book included  ‘one of the best reads for young black boys in years, it should be in every library, media center, and, yes, barbershop’.

Hat tip to  Books + Publishing.

2018 New York Times / New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books

| Tasha

The 2018 New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books have been announced. The list is always filled with marvelous surprises and gorgeous illustrations in a variety of styles. Enjoy!

Ayobami and the Names of the Animals Dreamers

Ayobami and the Names of the Animals by Pilar Lopez Avila, illustrated by Mar Azabal

Dreamers by Yuyi Morales

Florette The Forest

Florette by Anna Walker

The Forest by Riccardo Bozzi, illustrated by Violeta Lopiz and Valerio Vidali

The Funeral A House That Once Was

The Funeral by Matt James

A House That Once Was by Julie Fogliano, illustrated by Lane Smith

23310770 Run Wild

Our Car by J. M. Brum, illustrated by Jan Bajtlik

Run Wild by David Covell

She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein The Visitor

She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein by Lynn Fulton, illustrated by Felicita Sala

The Visitor by Antje Damm

2018 Governor General’s Literary Awards

| Tasha

The winners of the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Awards have been announced. The awards are one of Canada’s oldest literary prizes with each winner receiving $25,000. The awards recognize seven English-language and seven French-language books. The entire list of winners can be found here. Here are the winners in the two youth categories for English-language books, both of which are incredible reads and two of my favorites of the year:

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE – TEXT

Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster

Sweep by Jonathan Auxier

 

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE – ILLUSTRATED BOOKS

They Say Blue

They Say Blue by Jillian Tamaki