2025 Ignyte Award Winners

October 15, 2025October 14, 2025 | Tasha

The winners of the 2025 Ignyte Awards have been announced. The awards are given to speculative fiction, including horror, fantasy, science fiction and magical realism. There are several categories. Here are the ones that focus on material for youth:

OUTSTANDING NOVEL: YOUNG ADULT

WINNER

Heir by Sabaa Tahir

FINALISTS

Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee

The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

Spells to Forget Us by Aislinn Brophy

OUTSTANDING MIDDLE GRADE

WINNER

The Last Rhee Witch by Jenna Lee-Yun

FINALISTS

Amari and the Despicable Wonders by B. B. Alston

Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed by Jose Pable Iriarte

The Creepening of Dogwood House by Eden Royce

Sona and the Golden Beasts by Rajani Larocca

2025 Harvey Award Winners

October 13, 2025October 13, 2025 | Tasha

The winners of the 2025 Harvey Awards have been announced at New York Comic Con. The awards are given for the best of comic books and graphic novels. You can find the complete list of winners at The Daily Cartoonist. Here are the winners and nominees for the youth categories:

BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK

WINNER

The Cartoonists Club by Raina Telgemeier & Scott McCloud

NOMINEES

Chickenpox by Remy Lai

Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia and Brittney Williams

Song for You and I by Kay O’Neil

Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr., Jess Wibowo, & Cin Wibowo

BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOK

WINNER

Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewinsohn

NOMINEES

Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang

How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger

Navigating with You by Jeremy Whitley, Cassio Ribeiro & Nikki Foxrobot

Strange Bedfellows by Ariel Slamet Ries

2025 Lammy Award Winners

October 9, 2025October 8, 2025 | Tasha

The winners of the 2025 Lammy Awards have been announced. The awards recognize the best in LGBTQ+ literature and have a wide variety of categories. Below are the winners in the categories for books for youth:

LGBTQ+ CHILDREN’S BOOKS

WINNER

Glenn Burke, Game Changer: The Man Who Invented the High Five by Phil Bildner, illustrated by Daniel J. O’Brien

FINALISTS

Harper Becomes a Big Sister by Seamus Kirst

Jacob’s Missing Book by Sarah and Ian Hoffman

Just Us by Molly Beth Griffin, illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

Love of the Half-Eaten Peach by Lee Wind, illustrated by Jieting Chen

LGBTQ+ MIDDLE GRADE

WINNER

Mallory in Full Color by Elisa Stone Leahy

FINALISTS

Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy

Noah Frye Gets Crushed by Maggie Horn

Splinter & Ash by Marieke Nijkamp

Wishbone by Justine Pucella Winans

LGBTQ+ YOUNG ADULT

WINNER

Icarus by K. Ancrum

FINALISTS

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke

Old Wounds by Logan-Ashley Kisner

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield

National Book Award Finalists

October 8, 2025 | Tasha

The finalists for the National Book Award have been announced. The winners will be announced on November 19th. NPR has the full list of finalists. Here are the finalists in Young People’s Literature:

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr

A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards 2025 Winners

September 30, 2025 | Tasha

The 2025 winners of the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards have been announced. Two of the categories are specifically focused on the best Australian writing for youth. Here are the winners in those categories, both of which are available in the US:

CHILDREN’S LIT

Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas

YOUNG ADULT

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland

Books + Publishing has the entire list of winners in all categories.

First Nation Communities READ Shortlist Announced

September 22, 2025 | Tasha

The shortlists for the 2025-2026 First Nation Communities READ have been announced. The awards are given for the best Indigenous literature from Canada and voted on by First Nation librarians from Ontario. The awards will be given during First Nation Public Library Week (October 6-10).

Here are the shortlists:

CHILDREN’S

The Animal People Choose a Leader by Richard Wagamese, illustrated by Bridget George

Bannock in a Hammock by Masiana Kelly

Boozhoo!/Hello! by Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley, translated by Mary Ann Corbiere

Dad, I Miss You by Nadia Sammurtok

Hummingbird/Aamo-binashee by Jennifer Leason, translated by Norman Chartrand

YOUNG ADULT/ADULT CATEGORY

The Baby Train by Stella Shepard

Little Moons by Jen Storm

Lost at Windy River by Trina Rathgeber

Medicine Wheel for the Planet by Dr. Jennifer Grenz

Who We Are: Four Questions for a Life and Nation by the Honourable Murray Sinclair

National Book award Young People’s Literature Longlist

September 9, 2025 | Tasha

The longlist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature has been announced. Here are the ten books that made the list:

A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe by Mahogany L. Browne

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes

The Leaving Room by Amber McBride

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila

(S)kin by Ibi Zoboi

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

The Teacher or Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri

Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr

A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff

2025 Dragon Awards Winners

September 4, 2025September 3, 2025 | Tasha

The Dragon Awards were presented at Dragon Con with categories that span fantasy and science fiction from novels to graphic novels to TV and movies. One of the categories focuses on YA and middle grade. Here is the winner and finalists in that category:

WINNER

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

FINALISTS

Among Serpents by Marc J. Gregson

Compound Fracture by Andrew Joseph White

Friends Indeed by Jane Lindskold and David Weber

Labyrinth Arcanist by Shami Stovall

Rest in Peaches by Alex Brown

Readings Prize Shortlists

September 3, 2025September 2, 2025 | Tasha

The shortlists for the Readings prizes for Children and Young Adults have been announced. The Australian awards are given for the best new contribution from an emerging author. Winners will be announced on November 14. Here are the two shortlists:

CHILDREN’S PRIZE SHORTLIST