Top Titles for Tweens
ALSC’s School-Age Programs and Services Committee is happy to share with you a list of this year’s Youth Media Award winners that are especially suited to those in-between patrons, those who straddle that line between little kid and teenager, ages 10 to 14. That’s right, the tweens!
Please feel free to use our selected list of winners for collection development, for booktalking, or to generate some program ideas for the tweens in your library. And let us know in the comments if we missed an award-winning book that the tweens you know and love are reading.
Andrew Carnegie Award for Excellence in Children’s Video
Katja Torneman, producer of “Anna, Emma and the Condors”
Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults
“Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America,” written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney, published by Disney/Jump at the Sun Books, an imprint of Disney Book Group
Coretta Scott King (Author) Honors
“Each Kindness” by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group
“No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller” by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie and published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Winner
“I, Too, Am America,” illustrated by Bryan Collier, written by Langston Hughes and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.
Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Honors
“I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King, Jr.” illustrated by Kadir Nelson, written by Martin Luther King, Jr. and published by Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
“H. O. R. S. E.,” illustrated and written by Christopher Myers, and published by Egmont USA
John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature
“The One and Only Ivan,” written by Katherine Applegate, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.
John Newbery Medal – Honor Books
“Splendors and Glooms” by Laura Amy Schlitz and published by Candlewick Press
“Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon” by Steve Sheinkin and published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press
“Three Times Lucky” by Sheila Turnage and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English in a country other than the United States and subsequently translated into English for publication in the United States
“My Family for the War” written by Anne C. Voorhoeve, translated by Tammi Reichel and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Mildred L. Batchelder Honors
“A Game for Swallows: To Die, to Leave, to Return,” written and illustrated by Zeina Abirached, translated by Edward Gauvin and published by Graphic Universe, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
“Son of a Gun,” written and translated by Anne de Graaf, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Odyssey Award for best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States – Honor Books
“Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian,” produced by Listening Library, written by Eoin Colfer and narrated by Nathaniel Parker
“Ghost Knight,” produced by Listening Library, written by Cornelia Funke and narrated by Elliot Hill
“Monstrous Beauty,” produced by Macmillian Audio, written by Elizabeth Fama and narrated by Katherine Kellgren
Pura Belpré (Illustrator) Award honoring a Latino writer and illustrator whose children’s books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
“Martín de Porres: The Rose in the Desert,” illustrated by David Diaz, written by Gary D. Schmidt and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Pura Belpré (Author) Honor
“The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano” by Sonia Manzano, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award for most distinguished informational book for children
“Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon,” written by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honors
“Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95,” written by Phillip M. Hoose and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers
“Titanic: Voices from the Disaster,” written by Deborah Hopkinson and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
“Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin,” written and illustrated by Robert Byrd and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group
Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience – Middle-School Category (Ages 11-13)
“A Dog Called Homeless” written by Sarah Lean and published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Stonewall Book Award – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience – Honor Book
“Drama,” written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens
“Seraphina,” written by Rachel Hartman, published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.
William C. Morris Honors
“Wonder Show,” written by Hannah Barnaby, published by Houghton Mifflin, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
“After the Snow,” written by S. D. Crockett, published by Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Winner
“Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon,” written by Steve Sheinkin, published by Flash Point/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalists
“Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different,” written by Karen Blumenthal, published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of (Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
“Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95,” written by Phillip Hoose, published by Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
“Titanic: Voices from the Disaster,” written by Deborah Hopkinson, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic
“We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March,” written by Cynthia Levinson, published by Peachtree Publishers
We also would like to point out that the winners of the following awards have many excellent books for tween readers.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.
Katherine Paterson
Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults
Tamora Pierce
May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award recognizing an author, critic, librarian, historian or teacher of children’s literature, who then presents a lecture at a winning host site.
Andrea Davis Pinkney
And last but not least, we’d like to share tween-worthy winners of the following non-ALSC associations.
Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction
Chickadee by Louise Erdrich, published by HarperCollins
Sydney Taylor Awards were announced at the Mid-Winter Meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries
Sydney Taylor Younger Readers Honor
Zayde Comes To Live, written by Sheri Sinykin and illustrated by Kristina Swarner, published by Peachtree Publishers
Sydney Taylor Older Readers
His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg by Louise Borden, published by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
Sydney Taylor Teen Readers Honor
Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport, published by Candlewick
To see a list of all ALA Youth Media Award winners and honor books, click here.
Sarah Stippich is a Children’s Librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia. She is also the current Chair of ALSC’s School-Age Programs and Services Committee, which also includes Sarah Abercrombie, Kimberly Castle-Alberts, Patricia Clingman, Marge Loch-Wouters, Claire Moore, Elizabeth Rosania, and Kristine Springer.