Blogger Mary R. Voors

2023 YMA Announcements!

This morning, along with over five thousand other aficionados of children’s and young adult literature, I watched the live stream of the annual ALA Youth Media Awards announcements. These announcements, celebrating the “best of the best” in literature and media for children, are a must attend event for me each year, sometimes in person, sometimes virtually. Held this year at the 2023 LibLearnX conference in New Orleans, the announcements did not disappoint!

Amy Koester, ALSC President, announces the winning children’s titles at the 2023 Youth Media Awards

Here are some of the winning titles:

2023 John Newbery Medal winner:

Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

2023 John Newbery Honor books:

Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee

2023 Randolph Caldecott Medal winner:

Hot Dog, illustrated and written by Doug Salati

2023 Randolph Caldecott Honor books:

Ain’t Burned All the Bright, illustrated by Jason Griffin and written by Jason Reynolds

Berry Song, illustrated and written by Michaela Goade

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement, illustrated by Janelle Washington and written by Angela Joy

Knight Owl, illustrated and written by Christopher Denise


Winners in nineteen other awards were also announced; a complete downloadable list of all the winning titles is available here.

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