As a lifelong book lover, I believe there’s something uniquely magical about books for young readers. These books can instill empathy, heighten imagination, and spark a love for adventure and new worlds. They stay with us long after we’ve turned the final page, becoming touchstones of our childhood and beyond.
Each year, the American Library Association (ALA) celebrates these exceptional stories, honoring the best in children’s and young adult literature with the Youth Media Awards, including the prestigious Newbery, Caldecott, Printz, and Coretta Scott King awards, among others. On Jan. 27, this year’s books were announced by the ALA after being chosen by a committee of librarians and other book experts for their creativity, originality, and outstanding contribution to children’s and young adult literature.
Check out the list of this year’s winners below, then explore these award-winning books at your local library or by using the Libby app.
John Newbery Medal (most outstanding contribution to children's literature)
The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner (most distinguished American picture book for children)
Chooch Helped illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers
Coretta Scott King Book Award Winner (recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults)
Twenty-Four Seconds from Now... by Jason Reynolds
King Author Honor Book
Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
King Author Honor Book
Black Star by Kwame Alexander
King Author Honor Book
One Big Open Sky by Lesa Cline-Ransome
King Illustrator Book Winner
My Daddy Is a Cowboy illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Kwame Crashes the Underworld by Craig Kofi Farmer
Michael L. Printz Award Winner for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Brownstone by Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia
Schneider Family Book Award Younger Children’s Category Winner (books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience)
A Little Like Magic written and illustrated by Sarah Kurpiel
Schneider Family Book Award Middle Grade Category Winner (books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience)
Popcorn written and illustrated by Rob Harrell
Schneider Family Book Award Young Adult Category Winner (books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience)
Chronically Dolores by Maya Van Wagenen
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability by Melissa Blake
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined by David F. Walker, illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
Daughters of Shandong by Eve J. Chung
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
I Feel Awful, Thanks written and illustrated by Lara Pickle
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
The Witch of Colchis by Rosie Hewlett
Alex Awards (10 best adult books that appeal to teens)
The Witchstone by Henry H. Neff
Mildred L. Batchelder Award Winner (outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English)
John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, translated by Adam Cullen
Odyssey Award Winner for Children (best audiobook)
🎧 A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen by Erin Frankel, narrated by Luis Carlos de La Lombana
Odyssey Award Winner for Young Adults (best audiobook)
🎧 How the Boogeyman Became a Poet written and narrated by Tony Keith Jr.
Belpré Children’s Author Award Winner (honoring Latino writers and illustrators)
Lola by Karla Arenas Valenti
Belpré Young Adult Author Award Winner (honoring Latino writers and illustrators)
Shut Up, This Is Serious by Carolina Ixta
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner (most distinguished informational book for children)
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle, illustrated by Jason Chin
Stonewall Book Awards - Children’s Literature Winner (exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience)
Lunar Boy written and illustrated by Jes and Cin Wibowo
Stonewall Book Awards - Young Adult Literature Winner (exceptional merit for children or teens relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience)
Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award (most distinguished beginning reader book)
Vacation by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Mark Teague
William C. Morris Award (debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens)
Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire by Paula Yoo
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature - Picture Book
Aloha Everything by Kaylin Melia George, illustrated by Mae Waite
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature - Children’s
Continental Drifter written and illustrated by Kathy MacLeod
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature - Young Adult
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
Sydney Taylor Book Award Gold Medalist - Picture Book (outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience)
An Etrog from Across the Sea by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen
Sydney Taylor Book Award Gold Medalist - Middle Grade (outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience)
The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos with Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos
Sydney Taylor Book Award Gold Medalist - Young Adult (outstanding books that authentically portray the Jewish experience)
Night Owls by A. R. Vishny
Looking for more award-winning books? You can view the complete list of 2025 winners and honor titles and check out last year’s winners on Libby Life.
RELATED READ: The top children's & young adult book award winners for 2024
Published Jan 30, 2025