2024 Award Winners
Here are some of the 2024 Newbery, Caldecott, and Youth Media Award Winners.
Nigeria Jones
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu, author
2023
Big
Harrison, Vashti, author, illustrator
2023
Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.
The collectors : stories
2023
An anthology of ten stories by young adult authors about surprising and unusual collections.
Dancing hands : a story of friendship in Filipino sign language
Que, Joanna, author
2023
Sam is fascinated by her new neighbors and their ability to talk with their hands, and when she meets Mai, she starts to learn Filipino sign language so they can communicate. Includes dictionary of Philippine signs.
Eagle drums
Hopson, Nasuġraq Rainey, author, illustrator
2023
In preparation for winter, a skilled young hunter embarks on a perilous journey up the mountain to gather obsidian, where he encounters the fearsome eagle god Savik and is presented with a life-altering choice.
Elf dog & owl head
Anderson, M. T., author
2023
Quarantined with his family as a global plague ravages the world, Clay retreats to the woods where he meets a special little dog who leads him on surreal adventures where choosing the wrong path could cause them both to lose their way forever.
The eyes & the impossible
Eggers, Dave, author, illustrator.
2023
Free dog Johannes' job is to observe everything that happens in his urban park and report back to the park's three bison elders, but changes are afoot, including more humans, a new building, a boatload of goats, and a shocking revelation that changes his view of the world.
Fire from the sky
Åstot, Moa Backe, author
2023
"Ánte's life has been steeped in Sámi tradition. It is indisputable to him that he, an only child, will keep working with the reindeer. But there is something else too, something tugging at him. His feelings for his best friend Erik have changed, grown into something bigger. Ánte is so aware of Erik and his body in relation to his own; everything he does matters so much. What would people say if they knew? And how does Erik feel?"-- Provided by publisher.
The fire, the water, and Maudie McGinn
Pla, Sally J., author.
2023
Follows thirteen-year-old neurodivergent Maudie during an eventful summer in California with her father, where she struggles with whether to share a terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.
Gather
Cadow, Kenneth M., author
2023
Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to?
The girl I am, was, and never will be : a speculative memoir of transracial adoption
Gibney, Shannon, author
2023
Erin Powers navigates growing up as a mixed-Black transracial adoptee being raised by a white, closeted lesbian mother. Based on the author's experience.
Henry, like always
Bailey, Jenn, 1965- author
2023
Henry, a first grader on the autism spectrum, attempts to navigate friendships, and sudden changes in classroom routines--like a parade on Friday instead of share time.
Holding her own : the exceptional life of Jackie Ormes
Todd, Traci N., author.
2022
"When Jackie Ormes sees an opportunity, she takes it. She's a journalist, cartoonist, fashionista, philanthropist, and activist -- and she wants to use her artistry to bring joy and hope to Black people everywhere. But in post-World War II America, Blackpeople are still being denied their civil rights, and Jackie has a dilemma: How can her art remain true to her signature Jackie joy, while also staying honest about the inequalities Black people have been fighting against? Traci N. Todd and Shannon Wrighthave crafted a gorgeous and moving tribute to the indelible legacy of America's first Black woman cartoonist"-- Provided by publisher.
How do you spell unfair? : MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee
Weatherford, Carole Boston, 1956-, author
2023
"A true story of determination and groundbreaking achievement follows eighth grade African American spelling champion MacNolia Cox, who left Akron, Ohio, in 1936 to compete in the prestigious National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., only to be met with prejudice and discrimination."-- Provided by publisher.
In every life
Frazee, Marla, author, illustrator.
2023
A picture book celebrating both the highs and lows that everyone experiences in the course of a life.
Jovita wore pants : the story of a Mexican freedom fighter
Salazar, Aida, author
2023
Jovita didn't want to cook and clean like her sisters, and she especially didn't want to wear the skirts her abuela gave her. She wanted to race her brothers and climb the tallest mesquite trees in Rancho Palos Blancos, ride horses, and wear pants! When her father and brothers joined the Cristeros War to fight for the right to practice religion, she wanted to help. She wasn't allowed to fight, but that didn't stop her from observing how her father strategized and familiarizing herself with the terrain. When tragedy struck, she did the only thing that felt right to her--cut her hair, donned a pair of pants, and continued the fight, commanding a battalion who followed her without question.
The many assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams
Nayeri, Daniel, author
2023
"This is the tale of an exciting journey along the Silk Road with a young Monk and his newfound guardian, Samir, a larger than life character and the so-called "Seller of Dreams." The man is a scammer; his biggest skill being the ability to talk his way into getting what he wants. While that talking did save Monkey's life, it has left a lot of people furious with Samir--furious enough to hire assassins. Monkey decides to try and save Samir from the attempts on his life--as a way to pay off his debt! If he can save Samir six times, he'll be a free man...but will they all survive that long?"-- Provided by publisher.
Mexikid : a graphic memoir
Martin, Pedro, 1967-, author, illustrator
2023
"Pedro Martin's grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito, but during a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir"-- Provided by publisher.
Salt the water
Iloh, Candice, author
2023
A confrontation with a teacher and a family crisis force high school senior Cerulean Gene to drop out of twelfth grade and derails their dreams of moving cross-country and living off the grid. Told in verse format.
Simon sort of says
Bow, Erin, author
2023
Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.
There goes the neighborhood
Adia, Jade, author.
2023
"In order to stop the destructive forces of gentrification, three best friends use social media to create a fake gang and get justice for their South L.A. community"-- Provided by publisher.
There was a party for Langston
Reynolds, Jason, author
2023
A celebration of Langston Hughes and African American authors he inspired, told through the lens of the party held at the New York Public Library's Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 1991.
The truth about dragons
Leung, Julie, author
2023
In a mix of Eastern and Western mythologies, a mother tells her child about two forests inhabited by different, but equally enchanting dragons that coexist within the child's heart.
We could fly
Giddens, Rhiannon, 1977- author.
2023
"At a sparrow's urging, a young girl feels a mysterious trembling in her arms, a lightness in her feet, a longing to be free. Her mother tells her that her Granny Liza experienced the same, as did many of their people before her. Perhaps it's time, Mama says, to slip the bonds of earth and join the journey started long ago. To hold each other tight and rise"-- Provided by publisher.
What happened to you?
Catchpole, James, author
2023
Imagine you were asked the same question again and again throughout your life... Imagine if it was a question that didn't bring about the happiest of memories... This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground... Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play pirates. But as usual, one after the other, all the children ask him the same question they always ask, What happened to you? Understandably Joe gets increasingly cross! Until finally the penny drops and the children realise that it's a question Joe just doesn't want to answer... and that Joe is playing a rather good game... one that they can join in with if they can stop fixating on his missing leg... Because children are children, after all.