The youth collection is intended to provide a sampling of the best in youth books as identified by their selection for book awards. The following is the list of awards being added to the collection as of 2019). See the Related Websites tabs if you are interested in finding lists of the winning books.
John Newbery Medal (winner and honor titles)
The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
Randolf Caldecott Medal (winner and honor titles)
The Caldecott Medal was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards - (author and Illustrator)
Designed to commemorate the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace, the Coretta Scott King Book Awards annually recognize outstanding books for young adults and children by African American authors and illustrators that reflect the African American experience. Further, the Award encourages the artistic expression of the black experience via literature and the graphic arts in biographical, social, and historical treatments by African American authors and illustrators.
Michael L. Printz Award
The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
Schneider Family Book Award
The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Pura Belpré Award - author and illustrator
The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal – only winner purchased
The Sibert Award honors the most distinguished informational book published in English in the preceding year for its significant contribution to children’s literature.
Stonewall Book Awards – Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award
Awards presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
The Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, established in 2004, is given annually (beginning in 2006) to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished contribution to the body of American children’s literature known as beginning reader books published in the United States during the preceding year.
YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year. The winner is announced annually at the ALA Youth Media Awards, with a shortlist of up to five titles named the first week of December. See https://www.ala.org/yalsa/nonfiction
American Indian Youth Literature Award – only purchase winners
Awarded biennially, the AIYLA identifies and honors the very best writing and illustrations by Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America. Books selected to receive the award present Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity. In odd-numbered years, nominations are encouraged in fiction or nonfiction and may include graphic novels; for picture books, the award is for both author and illustrator. Awards are granted in even-numbered years. Authors/illustrators may win the American Indian Youth Literature Award in the categories Best Picture Book, Best Middle Grade Book, and Best Young Adult Book. In addition, up to five awards may be selected as Honors books in each category.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature picture book, children’s, young adult – only purchase the winners
The goal of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature is to honor and recognize individual work about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit. See: https://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/
Sydney Taylor Book Award – only purchase gold medalist