
On January 27, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video, and audiobooks for children and young adults—including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery, and Printz awards—at ALA’s 2025 LibLearnX conference in Phoenix.
A complete list of the 2025 award winners follows.
John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature:
The First State of Being, written by Erin Entrada Kelly, is the 2025 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Four Newbery Honor Books also were named:
Across So Many Seas, written by Ruth Behar and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, written and illustrated by Chanel Miller and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; One Big Open Sky, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and published by Holiday House; and The Wrong Way Home, written by Kate O’Shaughnessy, a Borzoi Book, published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.
Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children:
Chooch Helped, illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz, is the 2025 Caldecott Medal winner. The book is written by Andrea L. Rogers and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido.
Four Caldecott Honor Books also were named:
Home in a Lunchbox, illustrated and written by Cherry Mo and published by Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House; My Daddy Is a Cowboy, illustrated by C.G. Esperanza, written by Stephanie Seales and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams; Noodles on a Bicycle, illustrated by Gracey Zhang, written by Kyo Maclear, and published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; and Up, Up, Ever Up! Junko Tabei: A Life in the Mountains, illustrated by Yuko Shimizu, written by Anita Yasuda and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards recognize an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults.
Coretta Scott King Author Book Award
Twenty-four Seconds from Now…, written by Jason Reynolds, is the 2025 King Author Book winner. The book is published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Three King Author Honor Books were selected:
Black Girl You Are Atlas, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House; Black Star, written by Kwame Alexander and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group; and One Big Open Sky, written by Lesa Cline-Ransome and published by Holiday House.
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Book Award
My Daddy Is a Cowboy, illustrated by C. G. Esperanza, is the 2025 King Illustrator Book winner. The book is written by Stephanie Seales and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Abrams.
Three King Illustrator Honor Books were selected:
Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, written by Coretta Scott King with the Rev. Dr. Barbara Reynolds and published by Godwin Books, an imprint of Henry Holt and Company; Everywhere Beauty Is Harlem: The Vision of Photographer Roy DeCarava, illustrated by E. B. Lewis, written by Gary Golio, and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers; and Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller, illustrated by April Harrison, written by Breanna J. McDaniel and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Coretta Scott King—John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Kwame Crashes the Underworld, written by Craig Kofi Farmer, is the Steptoe Author Award winner. The book is published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
Coretta Scott King—John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award
Jimmy’s Rhythm & Blues: The Extraordinary Life of James Baldwin, illustrated by Jamiel Law, is the Steptoe Illustrator Award winner. The book is written by Michelle Meadows and published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
Carolyn L. Garnes is the winner of the Coretta Scott King—Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Garnes has spent more than 30 years as a practitioner championing books for Black children as a public and school library director and as the founder of the nonprofit Aunt Lil’s Reading Room. The award pays tribute to the quality and magnitude of beloved children’s author Virginia Hamilton.
Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:
Brownstone, written by Samuel Teer, is the 2025 Printz Award winner. The book is illustrated by Mar Julia and copublished by Versify and HarperAlley, imprints of HarperCollins Publishers.
Four Printz Honor Books also were named:
Bright Red Fruit, written by Safia Elhillo and published by Make Me a World, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House; Compound Fracture, written by Andrew Joseph White and published by Peachtree Teen, an imprint of Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.; The Deep Dark, written by Molly Knox Ostertag and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; and Road Home, written by Rex Ogle and published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company Inc.
Schneider Family Book Awards for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience:
The best young children’s book is A Little Like Magic, written and illustrated by Sarah Kurpiel and published by Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Two honor books for young children were selected: Monster Hands, written by Karen Kane and Jonaz McMillan, illustrated by Dion MBD, and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; and You’re So Amazing!” written by James and Lucy Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George, and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group.
The best middle-grade book is Popcorn, written and illustrated by Rob Harrell and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Two middle-grade honor books were selected: Louder Than Hunger, written by John Schu and published by Candlewick Press; and Shark Teeth, written by Sherri Winston and published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books.
The best young adult book is Chronically Dolores, written by Maya Van Wagenen and published by Dutton Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Two honor books for teens were selected: Light Enough to Float, written by Lauren Seal and published by Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; On the Bright Side, written by Anna Sortino and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences:
Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths about Disability, written by Melissa Blake, published by Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Books.
Big Jim and the White Boy, written by David F. Walker, illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson, and published by Ten Speed Graphic, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House.
Daughters of Shandong, written by Eve J. Chung, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Dead Cat Tail Assassins, written by P. Djèlí Clark, published by Tordotcom, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan.
How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel, written by Kristen Perrin, published by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
I Feel Awful, Thanks, written and illustrated by Lara Pickle, published by Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group.
I Was a Teenage Slasher, written by Stephen Graham Jones, published by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
The Witch of Colchis, written by Rosie Hewlett, published by Sourcebooks Landmark, an imprint of Sourcebooks.
The Witchstone, written by Henry H. Neff, published by Blackstone Publishing.
Woman, Life, Freedom, created by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Una Dimitrijević, published by Seven Stories Press.
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Children’s Literature
The ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture Award is an annual event featuring an author, critic, librarian, historian, or teacher of children’s literature. Author Cynthia Leitich Smith will deliver the 2026 ALSC Children’s Literature Lecture. Smith is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Her 2018 book Hearts Unbroken won the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award.
The Children’s Literature Legacy 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 through books that demonstrate integrity and respect for all children’s lives and experiences.
The 2025 winner is Carole Boston Weatherford. Her award-winning works include Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, which won the 2022 Coretta Scott King Author Award, and BOX: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom, recipient of the 2021 Newbery Medal Honor, among other titles.
The 2025 winner of the Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media Award, given to a digital media producer that has created distinguished digital media for an early learning audience, is Carl the Collector, produced by Fuzzytown Productions and Spiffy Pictures. The committee selected two honor titles: Lyla in the Loop, produced by Mighty Space Picnic and Pipeline Studios; and The Plate Show, produced by The WNET Group and PRX.
The 2025 winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults is Tiffany D. Jackson. Jackson’s books include: Allegedly, The Awakening of Malcolm X, Grown, Let Me Hear a Rhyme, The Long Walk from Blackout, Monday’s Not Coming, and White Smoke.
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:
John the Skeleton is the 2025 Batchelder Award winner. Originally published in Estonian as Luukere Juhani juhtumised, the book was written by Triinu Laan, illustrated by Marja-Liisa Plats, translated by Adam Cullen, and published by Yonder, an imprint of Restless Books for Young Readers.
Four Honor Books also were selected:
Home, written and illustrated by Isabelle Simler, translated by Vineet Lal, and published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, an imprint of William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.; Johnny the Sea, and Me, written by Melba Escobar, illustrated by Elizabeth Builes, translated by Sara Lissa Paulson, and published by Enchanted Lion Books; Mr. Lepron’s Mystery Soup, written by Giovanna Zoboli, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio, translated by Denise Muir, and published by Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press; and A Sleepless Night, written by Micaela Chirif, illustrated by Joaquín Camp, translated by Jordan Landsman, and published by Transit Children’s Editions.
Odyssey Awards for the best audiobooks produced for children and young adults, available in English in the United States:
A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen, produced by Andy T. Jones for Dreamscape Audio, is the 2025 Odyssey Award winner for children. The book is written by Erin Frankel, illustrated by Paola Escobar, and narrated by Luis Carlos de La Lombana.
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, produced by Abigail Marks for HarperAudio, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the 2025 Odyssey Award winner for young adults. The book is written and narrated by Tony Keith Jr.
Four Honor Audiobooks also were selected:
Black Girl You Are Atlas, produced by Brian Ramcharan for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes, and narrated by Renée Watson; Dispatches from Parts Unknown, produced by Almeda Beynon for HarperAudio, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, written by Bryan Bliss, and narrated by Joy Nash; Girls Like Her, produced by Abigail Marks for HarperAudio, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, written by Melanie Sumrow and narrated by Melanie Sumrow and January LaVoy; and You Are Brave: A Book About Trying New Things, produced by Paul Gagne and John Pels for Scholastic Inc., written by Margaret O’Hair and Sofia Sanchez, illustrated by Sofia Cardoso, and narrated by Sofia Sanchez.
Pura Belpré Awards honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience.
Lola, written by Karla Arenas Valenti, is the 2025 Pura Belpré Children’s Author Award winner. The book is published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House.
Two Children’s Author Honor Books were named: Cruzita and the Mariacheros, written by Ashley Granillo and published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group Inc.; and Ultraviolet, written by Aida Salazar and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Shut Up, This Is Serious, written by Carolina Ixta, is the 2025 Pura Belpré Young Adult Author Award winner. The book is published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Two Young Adult Author Honor Books were named: Libertad, written by Bessie Flores Zaldivar and published by Dial Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; and Wild Dreamers, written by Margarita Engle and published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
The Dream Catcher, written and illustrated by Marcelo Verdad, is the 2025 Pura Belpré Youth Illustrator Award winner. The book is published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group.
Two Youth Illustrator Honor Books were named: Abuelo, the Sea, and Me, illustrated by Tatiana Gardel, written by Ismée Williams, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing; A Maleta Full of Treasures, illustrated by Juana Medina, written by Natalia Sylvester, and published by Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children:
Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall, written by Lynn Brunelle and illustrated by Jason Chin, is the 2025 Sibert Medal winner. The book is published by Neal Porter Books, Holiday House.
Four Sibert Honor Books were named: Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos, written by Nathalie Alonso, illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez, and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers; The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II, written by Candace Fleming and published by Scholastic Focus, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival, written by Estelle Nadel with Sammy Savos and Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing; Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills, written by Billy Mills and Donna Janell Bowman, illustrated by S. D. Nelson, and published by Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group Inc.
Stonewall Book Award—Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Literature Awards are given annually to English-language children’s and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.
Lunar Boy, written and illustrated by Jes and Cin Wibowo and published by HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, is the 2025 recipient of the Stonewall Book Award—Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s Literature Award.
Four children’s Honor Books were selected: Marley’s Pride, written by Joëlle Retener, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley, and published by Barefoot Books; Murray Out of Water, written by Taylor Tracy and published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; The Flicker, written by H. E. Edgmon and published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group; and What I Must Tell the World: How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice, written by Jay Leslie, illustrated by Loveis Wise, and published by Hillman Grad Books, an imprint of Zando.
Canto Contigo, written by Jonny Garza Villa and published by Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group, is the 2025 recipient of the Stonewall Book Award—Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award.
Four Young Adult Honor Books were selected: Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix, written by Gabe Cole Novoa and published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group; Navigating with You, written by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Cassio Ribeiro, and published by Maverick, Mad Cave Studios; Road Home, written by Rex Ogle and published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company Inc.; and Time and Time Again, written by Chatham Greenfield and published by Bloomsbury YA, Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book:
Vacation, is the 2025 Geisel Award winner. The book is written by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Mark Teague, and published by Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
Two Geisel Honor Books were named:
Fox versus Fox, written and illustrated by Corey R. Tabor and published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Towed by Toad, written and illustrated by Jashar Awan and published by Tundra Books, an imprint of Tundra Book Group, a division of Penguin Random House Canada.
William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens:
Not Like Other Girls, written by Meredith Adamo, is the 2025 Morris Award winner. The book is published by Bloomsbury YA, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., part of Bloomsbury Publishing.
Four other books were finalists for the award:
Aisle Nine, written by Ian X. Cho and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollins Publishers; Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear, written by Robin Wasley and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; Shut Up, This Is Serious, written by Carolina Ixta and published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and The Wilderness of Girls, written by Madeline Claire Franklin and published by Zando Young Readers, an imprint of Zando.
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, written by Paula Yoo, is the 2025 Excellence winner. The book is published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton & Company Inc.
Four other books were finalists for the award:
A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond, written by Elizabeth Rusch and published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; Homebody, written and illustrated by Theo Parish and published by HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; Shackled: A Tale of Wronged Kids, Rogue Judges, and a Town that Looked Away, written by Candy J. Cooper and published by Calkins Creek, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers, a division of Astra Publishing House; and The Unboxing of a Black Girl, written by Angela Shanté and published by Page Street Publishing Co.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit. The award offers three youth categories—picture book, children’s literature, and youth literature—and is administered by the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of ALA. This year’s winners include:
The Picture Book winner is Aloha Everything, written by Kaylin Melia George, illustrated by Mae Waite, and published by Red Comet Press. The committee selected one Picture Book honor title: The Rock in My Throat, written by Kao Kalia Yang, illustrated by Jiemei Lin, and published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group Inc.
The Children’s Literature winner is Continental Drifter, written and illustrated by Kathy MacLeod and published by First Second Books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. The committee selected two Children’s Literature honor titles: Mabuhay!, written and illustrated by Zachary Sterling and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.; and Clairboyance, written by Kristiana Kahakauwila and published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
The Young Adult Literature winner is Everything We Never Had, written by Randy Ribay and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The committee selected two Young Adult Literature honor titles: Lunar New Year Love Story, written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, and published by First Second Books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing; and Dragonfruit, written by Makiia Lucier and published by Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Sydney Taylor Book Award is presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. Presented by the Association of Jewish Libraries since 1968, the award encourages the publication and widespread use of quality Judaic literature.
This year’s Gold Medalists include:
In the Picture Book category: An Etrog from Across the Sea, written by Deborah Bodin Cohen and Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Stacey Dressen McQueen, and published by Kar-Ben Publishing, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group.
In the Middle Grade category: The Girl Who Sang: A Holocaust Memoir of Hope and Survival, written by Estelle Nadel and Sammy Savos, with Bethany Strout, illustrated by Sammy Savos, and published by Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing.
And in the Young Adult category: Night Owls, written by A. R. Vishny and published by Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Silver Medalists include:
In the Picture Book category: Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan’s Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants, written by Norman H. Finkelstein, illustrated by Vesper Stamper, and published by Holiday House; Joyful Song: A Naming Story, written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal, and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido; Rising, written by Sidura Ludwig, illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy, and published by Candlewick Press; and The Tree of Life: How a Holocaust Sapling Inspired the World, written by Elisa Boxer, illustrated by Alianna Rozentsveig, and published by Rocky Pond Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House;
In the Middle Grade category: Across So Many Seas, written by Ruth Behar and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House; Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop, written by Joshua S. Levy and published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers; and Just Shy of Ordinary, written by A. J. Sass and published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
And in the Young Adult category: The Forbidden Book, written by Sacha Lamb, published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido; and Trajectory, written by Cambria Gordon and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Recognized worldwide for the high quality they represent, ALA awards guide parents, educators, librarians, and others in selecting the best materials for youth. Selected by judging committees of librarians and other children’s experts, the awards encourage original and creative work. For more information on the ALA Youth Media Awards and notables, please visit ala.org/yma.