2023 Youth Media Award Winners

January 30, 2023

A list of all the 2023 award winners follows: John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: Freewater, written by Amina Luqman-Dawson, is the 2023 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by JIMMY Patterson/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Three Newbery Honor Books also were named: Iveliz Explains It All, written by … Continue reading 2023 Youth Media Award Winners


Willie Mae Brown

Taking Care of Our Future

January 28, 2023

Brown spoke of her catalytic experience seeing Martin Luther King Jr. and the importance of telling one’s story at her keynote speaker session January 28 at the American Library Association’s 2023 LibLearnX conference in New Orleans.  Brown’s debut novel, My Selma (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, January), recounts her experience growing up in Selma, Alabama, during … Continue reading Taking Care of Our Future


A Page-Turner

January 28, 2023

He began his talk discussing influential books and artists throughout his life. Among them was The Borrowers, by Mary Norton, which he checked out often from the school library. The story—about a family of tiny people who live secretly in floorboards of a kid’s house—was so magical and real for Selznick, that he made little … Continue reading A Page-Turner



Jane Park (left) and Christina Soontornvat appear as part of the American Library Association (ALA) President's Program at ALA's Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., on June 26. Photo: EPNAC

‘This Is a Movement’

June 27, 2022

American Library Association (ALA) President Patricia “Patty” M. Wong convened a panel of authors, publishers, and literacy advocates to discuss these questions at “Advancing the Asian American Story,” a June 26 program at ALA’s 2022 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C. To better understand the strides the publishing industry is making with representation and … Continue reading ‘This Is a Movement’


Authors Maya Prasad (left) and Susan Azim Boyer speak at “Engaging Historically Underrepresented Young Adult Readers,” a June 27 session at the American Library Association's 2022 Annual Exhibition and Conference in Washington, D.C. Photo: Rebecca Lomax/American Libraries

Uplifting Underrepresented Readers

June 27, 2022

Torres and authors Susan Azim Boyer, Katryn Bury, and Maya Prasad shared their experiences growing up with a lack of positive depictions of themselves in books at “Engaging Historically Underrepresented Young Adult Readers,” a June 27 session at the American Library Association’s 2022 Annual Exhibition and Conference in Washington, D.C. The panel offered strategies for … Continue reading Uplifting Underrepresented Readers



John Cho

Breaking the Cycle

June 25, 2022

Cho used the 1992 Los Angeles riots as a backdrop for exploring Jordan’s family dynamic. “The boy [Jordan] sees the LA riots and it’s a personal problem,” he said. “It endangers his father … The father sees it as a livelihood issue—they’re threatening my store, perhaps, and the store is our college fund, it’s food, … Continue reading Breaking the Cycle


Image features the many books that have won the Newbery Medal over the last 100 years in a colorful, grid-like pattern.

A Celebration of the Newbery Medal

June 1, 2022

In “100 Years of the Newbery Medal,” we look at the legacy, challenges, and future of this distinguished award for children’s books. Taylor Hartz talks with former and current Newbery Award Selection Committee members about the honor and responsibility of picking a winner. In “Newbery Firsts,” we explore important milestones—and archival photographs—from the award’s first … Continue reading A Celebration of the Newbery Medal



From left, Lois Lowry, Cynthia Kadohata, Tae Keller, and Jerry Craft.

Winner’s Circle

June 1, 2022

American Libraries interviewed Jerry Craft, Cynthia Kadohata, Tae Keller, and Lois Lowry about their past Newbery Medals in honor of the award’s 100th anniversary. Jerry Craft Recipient of the 2020 Newbery Medal for New Kid How did you react when you learned you had won the Newbery Medal? At 6:42 a.m., the phone rang. I … Continue reading Winner’s Circle


2022 Youth Media Award Winners

January 24, 2022

A list of all the 2022 award winners follows: John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: The Last Cuentista, written by Donna Barba Higuera, is the 2022 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Levine Querido. Four Newbery Honor Books also were named: Red, White, and Whole, written by Rajani … Continue reading 2022 Youth Media Award Winners