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
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
Uniting against censorship attempts Organized book challenges continued to proliferate. From January through August, 681 attempts to ban or restrict library materials had been made in the US, with 1,651 unique titles targeted. In response to mounting censorship threats, ALA announced in May its Unite Against Book Bans campaign, a coalition with more than 60 … Continue reading 2022 Year in Review
The library ecosystem encompasses the life cycles of both our users (to provide representation and touchstones at each stage of a person’s life) and library workers (to assist at each stage of our careers). Seasons come and go, but libraries are always present: creating community, ensuring representation, and upholding our values. Here are some roles … Continue reading Representation Matters
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
Appropriately, the Newbery Medal, the world’s first children’s book award, is named for the man credited with publishing the first children’s book. In 1744, John Newbery, a British bookseller, published A Little Pretty Pocket-Book, a book of simple rhymes for each letter of the alphabet. The book often came with a gift—a ball or a … Continue reading 100 Years of the Newbery Medal
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
1922 The first Newbery Medal is awarded to The Story of Mankind, written and illustrated by Dutch American historian and journalist Hendrik Willem van Loon. 1928 Dhan Gopal Mukerji becomes the first person of color and the first Asian American author to win the Newbery. Gay-Neck: The Story of a Pigeon is set in his … Continue reading Newbery Firsts
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
“None of us saw this coming,” said Woodson. “One day we walked into our classrooms, we walked into our libraries, we walked into our jobs, and the next day we didn’t.” This abrupt and significant change exposed what we’ve taken for granted. “We had just expected the next day to be there—just as the previous … Continue reading Making Sense of Our Collective Grief
Woodson joined CSK Book Award illustrator winner Frank Morrison (for R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul) and several honorees at the 52nd annual CSK Book Awards virtual celebration, part of the American Library Association’s (ALA) 2021 Annual Conference and Exhibition Virtual on June 27. At last year’s event during ALA Virtual, many of the … Continue reading Literature, Opportunity, and Revolution
A list of all the 2021 award winners follows: John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature: When You Trap a Tiger, written by Tae Keller, is the 2021 Newbery Medal winner. The book is published by Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. Five Newbery Honor Books also … Continue reading 2021 Youth Media Award Winners
