2026 Youth Award Winners

Winner:

All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
J WAT

Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all. In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

Honorable Mentions:

The Nine Moons of Han Yu and Luli by Karina Yan Glaser
J GLA

A Sea of Lemon Trees: The Corrido of Roberto Alvarez by María Dolores Águila
J AGU

The Teacher of Nomad Land: A World War II Story by Daniel Nayeri
J NAY

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
J HAR

Winner:

Fireworks by Matthew Burgess
JE BUR

Part poem, part portable fireworks display with a vertical gatefold, this POB picture book from the award-winning team of Matthew Burgess and Catia Chien highlights the simple delights of a steamy July day in the city as two siblings eagerly await a spectacular fireworks display. POP! As a hot day sizzles into evening, everyone on stoops and sidewalks looks skyward on this special summer night--the Fourth of July! Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts in cities and suburbs everywhere. POP! POP!

Honorable Mentions:

Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan
JE AWA

Our Lake by Angie Kang
JE KAN

Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave by Drew Beckmeyer
JE BEC

Winner:

Will's Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes
J RHO

It's 1889, barely twenty-five years after the Emancipation Proclamation, and a young Black family is tired of working on land they don't get to own.

So when Will and his father hear about an upcoming land rush, they set out on a journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to the place where land is free--if they can get to it fast enough. But the journey isn't easy--the terrain is rough, the bandits are brutal, and every interaction carries a heavy undercurrent of danger.

And then there's the stranger they encounter and befriend: a mysterious soldier named Caesar, whose Union emblem brings more attention--and more trouble--than any of them need.

All three are propelled by the promise of something long denied to them: freedom, land ownership, and a place to call home--but is a strong will enough to get them there?

Honorable Mentions:

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes
J BAR

The Library in the Woods by Alexander Ramsey
JE RAM

Split the Sky by Marie Arnold
YA ARN

Winner:

The Library in the Woods by Alexander Ramsey
JE RAM

After a storm devastates the farm his parents have been renting, Junior moves with his family to Roxboro, North Carolina. The year is 1959, and the nine-year-old boy has to navigate the realities of the segregated South while adjusting to life in town. Instead of farming, his father works at the lumberyard, and his mother takes in laundry from the white people in town. Junior meets new friends who have a TV--and their own books! These new friends offer to take Junior to the library, and he's surprised to discover that in a clearing in the forest, there's a log cabin that houses a library for Black residents.

The library in the woods feels magical, giving Junior a sense of possibility and community. The books he checks out also help him uncover a secret he never knew about his father.

This fictional account is based on a real-life library author Calvin Alexander Ramsey frequented as a child. Ramsey's heartfelt text, accompanied by illustrations from award-winning artist R. Gregory Christie, celebrates family, libraries, and the resourcefulness of the Black community.

Honorable Mentions:

André: André Leon Talley—A Fabulously Fashionable Fairy Tale illustrated by Lamont O’Neal

City Summer, Country Summer illustrated by Alexis Franklin

Winner:

Under the Neon Lights by Arriel Vinson
YA VIN

Sixteen-year-old Jaelyn Coleman lives for Saturdays at WestSide Roll, the iconic neighborhood roller rink. On these magical nights, Jae can lose herself in the music of DJ Sunny, the smell of nachos from the concession, and the crowd of some of her favorite people—old heads, dance crews, and other regulars like herself. Here, Jae and other Black teens can fully be themselves.
One Saturday, as Jae skates away her worries, she crashes into the cutest boy she’s ever seen. Trey’s dimples, rich brown skin, and warm smile make it impossible for her to be mad at him though. Best of all, he can’t stop finding excuses to be around her. A nice change for once, in contrast with her best friend’s cold distance of late or her estranged father creeping back into her life.

Winner:

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
YA SMI

Set at a classic drive-in restaurant that seems to exist in every Native community, this anthology unites the stories of teens from all kinds of backgrounds through the shared theme of Native joy, with stories and poems reflecting hope, healing, humor, love, friendship, romance, and joy. The road to Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June's serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again. That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most. Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers, and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter, love, Native pride, and the world's best frybread.

Honorable Mentions:

Cope Field by T. L. Simpson
YA SIM

The House No One Sees by Adina King
YA KIN

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
YA BOU

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout
GN VAN