The American Library Association’s (ALA) Midwinter conference is known for the being the site of the Youth Media Awards (YMA) ceremony. But the YMAs aren’t the only awards and "best" lists decided during the annual event. Some of ALA’s affiliates and associations, including YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) and APALA (Asian Pacific American Librarians Association) also released their announcements of the winners of literary awards sponsored by their organizations. As more awards are released, this page will continue to be updated. Please feel free to add any selection lists that we've missed in the comments. Updated 2/24/17

SFWA Announces 2016 Norton Nominees

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has revealed the nominees for the Andre Norton Award for Outstanding Young Adult Science Fiction or Fantasy Book.

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon, Kelly Barnhill (Algonquin Young Readers)
• The Star-Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi (St. Martin’s)
• The Lie Tree, Frances Hardinge (Macmillan UK; Abrams)
• Arabella of Mars, David D. Levine (Tor)
• Railhead, Philip Reeve (Oxford University Press; Switch)
• Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies, Lindsay Ribar (Kathy Dawson Books)
• The Evil Wizard Smallbone, Delia Sherman (Candlewick)

The awards will be presented during the annual Nebula Conference, which will run from May 18-21

2017 Tomas Rivera Award Winners

The winners of this year’s Tomas Rivera Award are: Works For Younger Readers Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, Illustrated by Rafael López, published by HMH Books for Young Readers Works For Older Readers The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork published by Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books Texas State University College of Education developed the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican American experience. The award was established in 1995 and was named in honor of Dr. Tomás Rivera, a distinguished alumnus of Texas State University.

2017 LA Times Book Prizes

The finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes were announced February 22. The following works were nominated for YA category:  The Head of the Saint by Socorro Acioli (translated by Daniel Hahn) The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry The Lie Tree by  Frances Hardinge March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes will be awarded on April 21, the evening before the L.A. Times Festival of Books begins on the campus of the University of Southern California.

2017 Edgar Nominees

Mystery Writers of America recently announced the nominees for 2017 Edgar Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction and television published or produced in 2016. The Edgar Awards will be presented to the winners on April 27at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York City. Six books were named as the finalists in the Best Juvenile. They are as follows: Summerlost by Ally Condie (Penguin Young Readers Group – Dutton BFYR) OCDaniel by Wesley King (Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books) The Bad Kid by Sarah Lariviere by  (Simon & Schuster – Simon & Schuster BFYR) Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand  (Simon & Schuster – Simon & Schuster BFYR) Framed! by James Ponti (Simon & Schuster – Aladdin) Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry by Susan Vaught (Simon & Schuster – Paula Wiseman Books) Five titles were names as finalists in the Young Adult category. They are as follows: Three Truths and a Lie by Brent Hartinger (Simon & Schuster – Simon Pulse) The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry (Christy Ottaviano Books/Macmillan) Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse (Hachette Book Group – Little, Brown BFYR) My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier (Soho Press – Soho Teen) Thieving Weasels by Billy Taylor (Penguin Random House – Penguin Young Readers – Dial Books)

Ezra Jack Keats Book Awards

The Ezra Jack Keats Book Awards, which recognize a writer and an illustrator early in their careers for their outstanding work, have gone to: New Writer: Jeri Watts for A Piece of Home (Candlewick Press) New Illustrator: Micha Archer for Daniel Finds a Poem (Nancy Paulsen Books/PRH) The winners receive a gold medallion and an honorarium of $1,000. The awards are presented by the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, in partnership with the de Grummond Children's Literature Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. The 2017 award ceremony will be held on April 6 during the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival at the university. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor will present this year's Ezra Jack Keats Book Awards and Andrea Davis Pinkney will deliver the Keats Lecture.

YALSA Awards and Best Lists

The Great Graphic Novels for Teens committee has announced its Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2017 list, including top 10 titles. The list of 104 works, drawn from 145 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for those ages 12–18, meet the criteria of good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The committee was chaired by Traci Glass of the Eugene Public Library, OR. Some of the titles that made the top 10 are John Allison and Lissa Treiman’s Giant Days, Vol. 1 & 2, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Brian Stelfreeze’s Black Panther, Book One:  A Nation Under Our Feet, and John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell’s March: Book Three.  The Quick Picks for Young Adult Reluctant Readers list was announced January 24. The committee selected 71 titles and two series, drawn from 151 nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. The committee identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading.  among teens who dislike to read for any reason. “Our committee is very happy with the titles we selected this year,” said chair Dorcas Wong. “Reluctant readers will be treated to a diverse selection of intriguing nonfiction, wild adventures, twisty mysteries, and thoughtful realistic stories. We look forward to sharing these books with teens.” A list of top 10 titles were also selected, including E.K. Johnston’s Exit, Pursued by a Bear, Marieke Nijkamp’s This Is Where It Ends and Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely’s All American Boys. The 2017 Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) list was also announced. The list of 63 titles, drawn from 121 official nominations, is presented annually at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. In addition to the full list, the committee has chosen the following titles as the Top 10:

• Berry, Julie. The Passion of Dolssa. Viking. 2016.
• Chee, Traci. The Reader. Putnam. 2016.
• Hardinge, Frances. The Lie Tree. Abrams. 2016.
• McGinnis, Mindy. The Female of the Species. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books. 2016.
• Medina, Meg. Burn Baby Burn. Candlewick. 2016.
• Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. 2016.
• Sepetys, Ruta. Salt to the Sea. Philomel. 2016
• Shusterman, Neal. Scythe. Simon & Schuster. 2016.
• Yoon, Nicola. The Sun is Also a Star. Delacorte. 2016.
• Zentner, Jeff. The Serpent King. Crown. 2016.

APALA Awards For Literature

The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association, has selected the winners of the 2016 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (APAAL). The awards promote Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and are awarded to titles published from October 2015 to September 2016 based on their literary and artistic merit. There are five categories for the Awards. Each committee selected a winning title for the category. Here are the winners of the 2016 awards in the children’s and young adult categories: Young Adult Winner:  Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee (G.P. Putnam) Honor:  Watched by Marina Budhos (Wendy Lamb Books) Children’s Winner: The Land of Forgotten Girls by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books) Honor: Momotaro Xander and the Lost Island of Monsters by Margaret Dilloway (Disney-Hyperion) Picture Book Winner: Puddle by Hyewon Yum (Farrar, Straus and Giroux ) Each winner will receive an award plaque and an award seal on their book at the APALA Award Ceremony on Saturday, June 24 during the ALA Annual Conference in Chicago, IL. Publishers interested in submitting books for the 2017-2018 awards should contact Dora Ho, Jury Co-Chair, at dorah2005@gmail.com

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2017

A preview of the 2017 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People was released on January 23. Titles were selected a variety of grade-specific categories, from kindergarten to high school. The full list, with annotations and connections to the National Standards for Social Studies, will be published in a 16-page illustrated pullout in the May-June 2017 issue of Social Education. Some of the winning works include A Bike Like Sergio’s by Maribeth Boelts and Noah Z. Jones, Around America To Win the Vote by Mara Rockliff and Hadley Hooper, and When We Collided by Emery Lord.

Lee & Low’s New Voices Award

Roberto Peñas of Olathe, Kansas, is the winner of the publisher’s 17th annual New Voices Award. His manuscript, Pedro Flores: The Toymaker, is a biography of the inventor of the modern yo-yo. In the early 1900s, Flores emigrated from the Philippines to the United States, where he pursued an education and his entrepreneurial ambitions. After reading about a ball-and-string-like toy in the newspaper, Flores was reminded of a similar toy from his childhood. He redesigned the toy and named it “yo-yo” (Tagalog for “come back”). It wasn’t long before the yo-yo became a popular toy. Peñas will receive a prize of $1,000 and a publication contract. Gloria Amescua of Austin, Texas, has been chosen to receive the New Voices Award Honor for her manuscript Luz Jiménez, No Ordinary Girl, a story in verse about a Nahua educator and art muse in Mexico. She will receive a prize of $500.

2017 Amelia Bloomer Top 10

The 2017 Amelia Bloomer Project selection committee chooses titles that celebrate feminism and women’s history. The committee selected the following titles, listed in alphabetical order by title, as their Top Ten. The complete 2017 Amelia Bloomer List was released on January 26. Ada Lovelace, Poet of Science: The First Computer Programmer by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Jessie Hartland (Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman) Balcony on the Moon by Ibtisam Barakat (Farrar Straus Giroux/Margaret Ferguson) Becoming Unbecoming by Una (Arsenal Pulp) Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina (Candlewick) Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E. K. Johnston (Penguin/Dutton Books for Young Readers) I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy, illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge (Abrams/Amulet) Take It As a Compliment by Maria Stoian (Jessica Kingsley/Singing Dragon) Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear… and Why by Sady Doyle (Melville House) We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out by Annie E. Clark and Andrea L. Pino (Macmillan/Holt)

2017 Rainbow Book list

The 2017 Rainbow Book list, a project of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) of ALA, was announced at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting. The bibliography features recommended fiction and nonfiction titles for young readers, from birth through age 18 noted for their significant and authentic GLBTQ content. This year’s list includes 47 titles chosen by the committee, as well as three books selected by the Stonewall Book Awards Committee as Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children’s and Young Adult Award and Honor books, published between July 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2016. The Rainbow Books list is intended to aid librarians and readers in selecting high-quality books released over the past 18 months and may be used as a collection development or reader’s advisory tool, or a recommended reading list for interested librarians and patrons.

Sydney Taylor Book Awards

The 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. Gold medals are presented in three categories: Younger Readers, Older Readers, and Teen Readers. Honor Books are awarded silver medals, and Notable Books are named in each category. Debbie Levy and Elizabeth Baddeley, author and illustrator of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, Adam Gidwitz and Hatem Aly, author and illustrator of The Inquisitor's Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, and Gavriel Savit, author of Anna and the Swallow Man, are the 2017 winners of the Sydney Taylor Book Award. Read the full press release. See the complete list of Sydney Taylor award, honor, and notable books for 2017.

Upcoming conferences and grants

The National Latino Children's Literature Conference is cosponsored by the University of Alabama School of Library and Information Studies and the University of Texas at San Antonio. It is taking place in San Antonio, Texas on March 23-25. Award-winning author/illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh is keynoting.  Please contact the conference co-chairs (Drs. Jamie Naidoo, Carmen Tafolla, and Howard Smith) by emailing Smith at howard.smith@utsa.edu. The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth (April 6–7), at Kent University in Ohio, is now accepting applications for the Annual Virginia Hamilton and Arnold Adoff Creative Outreach Grants for teachers and librarians. Each year, two grants of up to $1,000 each are offered for projects to develop new classroom or library programs that raise awareness of multicultural literature among young people; particularly, but not exclusively, through the works of Virginia Hamilton. One grant is awarded to a K-12 teacher and one to a school library or youth services librarian in a public library. APPLY. APPLICATION DEADLINE IS February 28. Eligible applicants must currently work with or plan to work with children or adolescents in any grade from preschool through high school or in a public or school library. Applicants must submit an application form, a professional reference, and a proposal detailing the development of a new classroom or library program that:

• Promotes awareness of multicultural themes and issues through outstanding literature;
• Illustrates the use of exemplary multicultural literature, particularly but not exclusively the works of Virginia Hamilton;
• Demonstrates effective organization, methods and/or library service;
• Includes a plan for documenting the development of the program throughout the grant period.

Register for the Virginia Hamilton Conference. Kwame Alexander’s Literacy Camp The Newbery Medal winning poet Kwame Alexander is hosting a four-day, beach-side literacy boot camp for educators at Folly Beach, South Carolina from July 20–24. During this retreat, the author and his team of faculty will aim to show teachers and librarians how to tap students’ creativity and jumpstart excitement for writing and reading. Each day, faculty and colleagues will engage in interactive, large and small group sessions that explore powerful literacy instruction, including the essential tools and techniques required for drafting, revising, editing, and publishing original work. YALSA’s Young Adult Services Symposium will take place in Louisville, KY, November 3–5, at the Hyatt Regency Louisville with a theme of: Libraries: Helping All Teens Build a Better Future.is open to everyone, not just YALSA members. All are welcome to attend or submit a program or paper proposal by February 1.   Save Save Save Save Save Save Save Save