Each year the American Library Association (ALA) awards authors and illustrators of outstanding literature in several categories, including children’s, middle grade, young adult, fiction, and nonfiction. The award-winning book is chosen based on specific criteria outlined by the different awards and should be a creative and original work. The Union Library purchases many of these books, and we like to highlight a few of them in our Award Winning Children’s and Young Adult Literature Blog Series.
W.C. Morris Award
The William C. Morris Award began in 2009. It is an annual award given to a first-time author writing for teens and celebrates young voices. The 2024 winner was Rez Ball by Byron Graves.
Rez Ball by Byron Graves — This young adult novel will appeal to sports fans and video gamers. Tre loves basketball and strives to be as good as his brother, who died the year before in a car accident. Tre and his high school Rez basketball team are doing great this year, but can Tre withstand the pressure of living up to his brother’s name and the community’s desire for the team to make it to their first-ever state championship?
All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr — This young adult verse novel is powerful, but readers may want to use caution when picking up this book, as it focuses on the sexual abuse of teens by a pastor. Amina is different after her pastor sexually abuses her. She doesn’t want to tell anyone because she wonders who will support the pastor beloved by the community. This book follows the aftermath of Amina filing a police report against her pastor. Through this experience, she learns that people deal with sexual abuse differently, who her support system is, and she begins to repair her relationship with her father.
American Indian Youth Literature Award
The American Indian Youth Literature Award is given every other year to Native American and Indigenous writers and illustrators who present Native American and Indigenous peoples in the fullness of their humanity. The winners for 2024 are Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck (picture book), We Still Belong by Christine Day (middle grade), and Rez Ball by Byron Graves (young adult). The library has the following 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Award winners and nominees:
Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck — A cute story about friendship. Kara and Amanda are cousins and best friends. When Kara moves from the city to the Rez, both girls worry that their friendship might not last the distance.
Rock Your Mocs by Laurel Goodluck — This lovely picture book tells a sweet story that encourages all children to embrace and celebrate their heritage, particularly Native Americans, as part of Rock Your Mocs week each November. I really enjoyed the drawings and the variety of skin tones, tribes, and names intended to be representative.
We Still Belong by Christine Day — A middle grade romance that follows Wesley, a creative girl who wrote an underappreciated poem celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day in her school newspaper. At the same time, Wesley must also work up the courage to ask her crush, Ryan, to their middle school dance.
Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell — This is a verse novel about some middle schoolers who have a Native American as their mascot. Some students want the mascot to change, while others don’t. The short chapters offer several different first-person viewpoints and show some students changing their minds, even when it costs them friendships. It is a positive and not in-your-face presentation of sensitivity to other ethnicities.
Jo Jo Makoons (Books 2 and 3) by Dawn Quigley — The Jo Jo Makoons series is similar to the Junie B. Jones books of the 1990s and early 2000s. These beginning chapter books are about first-grade Jo Jo, who lives on an Ojibwe reservation. She loves her pet cat and her grandmother. Jo Jo is learning the world around her, and it was cute to see the antics and thought process of a seven-year-old.
She Persisted (Maria Tall Chief and Wilma Mankiller) by Christine Day, Traci Sorell, and Chelsea Clinton — She Persisted is a series of chapter books (edited by Chelsea Clinton) intended to highlight women who persisted and succeeded against the odds. These two specific titles focus on Native women: Maria Tall Chief, who became America’s first prima ballerina, despite not looking the part; and Wilma Mankiller, who worked to reclaim Native lands and became the first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. These are important stories deserving to be told.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley — A companion novel to the award winning Firekeeper’s Daughter, Boulley brings readers back to Sugar Island and the present day. Perry is content to spend the summer fishing and hunting on her island, unlike her twin sister, Pauline, who excels academically and is chosen to be an intern with the tribal elders. However, after a minor car accident, Perry must also participate in the summer internship program at the tribal museum. While working at the museum, Perry learns about ancestral bones and knives being held at a university. Perry is determined to help return the ancestors to Sugar Island. The mystery and suspense thicken when Perry gets involved in the investigation of missing native girls from Sugar Island.
Heroes of the Water Monsters by Brian Young — Another companion novel to a previous award winner; Heroes of the Water Monsters continues Nathan’s story of raising and protecting Dew, a young water monster. Nathan’s mom has moved in with her boyfriend, who has a son: Edward. Edward may be the perfect protector for Dew after Nathan finishes puberty and can no longer see Holy Beings. Nathan’s quest to find Dew a water monster mentor leads to Yitoo returning to the Fourth World and desiring to wipe out all Pale People in retribution for the pain inflicted on the Dine during forced relocation. Nathan and Edward must follow their hearts, learn who they are, and protect the water, Mother Earth, and people from all places.
Asian Pacific American Literature Award
The Asian/Pacific American Literature Award is given to books that highlight the cultures and experiences of Asian/Pacific Americans. The winners for 2024 were The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leun (picture book), Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li (children’s literature), and I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom by Shannon C. F. Rogers (young adult). The Union Library has several of the 2024 winners and nominees:
Finding Papa by Angela Pham Krans — A truly delightful book about the special relationship between a little girl and her daddy; this picture book recounts the story of the author’s experience of leaving Vietnam to come to America. The warm illustrations complement the story beautifully and the resolution is poignantly satisfying.
Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li — Twelve-year-old Ruby is reeling from unwanted changes: the loss of her grandad, the dissolution of her close friend group, and her sister’s impending departure to attend college. Grounded for the summer, Ruby is forced to spend weekdays with her grandmother. Soon, she discovers her grandmother’s memory is fading and the family’s favorite local bakery might close. Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s Chinatown, Ruby Lost and Found focuses on themes of change, grief, and loss in an appropriate way for middle grade readers.
Parachute Kids by Betty Tang—This readable graphic novel is heavily informed by the author’s own experience of being brought to the US from Taiwan with her siblings and left by her parents so that they could have the best opportunities and escape bad influences. Trying to learn the language, excel in school, and make friends is hard! Brother seems to be discovering boys, but it’s just a small part of the narrative and nothing descriptive beyond reference to his kissing another boy. Overall, this is a terrific and important story.
Sydney Taylor Award
The Sydney Taylor Book Award is awarded annually to books that authentically portray the Jewish experience. The 2024 winners are Two New Years by Richard Ho (picture book), The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe (middle grade), and The Blood Years by Elana K. Arnold (young adult). Below is a list of other 2024 Sydney Taylor books:
Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elia Boxer — Hidden Hope is an amazing, compelling true story of Jacqueline Gauthier’s work to deliver forged papers to Jews during the Holocaust. The lyrical writing and muted pictures reflect the beauty of the French Resistance and the horror of the Nazis.
A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer — This lyrical historical novel follows 11-year-old Shoshi and her family as they move to the North Dakota prairie. While they are escaping pogroms from Ukraine, they still face prejudice as Jews in a predominantly Christian culture. This would be a great book to read alongside Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books.
Impossible Escape by Steve Sheinkin — This young adult novel tells the true story of a young man’s escape from the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. Rudi, a Polish teen, has barely survived for two years in the camp when he decides he must escape. After his escape, Rudi becomes one of the first whistleblowers of the atrocities being committed in Nazi concentration camps. Adventure, death-defying escape, and a love story make this true story one you won’t want to miss.
The reviews in this blog reflect the reviewer’s personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.
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