2022 Youth Media Award Winners

If you enjoyed The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, then you’ll love The Last Cuentista.

“It’s 2061. Because of their scientific expertise, Petra’s parents have been chosen to accompany a trio of spaceships to colonize a new planet, leaving behind their home—and Petra’s beloved abuelita—in New Mexico just before a comet hits Earth. But even before their ship lifts off, things aren’t going according to plan. Amid the worrying events on the ship, Petra tells cuentos to bring comfort to those around her, to help her remember, to keep her culture alive; she longs to one day be a great storyteller like Lita. In an environment where diversity is eliminated, whatever the cost, Petra harnesses the power of stories and becomes a hero. This Newbery Award-winning, mystifying sci-fi adventure will empower children for years to come.”

Mary, Raven Book Store

Too Bright to See

“This spooky and thoughtful book follows Bug, a soon to be middle schooler. How do you handle your uncle’s death when he’s still haunting your house, and when he seems to have a message for you? How can you “be you” when you don’t know what that means yet?”

Miriasha, Phoenix Books

Nina is a Lipan girl in our world. She’s always felt there was something more out there. She still believes in the old stories. Oli is a cottonmouth kid, from the land of spirits and monsters. Like all cottonmouths, he’s been cast from home. He’s found a new one on the banks of the bottomless lake. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists.... Read more »

Newbery Honor Book! A heartbreakingly hopeful novel in verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.

* Walter Award Winner * New England Book Award Winner * An NCTE Notable Verse Novel * Golden Kite Award Winner * Crystal Kite Award Winner * Goodreads Choice Nominee * A...

Tracing the history of African Americans in Tulsa's Greenwood district, this book chronicles the devastation that occurred in 1921 when a white mob attacked the Black community. News of what happened was largely suppressed, and no official investigation into the Tulsa Race Massacre occurred for seventy-five years. Sensitively introducing young... Read more »

Home Is Not a Country

“I'm not even finished with the book and already know it is a standout of the year. The fresh, tender, unique way that Nima struggles to find a place to call home within herself is so much more than a coming-of-age novel or an immigrant story. Through the surreal exploration of who she could have been, Nima tells a wrenchingly real, oh-so-human story that transcends genre. This is a novel that asks readers of any age 'what will you do with your one, wild and precious life?.' ”

Summer, Books Inc.

With passion and precision, Kekla Magoon relays an essential account of the Black Panthers—as militant revolutionaries and as human rights advocates working to defend and protect their community.

In this comprehensive, inspiring, and all-too-relevant history of the Black Panther Party, Kekla Magoon introduces readers to the Panthers’ community... Read more »

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author Ibi Zoboi comes her debut book—a tour de force that uses the principles of Kwanzaa to talk about the history of African Americans.

The People Remember tells the journey of African descendants in America by connecting their history to the seven principles of Kwanzaa. It begins in Africa, where...

On Sundays, everyone gathers at Granny’s for Soul Food. But today, I don’t go to the backyard or the great room. I follow Granny instead. “You’re a big boy now,” Granny says. “Time for you to learn.” At Granny’s, Sunday isn’t Sunday without a big family gathering over a lovingly prepared meal. Old enough now, our narrator is finally invited to... Read more »

This illuminating and defining picture book biography, adapted for audio, tells the story of little Eunice who grew up to become the acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her bold, defiant, and exultant legacy.

Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in small town North Carolina, Nina Simone was a musical child. She sang before she talked and learned to play... Read more »

A debut YA novel-in-verse by Amber McBride, Me (Moth) is about a teen girl who is grieving the deaths of her family, and a teen boy who crosses her path.

Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.

Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about...

Firekeeper's Daughter

“Daunis Fontaine, a bi-racial Ojibwe-Italian-American girl has just graduated high school and has deferred enrollment at the University of Michigan to attend the local state school. She plans to spend more time with her best friend Lily, her ailing Grandmother, and her mom who was recently rocked by the sudden death of her brother, Daunis’ uncle. But then tragedy strikes, and Daunis is the eyewitness. And she is thrown headfirst into an FBI investigation of meth addiction and distribution within the reservation her family lives on and the greater Upper Peninsula area. A nuanced and compassionate look at addiction and the justice system and the risks one girl takes to help her friends, her community, and herself. The truth is a tangled web that it seems only Daunis is willing to carefully pick apart to not only expose the criminals but heal the victims as well. A little bit of romance, a little bit thriller, a whole bunch of hockey, STEM nerds, Firekeeper’s Daughter was engaging and gripping. PS I desperately need an Auntie spin-off.”

Cassie, Wellesley Books

International phenomenon Angie Thomas revisits Garden Heights seventeen years before the events of The Hate U Give in this searing and poignant exploration of Black boyhood and manhood. A Printz Honor Book!

If there’s one thing seventeen-year-old Maverick Carter knows, it’s that a real man takes care of his family. As the son of a former gang...

Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s.

"That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other." And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its... Read more »

A Printz Honor winner!
 
Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this poignant debut novel-in-verse.

Cover may vary.
 
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she's been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rules—like "no making waves," "avoid... Read more »

AudioFile Magazine’s Best Audiobooks of 2021

A Schneider Family Award Honor Book for Middle Grade

From Newbery Medal honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a hilarious, hopeful, and action-packed middle grade novel about the greatest young superhero you’ve never heard of, filled with illustrations by Raúl the... Read more »

Perfect for readers of Song for a Whale and Counting by 7s, a neurodivergent girl campaigns for a memorial when she learns that her small Scottish town used to burn witches simply because they were different.

"A must-read for students and adults alike." -School Library Journal, Starred Review
 
Ever since Ms. Murphy told us about the witch trials... Read more »

There was danger in the kind of beauty I was desperate to achieve. At only eight months old, identical twin sisters Ariel and Zan Henley were diagnosed with Crouzon syndrome—a rare condition where the bones in the head fuse prematurely. They were the first twins known to survive it. Growing up, Ariel and her sister endured numerous medical... Read more »

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Ryka Aoki's Light From Uncommon Stars, a defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other...

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

“This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's funny and engaging, plus you love all the characters and minor characters! I can't wait to tell every customer about this book!”

Sara, Roundabout Books