Key points:
- What makes a popular (or a nearly unknown) book an award winner?
- To start the school year off right, invest in literacy
- Dog Man vs. To Kill a Mockingbird
- For more news on literacy, visit eSN’s Innovative Teaching hub
My husband and I have matching Emmy awards. During my decade as a television news reporter, I was the Susan Lucci of the Emmys. I was nominated multiple times for what I would consider extremely high-quality journalism, only to come home empty-handed. Yet, the story that finally led to the matching trophies was hardly what we expected. And sometimes that’s exactly how award selections come to fruition.
Now, in my second act in life in the book business, I am still enamored with awards! From individual state awards to American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards (YMA), they truly celebrate excellence in content. They are the Emmy/Grammy/Academy Awards of the book business.
The best of the best are ALA’s YMA-winning titles, announced every January and selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts. They encourage original and creative work in the field of children’s and young adult literature and media. Some of the big awards are as follows:
- Caldecott: The Randolph Caldecott Medal is awarded to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.
- Belpré: The Pura Belpré Award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.
- Printz: The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.
- Newbery: The John Newbery Medal is awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.
- Scott King: The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values.
But much like television, what is it that makes a story stand out? Sometimes, it’s not what we think…
We know what librarians are buying for their students. But those top sellers don’t always equal award-winning. For example, four of the 10 top-selling elementary school books are part of The Baby-Sitters Club, I Survived, and Dog Man series. All are fabulous, much-loved books by students and librarians, but don’t have the coveted medals on their covers.
On the flip side, award-winning quite often leads to best-selling. This year’s number two top-selling title, Big, about a little girl the world thought was too big to be a ballerina, won the Caldecott and Coretta Scott King, among many more awards.
School librarian Tom Bober has served on several award selection committees. He says, “Of course, the criteria, different for every award, are the driving force behind all decisions of a book being award-winning. What I find amazing are the books every year that end up with two, three, or even more shiny stickers on their covers. There is something special happening with those books that, in some way, transcends the awards themselves when it is speaking to so many different award committees and meeting so many different sets of award criteria. There are also books that are highly regarded amongst an award committee that came so close to becoming an award-winning or honored book that those of us not on that committee will never know about, but my guess is that those books also have a special place in the hearts of so many librarians and on the shelves of so many libraries. Ultimately though, I think that it is the books that tell us engaging and intriguing stories and information in unique and impactful ways that can make a book award-winning.”
Top trends and themes among young readers often lead to award-winning. High school librarian Alexandra Cornejo says, “An award-winning book is one that tells a gripping story while gently guiding readers to think critically. I love to see fresh perspectives where the story leaves a lasting impression on the reader by evoking thought and conversation.”
Mysteries are hot right now for elementary and upper elementary. The most popular often involve some elements of mystery but also bring forward social issues, like the Mighty Muskrats series by Michael Hutchinson. I believe these are popular because the mystery element keeps students actively thinking about the plot, and STEM and social issues topics tie into what students are currently learning. Series are a great way for educators to ease the “picking a book” stress that can happen for students with limited library time.
Bober says, “I don’t know that book awards lead these trends as much as they reflect them. The book committee that selects award-winning titles is not the same one that sat on the committee for that same award decades ago. Those committees, which follow the criteria of the award, interpret those criteria and evaluate books through their understanding of the literary world.”
In high school, many of the top-selling titles have won awards and as a result, have become required reading–such as The Giver, The Outsiders, and The Hunger Games–thus becoming “classics” for the next generations.
With 16 years of service to education in the Rio Grande Valley, a tapestry of Hispanic heritage and bilingual culture, Cornejo, a 2024 Library Journal Mover and Shaker, expects this year’s award winners will reflect the trends she’s seeing in her school library. “Contemporary stories with real-life experiences, like coming-of-age, coping, and mental health, are trending. Students appreciate characters and settings that reflect their own lives, while still leaving room for humor and a bit of romance. This balance of escapism and real-world relevance is resonating with my high school students. These trends reflect a need for students to see themselves in literature.”
Later this year, I will be putting my journalist hat back on to interview Bober and Cornejo, along with a licensed teacher and certified librarian, about this year’s award contenders, make some predictions about what books may be donned with the coveted medals next, and discuss these and more trends in children’s literature expected to continue in 2025 and beyond.
P.S. Looking for your next favorite personal read? Follow me and my #BritReads adventures on your favorite social channel.
The best of the best are ALA’s YMA-winning titles, announced every January and selected by committees composed of librarians and other literature and media experts. eSchool Media, Featured on eSchool News, Innovative Teaching, Literacy, ACT, Awards, business, CEO, Follett, library, news, quality, state, story eSchool News
