The American Library Association (ALA) recently announced their 2026 Youth Media Awards which honors books, videos, and other outstanding materials for children and teens. Here are this year's winners and honorees we have in our catalog!
Looking for past award winners? Check out our posts for the 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 award winners.
Jump to: Children's | Junior | Teen / YA
Children's Books
Randolph Caldecott Medal
For the most distinguished American picture book for children
2026 Award Winner: Fireworks
illus. by Cátia Chien, written by Matthew Burgess
Words and art blossom into flowers of fire across the sky, making this a perfect read for firework enthusiasts everywhere. POP! POP!
Easy Fiction // Ages 4 - 8
CALDECOTT HONOR BOOKS: 
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
for an outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English, in a country other than the United States, and subsequently translated into English
2026 Award Winner: Croco
by Azul López
In a vibrant tropical jungle, Croco the Crocodile has fallen into a hole and can't climb out. Different animals come along to try to help him, but in the end, he must find his own way out.
Easy Fiction // Ages 5 - 9
Pura Belpré
Awards honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
2026 Illustrator Award Winner: Popo the Xolo
illus. by Abraham Matias; written by Paloma Angelina Lopez
Nana transitions from life to death through the nine levels of Mictlan, accompanied by her beloved xoloitzcuintle, Popo.
Easy Fiction // Ages 6-9
PURA BELPRE HONOR BOOKS: 
- The Invisible Parade illus. by John Picacio; written by Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio
Easy Fiction // Ages 4+
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
for the most distinguished informational book for children
written by Sara Andrea Fajardo; illus. by Juana Martinez-Neal
What can a potato do? To Peruvian scientist Alberto Salas, they have the power to change the world. Go on the hunt with Alberto for for wild potatoes before they go extinct in this playful picture book biography.
Easy Non-Fiction // Ages 6-9
American Indian Youth Literature Awards
honors the very best writing and illustrations by and about Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America
written by Andrea L. Rogers; illus. by Rebecca Lee Kunz
Sissy’s younger brother, Chooch, isn’t a baby anymore. They just celebrated his second birthday, after all. But no matter what Chooch does —even if he’s messing something up!— their parents say he’s just “helping.”
Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8
AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE HONOR BOOKS: 
- For a Girl Becoming written by Joy Harjo; illus. by Adriana M. Garcia
Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8 - Raven’s Ribbons written by Tasha Spillett; illus. by Daniel Ramirez
Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8
More 2026 Children's Honor Books: 
- The Big Mess and Other Stories by Greg Pizzoli
* Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor
Easy Reader // Ages 4 - 8 - Every Peach Is a Story written by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto; illus. by Lauren Tamaki
* Asian/Pacific American Honor
Easy Fiction // Ages 4 - 7 - The Keeper of Stories written by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illus. by Selina Alko
* Sydney Taylor Honor
Easy Fiction // Ages 4 - 8
Junior Books
John Newbery Medal
for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature
by Renée Watson
When thirteen-year-old Sage's best friend dies, Sage struggles with grief and feels that she is at fault. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. However, when she joins a grief group, she slowly learns to heal.
Junior Fiction // Ages 10 - 14
NEWBERY HONOR BOOK: 
Pura Belpré Awards
honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
by Lupe Ruiz-Flores
In 1930s San Antonio, after her father's death, thirteen-year-old Petra must quit school to work at a pecan shelling factory where dangerous conditions and low wages push her to take a vital stand for change.
Junior Fiction // Ages 10-14
American Indian Youth Literature Awards
honors the very best writing and illustrations by and about Native Americans and Indigenous peoples of North America
by Violet Duncan
When twelve-year-old Summer visits her family on a reservation in Alberta, Canada, she begins experiencing vivid dreams of running away from a residential school like the one her grandfather attended as a child and learns about unmarked children's graves, prompting her to seek answers about her community's painful past.
Junior Fiction // Ages 12+
AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE HONOR BOOKS: 
More 2026 Junior Honor Books:
- A World Without Summer by Nicholas Day; illus. by Yas Imamura
* Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book
Junior Non-Fiction // Ages 10-14
Teen / YA Books
Michael L. Printz Award
for excellence in literature written for young adults
* American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner
edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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--featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers.
Young Adult Fiction // Ages 13+
PRINTZ HONOR BOOK: 
- Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
*American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book
Young Adult Fiction // Ages 14+
Pura Belpré Awards
honor Latinx writers and illustrators whose children’s and young adult books best portray, affirm, and celebrate the Latino cultural experience
by Vanessa L. Torres
Seventeen-year-old Noche, who serves as an avian guide to the afterlife, suffers inner turmoil between falling for a new boy in town and letting go of her late girlfriend's soul.
Junior Fiction // Ages 12+
PURA BELPRE HONOR BOOK: 
Stonewall Book Award
for exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience
by Victoria Zeller
Grace Woodhouse used to have a great friend group, an amazing girlfriend, and a right foot set to earn her a Division I football scholarship-before she came out as trans. As senior year begins, Grace is struggling to find her place in early transition, new social circles, and a life without football. When a chance meeting cracks the door to college football back open, she has to decide how much of herself she's willing to give up for the game she loves.
Young Adult Fiction // Ages 12-18
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal
for the most distinguished informational book for Young Adults
by Candace Fleming
How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history.
Non-Fiction // Ages 13+
SIBERT HONOR BOOK: 
More 2025 Teen Honor Books:
