'young adult fiction'

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:

• Every Monday Mabel by Awan, Jashar
  Easy Fiction // Ages 4 - 8
• Our Lake written by Angie Kang
  Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8
• Stalactite & Stalagmite: A Big Tale from a Little Cave written by Drew Beckmeyer
  Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8
• Sundust written by Zeke Peña
  Easy Fiction // Ages 4-8

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

2026 Award Winner: Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa

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

2026 Award Winner: Chooch Helped

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

2026 Award Winner: All the Blues in the Sky

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:

• The Teacher of Nomad Land : a World War II by Daniel Nayeri
  Junior Fiction // Ages 8 - 12
• The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman ; illustrations by Marcin Minor
  Junior Fiction // Ages 8 - 12

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 Award Winner: The Pecan Sheller

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

2026 Award Winner: Buffalo Dreamer

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: 

• The Ribbon Skirt by Cameron Mukwa
  Junior Graphic Novel Fiction // Ages 8-12
• The Summer of the Bone Horses written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve; illus. by Steph Littlebird
  Junior Fiction // Ages 5-8

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

2026 Award Winner: Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories

* 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

2026 Award Winner: On the Wings of la Noche

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:

• Silenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide by Pablo Leon
  * Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor Book
  Young Adult Graphic Novel // Ages 14+

Stonewall Book Award

for exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience

2026 Award Winner: One of the Boys

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

2026 Award Winner: Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown

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:

• American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad That Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock
  Non-Fiction E-Audio // Ages 13+
• White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, Then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum
  Non-Fiction // Ages 13+

More 2025 Teen Honor Books:

• The Favorites by Layne Fargo
  * Alex Award Winner
  Fiction
• The Girls Who Grew Big by Leila Mottley
  * Alex Award Winner    
  Fiction
• Hole in the Sky by Daniel H. Wilson
  * Alex Award Winner    
  Science Fiction
• Sonita : my fight against tyranny and my escape to freedom by Sonita Alizada
  * Alex Award Winner    
  Memoir
• The Unfinished by Cheryl Isaacs
  * American Indian Youth Literature Honor Book 
  Memoir

Martin Luther King Jr Day

The library will be closed Mon, Jan 19 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a U.S. federal holiday observed on the third Monday of January, honoring the life and achievements of the civil rights leader, advocating for racial equality and justice through nonviolent resistance. 

Letter From Birmingham Jail

by Martin Luther King Jr 

323.092 KING 

Martin Luther King, Jr. rarely had time to answer his critics. But on April 16, 1963, he was confined to the Birmingham jail, serving a sentence for participating in civil rights demonstrations. "Alone for days in the dull monotony of a narrow jail cell," King pondered a letter that fellow clergymen had published urging him to drop his campaign of nonviolent resistance and to leave the battle for racial equality to the courts. 

Dear Martin

by Nic Stone 

Young Adult STONE 

Justyce is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend, but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs without cause. When faced with injustice, Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out. 

King: a life

by Jonathan Eig 

BIO -Political -Activists - KING 

Vividly written and exhaustively researched, Jonathan Eig’s King: A Life is the first major biography in decades of the civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr, and the first to include recently declassified FBI files. In this revelatory new portrait of the preacher and activist who shook the world, the bestselling biographer gives us an intimate view of the courageous and often emotionally troubled human being who demanded peaceful protest for his movement but was rarely at peace with himself.   

The March on Washington

by L.S. Summer 

J NF HISTORY 

Explains what events led Martin Luther King, Jr., to develop his famous speech, 'I Have a Dream.' 

Find more books on Martin Luther King Jr and the Civil Rights Movement in our catalog.

If you need help accessing any of these titles or using front door pickup, email or call us and we will be happy to assist you!

Check out new arrivals in our catalog: Books | Audiobooks | DVDs | Videogames | Library of Things | Libby

What’s New at the Campbell Library?  

Come stop in to check out some of the new books that just hit our shelves! 

Bob Dylan

Little people, big dreams
by Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara 

E NF PEOPLE -Musicians DYLAN 2020

Bob Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota. As a teenager, he played in various bands and, over time, his interest in music deepened, with a particular passion for American folk music and blues. Dylan moved to New York City in 1961, where he began to perform poetry and music in clubs and cafés in Greenwich Village. There, he recorded a number of albums that made him one of the most influential musicians of history. This fascinating book features stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, including a biographical timeline with historical photos and a detailed profile of the musician's life. 

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

by Kate Fagan 

FAGAN

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. 

Falling Like Leaves

by Misty Wilson 

Young Adult WILSON 

Ellis has a plan: spend her senior fall prepping her application for Columbia, get into their journalism program, and set the foundation for a respectable career. So when her parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, to live with her aunt and cousin, it couldn’t come at a worse time. 

Moderation

by Elaine Castillo 

CASTILLO 

Girlie Delmundo is the greatest content moderator in the world, and despite the setbacks of financial crises, climate catastrophe, and a global pandemic, she’s going places: she’s getting a promotion. Now thanks to her parent company Paragon’s purchase of Fairground, the world’s preeminent virtual reality content provider, she’s on the way to becoming an elite VR moderator, playing in the big leagues and, if her enthusiastic bosses are to be believed, moderating the next stage of human interaction. 

All New Arrivals

Adult: Fiction Nonfiction | YA: Fiction | Junior: Fiction Nonfiction | Easy: Fiction Nonfiction | Multimedia | Kits | on Libby

If you need help accessing any of these titles or using front door pickup, email or call us and we will be happy to assist you!