Children’s Literary Awards and Recommended Lists on the Net
compiled by
Marsha D. Broadway, Ph.D.
Juvenile Literature Librarian
Brigham Young University
More than 5,000 juvenile books are published each year in the United States. Identifying the best books can be a challenge; however, there is help. Hundreds of literary awards and recommended books are selected by professional or trade organizations which help identify the best in children’s and young adult literature. Many of those award and recommended lists are easily accessible via the Internet.
The Cooperative Children’s Books Center (CCBC)
The Cooperative Children’s Books Center is part of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and serves as a clearinghouse for books, ideas, and expertise in the field of children's and young adult literature.
Awards and Best-of-the-Year Lists
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/links/links.asp?idLinksCategory=2
Links are provided to 40 award and recommended lists.
Books for Children and Young Adults
http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/books/default.asp
Links are provided to thematic bibliographies and general information concerning books and publishing for young people.
Children’s Book Council (CBC)
The Children's Book Council is a nonprofit trade association whose members are publishers of trade books for children and young adults in the United States. The CBC promotes the use and enjoyment of trade books for young people.
Awards and Prizes Online (subscription required)
http://awardsandprizes.cbcbooks.org/Default.asp
This database, maintained by the Children’s Book Council, is the most comprehensive single source for information about children’s book awards in English with booklist for 320+ literary awards. Updated quarterly.
CBC Reading Lists
http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/
More than seventeen links to topical bibliographies including:
“Building a Home Library” http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/alacbcbuildingahomelibrary/ ALACBCBuildingHomeLbry.htm
“Graphic Novels for Young Readers” http://www.cbcbooks.org/pdfs/GraphicNovelBibliog2005.pdf
“Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People”
http://www.socialstudies.org/resources/notable/
“Outstanding Science Trade Books”
http://www.nsta.org/publications/ostb/
“Books to Grow On”
http://www.cbcbooks.org/readinglists/bookstogrow.html
Association of Library Services for Children (ALSC)
The Association of Library Services for Children, a division of the American Library Association, is a professional organization of more than 4000 children's and youth librarians, children's literature experts, publishers, education and library school faculty members, and other adults dedicated to quality library service to children.
Recommended Book Lists from ALSC
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/booklists/booklists.htm
A dozen book lists including six that deal with cultural diversity.
Literary and Related Awards
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/
literaryrelated.htm
Booklists for the major awards sponsored by ALSC, including the Newbery, Caldecott, Sibert, Wilder, Carnegie, Batchelder, Belpré, Geisel, and Odyssey awards and the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture.
Children’s Notable Lists
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/childrensnotable/
Default1888.htm
Links are provided to annual recommended list that include books, videos, recordings, and computer software for children.
Young Adult Library Services Association
The Young Adult Library Services Association, a division of the American Library Association, is a group of professional librarians, educators, and publishers who advocate, promote, and strengthen library service to young adults.
Booklists & Book Awards
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists
Links are provided to a dozen recommended lists of books, audio books, DVDs and videos, and Teen Choice. Six of the links are listed below:
Alex Award
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex
The Alex Award is given annually to ten books published the previous year for an adult audience that appeal young adults ages 12-18.
Best Books for Young Adults
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/bbya
This annual general list of fiction and nonfiction titles is selected by a committee of fifteen YA literature experts based on the books’ proven or potential appeal to the personal reading tastes of young adults.
Great Graphic Novels for Teens
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/greatgraphicnovelsforteens/
gn.cfm
This annual annotated list of graphic novels is prepared by a committee of eleven YA literature experts. Acceptable literary and artistic qualities, along with diversity, are considered.
Michael L. Printz Award
http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm
The Printz Award is selected annually by a committee of nine YA literature experts and awarded for literary merit. The criteria states: “We hope the award will have a wide AUDIENCE among readers from 12 to 18 but POPULARITY is not the criterion for this award. Nor is MESSAGE. In accordance with the Library Bill of Rights, CONTROVERSY is not something to avoid. In fact, we want a book that readers will talk about.”1
Outstanding Books for the College Bound
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/obcb
The lists, intended for students in grades 9-12, may be used to strengthen knowledge of various subject areas in both classic and contemporary literature and may be helpful in preparing for college entrance exams.
Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/quickpicks
Quick Picks is for young adults (ages 12-18) who do not like to read. The list identifies titles primarily for recreational reading, not for curricular or remedial use.
International Reading Association
The International Reading Association promotes literacy by improving the quality of reading instruction and sharing helpful information about using children's and young adults' literature to develop literacy.
Children’s and Young Adult Book Awards
http://ira.org/association/awards/childrens_ira.html
Children’s and Young Adult’s Book Awards are given for an author’s first or second published book written for children or young adults (ages birth to 17 years). Awards are given for fiction and nonfiction in each of three categories: primary, intermediate, and young adult.
Children’s Choices
http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_childrens.html
A joint project with CBC, each year approximately 10,000 young people (ages 5-13) from different regions of the United States choose approximately 100 favorite books.
Young Adult Choices
http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_young_adults.html
Each year about 4,500 students in grades 7-12 from different regions of the United States select approximately 30 favorite books.
Teachers’ Choices
http://www.reading.org/resources/tools/choices_teachers.html
Each year teachers, reading specialists, and librarians from different regions in the United State select 30 books for young readers ages 5-14.
1 “Michael L Printz Award Criteria,” retrieved October 19, 2007 from http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/aboutprintz/michaellprintz.cfm,
