In this post we showcase some of the best in children’s and young adult literature in 2020 by curating links to award announcements and end-of-year lists.
We are also adding and featuring many of these titles in our ‘Best of 2020’ collection in Sora. Log in with your student number or staff username and current password to browse and borrow the ebooks and audiobooks.
Expect updates as more awards are announced, and feel free to point out other good lists in the comments. Happy Reading!
Awards
ALA Youth Media Awards
Each January the American Library Association presents a range of awards for children’s and young adult literature published in the previous year, including the Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and many more.
You can find a list of all the winning titles or watch a recording of the announcements at https://ala.unikron.com/.
You can learn more about each of the awards at www.ala.org/yma.
We’ve created posters of many of the winning books, which can be printed and displayed in a library or classroom, or shared digitally on a library/classroom website or via social media. Download them here.
National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
The 2020 winner of the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature is King and the Dragonflies, by Kacen Callender. You can borrow the ebook or audiobook in Granite’s Sora. You can see all the finalists and longlisted books for the award here.
Book Lists
Kirkus Reviews: The Best Books of 2020
Kirkus Reviews has an extensive number of best-of lists sorted into the primary categories of Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Teens & YA (coming soon). Examples include “Best Picture Books of 2020 To Get Kids Thinking” and “Best Middle-Grade Books of 2020 About Immigration and Refugees.”
Publishers Weekly: Best Books 2020
Publishers Weekly provides lists of best books in three categories: Picture Books, Middle Grade, and Young Adult.
School Library Journal: Best Books 2020
School Library Journal has created Best of 2020 lists in the categories of Picture Books, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, YA, Nonfiction, and Graphic Novels, with top 10s for Audiobooks and Manga coming soon. You can browse the lists on their web page or in their print magazine, or download a PDF of their best books here.
