Last week, the winners of the American Library Association’s 2018 Youth Media Awards were announced. You may know them better as the Newbery (for children’s book text), Caldecott (for children’s book illustrations), and Printz (for teen books) Medals. If you’re looking for the best of the best in children’s and teen literature, look no further. Here are this year’s winners:
2018 Newbery Medal:
Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (2017; 313 pages). The lives of four misfits are intertwined when a bully’s prank lands shy Virgil at the bottom of a well and Valencia, Kaori, and Gen band together in an epic quest to find and rescue him. This is a beautiful book about friends coming together in unexpected ways and it’s a must for anyone whose favorite part of reading is meeting new characters to love and root for.
2018 Caldecott Medal:
Wolf in the Snow written and illustrated by Matthew Cordrell (2017). When a wolf cub and little girl are lost in a snowstorm they must find their way home.
2018 Printz Medal:
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour (2017; 234 pages). After leaving her life behind to go to college in New York, Marin must face the truth about the tragedy that happened in the final weeks of summer when her friend Mabel comes to visit. This is a striking portrait of one girl dealing with grief.
We own copies of all three winners (additional copies of the Newbery and Caldecott winners are coming soon!), so put a hold on these today and check them out!
You can find the full list of 2018 Youth Media Award winners and honor books here on the American Library Association’s website.
— Abby Johnson, Collection Development Leader
