2025 ALA Youth Media Awards

American Library Association Youth Media Awards

On Monday, January 27, the American Library Association (ALA) announced the top books, digital media, video and audio books for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience held January 24-27 in Phoenix..

A list of the 2025 award winners and honor selections from the Young Adult category follows:

Twenty-four Seconds from Now..., written by Jason Reynolds
Black Girl You Are Atlas, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Brownstone, written by Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia
Bright Red Fruit, written by Safia Elhillo
Compound Fracture, written by Andrew Joseph White
The Deep Dark, written by Molly Knox Ostertag
Road Home, written by Rex Ogle
Chronically Dolores, written by Maya Van Wagenen
Light Enough to Float, written by Lauren Seal
On the Bright Side, written by Anna Sortino
Black Girl You Are Atlas, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes and narrated by Renée Watson
Dispatches from Parts Unknown, written by Bryan Bliss and narrated by Joy Nash
Girls Like Her, written by Melanie Sumrow and narrated by Melanie Sumrow and January LaVoy
Shut Up, This Is Serious, written by Carolina Ixta
Libertad, written by Bessie Flores Zaldívar;
Wild Dreamers, written by Margarita Engle
Canto Contigo, written by Jonny Garza Villa
Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix, written by Gabe Cole Novoa
Navigating with You, written by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Cassio Ribeiro
Time and Time Again, written by Chatham Greenfield
Not Like Other Girls, written by Meredith Adamo
Aisle Nine, written by Ian X. Cho
Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear, written by Robin Wasley
The Wilderness of Girls, written by Madeline Claire Franklin
Rising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992. Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire, written by Paula Yoo
A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond written by Elizabeth Rusch
Homebody, written by Theo Parish
Shackled: A Tale of Wronged Kids, Rogue Judges, and a Town that Looked Away, written by Candy J. Cooper
The Unboxing of a Black Girl, written by Angela Shanté
Everything We Never Had, written by Randy Ribay
Lunar New Year Love Story, written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Dragonfruit, written by Makiia Lucier
Night Owls, written by A.R. Vishny
The Forbidden Book, written by Sacha Lamb
Trajectory, written by Cambria Gordon
Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability, by Melissa Blake
Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined, written by David F. Walker, illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson
Daughters of Shandong, by Eve J. Chung
Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark
How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel, by Kristen Perrin
I Feel Awful, Thanks, written and illustrated by Lara Pickle
I Was a Teenage Slasher, written by Stephen Graham Jones
The Witch of Colchis, by Rosie Hewlett
The Witchstone, by Henry H. Neff
Woman, Life, Freedom, created by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Una Dimitrijević

Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award: Twenty-four Seconds from Now…, written by Jason Reynolds

  • King Author Honor Book: Black Girl You Are Atlas, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults: Brownstone, written by Samuel Teer, illustrated by Mar Julia

  • Printz Honor Books: Bright Red Fruit, written by Safia Elhillo; Compound Fracture, written by Andrew Joseph White; The Deep Dark, written by Molly Knox Ostertag; and Road Home, written by Rex Ogle

Schneider Young Adult Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experienceChronically Dolores, written by Maya Van Wagenen

  • Schneider Young Adult Honor Books: Light Enough to Float, written by Lauren Seal; and On the Bright Side, written by Anna Sortino

Odyssey Award for the best audiobooks produced for young adults: How the Boogeyman Became a Poet, written by Tony Keith Jr. and narrated by Tony Keith Jr.

  • Odyssey Honor Audiobooks: Black Girl You Are Atlas, written by Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes and narrated by Renée Watson; Dispatches from Parts Unknown, written by Bryan Bliss and narrated by Joy Nash; and Girls Like Her, written by Melanie Sumrow and narrated by Melanie Sumrow and January LaVoy

Pura Belpré Awards honoring Latinx writers and illustrators whose young adult books best portray, affirm and celebrate the Latino cultural experience: Shut Up, This Is Serious, written by Carolina Ixta

  • Belpré Young Adult Author Honor Books: Libertad, written by Bessie Flores Zaldívar; and Wild Dreamers, written by Margarita Engle

Stonewall Book Award given annually to English-language young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experienceCanto Contigo, written by Jonny Garza Villa

  • Stonewall Honor Books: Most Ardently: A Pride and Prejudice Remix, written by Gabe Cole Novoa; Navigating with You, written by Jeremy Whitley, illustrated by Cassio Ribeiro; Road Home, written by Rex Ogle; and Time and Time Again, written by Chatham Greenfield

William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teensNot Like Other Girls, written by Meredith Adamo

  • Morris Award FinalistsAisle Nine, written by Ian X. Cho; Dead Things Are Closer Than They Appear, written by Robin Wasley; Shut Up, This Is Serious, written by Carolina Ixta; and The Wilderness of Girls, written by Madeline Claire Franklin

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young AdultsRising from the Ashes: Los Angeles, 1992 – Edward Jae Song Lee, Latasha Harlins, Rodney King, and a City on Fire, written by Paula Yoo

  • Finalists: A Greater Goal: The Epic Battle for Equal Pay in Women’s Soccer—and Beyond, written by Elizabeth Rusch; Homebody, written by Theo Parish; Shackled: A Tale of Wronged Kids, Rogue Judges, and a Town that Looked Away, written by Candy J. Cooper; and The Unboxing of a Black Girl, written by Angela Shanté

Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, which promotes Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage and is awarded based on literary and artistic merit:
Everything We Never Had
, written by Randy Ribay

  • Youth Literature honor titleLunar New Year Love Story, written by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham; Dragonfruit, written by Makiia Lucier

The Sydney Taylor Book Award, presented annually to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience: Night Owls, written by A.R. Vishny

  • Young Adult Silver Medalists: The Forbidden Book, written by Sacha Lamb; and Trajectory, written by Cambria Gordon

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences: Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability, by Melissa Blake; Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined, written by David F. Walker, illustrated by Marcus Kwame Anderson; Daughters of Shandong, by Eve J. Chung; Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark; How to Solve Your Own Murder: A Novel, by Kristen Perrin; I Feel Awful, Thanks, written and illustrated by Lara Pickle; I Was a Teenage Slasher, written by Stephen Graham Jones; The Witch of Colchis, by Rosie Hewlett; The Witchstone, by Henry H. Neff; and Woman, Life, Freedom, created by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Una Dimitrijević