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2021 Nonfiction Nominated Titles List and Booktalk

Every year in addition to the Nonfiction Award finalists and award winner, YALSA publishes a list of vetted nominations on the Nonfiction Award webpage after the Youth Media Awards.

If you’d like to learn more about the nominated titles, join us on February 24 at 7pm EST for a booktalk featuring authors that appeared on our 2021 Nonfiction Award Nominations list. Register for free.

Titles that were nominated for the 2021 Nonfiction Award are as follows:  

**Finalist on Shortlist
*Winner

  • **All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, by Christina Soontornvat. Candlewick Press. 9781536209457.
  • Almost American Girl, by Robin Ha. Balzer + Bray. 9780062685094.
  • Apple (skin to the core) by Eric Gansworth. Levine Querido. 9781646140138.
  • Banned Book Club, by Kim Hyun Sook and Ryan Estrada. Iron Circus Comics. 9781945820427.
  • Blood and Germs: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease, by Gail Jarrow. Calkins Creek. 9781684371761.
  • **The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan. Bloomsbury YA. 9781547604531.
  • Dancing At the Pity Party, by Tyler Feder. Dial Books. 9780525553021.
  • Dragon Hoops, created by Gene Luen Yang and color by Lark Pien. First Second. 9781626720794.
  • **How We Got To the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure, by John Rocco.  Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. 9780525647416.
  • Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight For Reproductive Rights, by Karen Blumenthal. Roaring Brook Press. 9781626721654.
  • Lifting As We Climb: Black Women’s Battle for the Ballot Box, by Evette Dionne. Viking Books for Young Readers. 9780451481542.
  • One Real American: The Life of Ely S. Parker, Seneca Sachem and Civil War General, by Joseph Bruchac. Abrams. 9781419746574.
  • Poisoned Water: How the Citizens of Flint, Michigan, Fought for Their Lives and Warned the Nation, by Candy J. Cooper and Marc Aronson. Bloomsbury Children’s Books. 9781547602322.
  • Race Through the Skies: The Week the World Learned to Fly, Martin W. Sandler. Bloomsbury Children’s Books. 9781547603442
  • *The Rise & Fall of Charles Lindbergh, by Candace Fleming. Schwartz and Wade. 9780525646549.
  • Say Her Name (poems to Empower), by Zetta Elliott. Little Brown Books for Young Readers. 9781368045247.
  • Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-Winning Stamped From the Beginning, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Little Brown Books for Young Readers. 9780316453691.
  • Strongman: The Rise of Five Dictators and the Fall of Democracy, by Kenneth C. Davis. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR). 978-1250205643.
  • We Are Power: How Non-Violent Activism Changes the World, by Todd Hasak-Lowy. Abrams. 978-1419741111.
  • When Stars Are Scattered, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. Dial Books. 9780525553908.
  • **You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Democracy and Deliver Power to the People, by Elizabeth Rusch. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. 9780358387428.

You can also view the list of vetted nominations with annotations on our webpage. Seals for Nonfiction Award Nominees and YALSA’s other book awards are available in the ALA Store and may be purchased in bulk. Visit YALSA’s Award Seals webpage for more information.

2021 YALSA Book Award Winners & Honors

Alex Award

  • Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse, published by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 9781534437678).
  • The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune, published by Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Books (ISBN 9781250217288).
  • The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice – Crossing Antarctica Alone by Colin O’Brady, published by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 9781982133115).
  • Kent State: Four Dead in Ohio by Derf Backderf, published by Abrams Comicarts (ISBN 9781419734847).
  • The Kids Are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony, published by Park Row Books (ISBN 9780778308744).
  • The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones published by Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 9781982136451).
  • Plain Bad Heroines by emily m. danforth, published by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins (ISBN 9780062942852) .
  • Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi, published by Tom Doherty Associates/Tor Books (ISBN 9781250214751).  
  • Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh, published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster (ISBN 9781982156947).  
  • We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry, published by Pantheon Books, a division of Penguin Random House (ISBN 9781524748098).

    In addition to the winning titles, the committee has also released the full vetted list of titles that were nominated for the Alex Award. View the list.

Edwards Award

Kekla Magoon
  • X: A Novel, co-written by Ilyasah Shabazz and published by Candlewick Press
  • How it Went Down, published by Henry Holt and Co. Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group;
  • The Rock and the River, published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing
  • Fire in the Streets, published by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing

Morris Award

If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. 9780062885029.

Nonfiction Award

The Rise & Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming and published by Schwartz and Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. 9780525646549.

In addition to the finalists and award winner, YALSA also publishes a list of vetted nominations for the Nonfiction Award. View the list. If you’d like to learn more about the list of nominations, join us for a special booktalk with the Nonfiction Committee on February 24, 7pm EST. Register for the event for free.

Odyssey Award

Winner

Kent State written in verse by Deborah Wiles, powerfully narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina Delaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries and produced by Paul R. Gange for Scholastic Audio.

Honor Audiobooks

  • Clap When You Land written by Elizabeth Acevedo, narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania-Luisa Marte, and produced by Caitlin Garing for HarperAudio, a division of HarperCollins Publishers.
  • Fighting Words is written by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, narrated by Bahni Turpin and produced by Karen Dziekonski for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio.
  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You is written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, narrated by Jason Reynolds with an introduction by Ibram X. Kendi, and produced by Robert Van Kolken for Hachette Audio.
  • When Stars Are Scattered written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed and narrated by Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdi and a full cast, is produced by Kelly Gildea and Julie Wilson for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio.

Printz Award

Winner

Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido.

Honor Books

  • Apple (Skin to the Core) by Eric Gansworth and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido.
  • Dragon Hoops Gene Luen Yang, color by Lark Pien and published by First Second Books, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group.
  • Every Body Looking by Candice Iloh and published by Dutton Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House.
  • We Are Not Free by Traci Chee and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Pura Belpré Award: Young Adult Author Award

Winner

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez and published by Algonquin Young Readers, an imprint of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Honor Books

  • Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera and published by Bloomsbury YA.
  • We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez and published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Congrats again to all the winners and honors and thank you to all the book award committees for all the hard work, time, and effort they put into reading all the nominees and selecting the winners! View current and past list of winners of all of YALSA’s book awards (with annotations) on YALSA’s Book and Media Awards web page. View the full list of all the winners of the Youth Media Awards here.

Teens Needed for Virtual Best Fiction for Young Adults Teen Feedback Session

YALSA is recruiting teens to participate in its Best Fiction for Young Adults (BFYA) Teen Feedback Session. This session is scheduled to take place virtually via Zoom on Saturday, January 9th from 2-3:30pm CT. During the session, teens will be asked to give constructive feedback to the BFYA committee members on the titles that have been nominated for the 2021 BFYA list. The list of books can be found here. The session will be recorded but will not be made public. It will also only be sent to BFYA Committee members.

YALSA takes input from youth very seriously, and in order to get a wide representation, there are two ways to participate.  First, we are seeking up to 50 teens to participate virtually. Participating teens are asked to read as many of the BYFA titles as possible, but all titles do not need to be read by each teen. Secondly, librarians may gather feedback from their teens to share on behalf of their teens during the session. Both teens and librarians interested in participating in the feedback session should apply by January 5. 

YALSA Goals for Youth Participation:

  1. To organize and implement youth participation to support division goals,
  2. To collect a wide range of ideas from as diverse a young adult population as possible,
  3. To incorporate youth participation into programs and services in order to provide a richer experience for YALSA members,
  4. To create valuable experiences for the participating young adults in which they can gain knowledge and/or skills useful in future endeavors.

2021 Morris Award Finalists Announced

YALSA has selected five books as finalists for the 2021 William C. Morris Award, which honors the year’s best books written for young adults by a previously unpublished author. YALSA will name the 2021 award winner virtually at the Youth Media Awards on January 25, 2021 during the American Library Association’s virtual Midwinter Meeting. Registration is open now through January 15, 2021.

The 2021 finalists are:

  • Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable Story of a Teenage Wizard, written by Echo Brown, published by Christy Ottaviano Books/Henry Holt and Co. Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. 9781250309853.
  • The Black Kids, written by Christina Hammonds Reed, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. 9781534462724. 
  • If These Wings Could Fly, written by Kyrie McCauley, published by Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. 9780062885029.
  • It Sounded Better in My Head, written by Nina Kenwood, published by Flatiron Books, Macmillan Publishers. 9781250219268.
  • Woven in Moonlight, written by Isabel Ibañez, published by Page Street Publishing. 9781624148019.

Annotations and more information on the finalists and the award can be found on the Morris Award page. Finalist seals are available for purchase by publishers and library staff to place on the finalist titles. Individuals can watch the Youth Media Awards live on January 25th at 8am CT online. For more information on YALSA’s William C. Morris Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit the Youth Media Awards web page.

Congrats to all the finalists and thank you to the 2021 Morris Award Committee for all the hard work, effort, and time they put into reading all submitted titles and selecting the finalists.

Members of the 2021 William C. Morris Award Committee are: chair Melissa Malanuk, Queens Borough Public Library, Jamaica, New York; Meaghan Darling, Sparta Public Library, Sparta, New Jersey; Laura Erwin, Bossard Memorial Library, Gallipolis, Ohio; Megan Garrett, Mid-Continent Public Library, Lee’s Summit, Missouri; Jamie M. Gregory, Christ Church Episcopal School, Moore, South Carolina; Lindsey Helfrich, Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento, California; Alicia Kalan, The Northwest School, Seattle, Washington; Carol Maples, Central High School, Pollok, Texas; and Ann Pechacek, Worthington Libraries, Worthington, Ohio.

2021 Nonfiction Award Finalists Announced

YALSA has selected five books as finalists for the 2021 Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award, which honors the best nonfiction books written for young adults between November 1, 2019 and October 31, 2020. YALSA will name the 2021 award winner virtually at the Youth Media Awards on January 25, 2021 during the American Library Association’s virtual Midwinter Meeting. Registration is open now through January 15, 2021.

The 2021 finalists are:

  • All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team, written by Christina Soontornvat and published by Candlewick Press. 9781536209457.
  • The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival, written by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess with Laura L. Sullivan and published by Bloomsbury YA. 9781547604531.
  • How We Got To the Moon: The People, Technology, and Daring Feats of Science Behind Humanity’s Greatest Adventure, written and illustrated by John Rocco and published by Crown Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. 9780525647416.
  • The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh, written by Candace Fleming and published by Schwartz and Wade, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House. 9780525646549.
  • You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Democracy and Deliver Power to the People, written by Elizabeth Rusch and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 9780358387428.

Annotations and more information on the finalists and the award can be found on the Nonfiction Award page. Finalist seals are available for purchase by publishers and library staff to place on the finalist titles. Individuals can watch the Youth Media Awards live on January 25th at 8am CT online. For more information on YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit the Youth Media Awards web page.

Learn more about YALSA’s portfolio of book and media awards, which helps strengthen library services for and with teens by identifying quality, age appropriate resources for librarians and library workers to share with the teens in their communities.

Congrats to all the finalists and thank you to the 2021 Nonfiction Award Committee for all the hard work, effort, and time they put into reading all submitted titles and selecting the finalists.

Members of the 2021 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults Award Committee are: Chair Adrienne Gillespie, Beaverton School District,  Portland, Oregon; Danielle Rae Dreger-Babbitt, Sno-Isle Regional Library, Mill Creek Library, Mill Creek, Washington; Jennifer Longee, Durham Academy, Durham, North Carolina; Jill Bellomy, Highland Park Middle School,  Dallas, Texas; Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library, New York; Katie Richert, Bloomingdale Public Library, Bloomingdale, Illinois; Joel Shoemaker, Illinois Prairie District Public Library, Metamora, Illinois; Kerry Townsend, Columbia Public Schools , Columbia, Missouri; and Dr. Terrell A. Young, Bringham Young University, Provo, Utah. 

2020 Teens’ Top Ten Announced

2020 Teens' Top Ten

The official titles of the 2020 Teens’ Top Ten are as follows:

  1. Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2) by Rainbow Rowell. Wednesday Books/Macmillan. 9781250146076.
  2. Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell. Illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks. First Second/Macmillan. 9781626721623.
  3. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. HarperTeen/HarperCollins. 9780062662835.
  4. Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Alfred A. Knopf/Penguin Random House. 9781524720995.
  5. Broken Throne: A Red Queen Collection by Victoria Aveyard. HarperTeen/ HarperCollins. 9780062423023.
  6. #MurderFunding (#MurderTrending #2) by Gretchen McNeil. Freeform/Disney Book Group. 9781368026277.
  7. We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya) by Hafsah Faizal. Farrar Straus Giroux /Macmillan 9780374311544.
  8. Lovely War by Julie Berry. Viking/Penguin Random House. 9780451469939.
  9. Wilder Girls by Rory Power. Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House. 9780525645580.
  10. The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy. Blink/HarperCollins Publishing. 9780310767657.

Download the full list with annotations on the Teens’ Top Ten webpage.

Thanks to all the teens for voting and congrats to all the winners!

Teens aged 12-18 can nominate their favorite titles to be considered as a 2021 Teens’ Top Ten nominee via the public nomination form by Dec. 31. For books to be eligible for consideration for 2021, they must be published between January 1– December 31, 2020. Since the start of the year, YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten book groups, which are made up of teen book groups from libraries across the U.S., have been reading advanced reading copies and nominating titles. 

A digital image of a Teens’ Top Ten seal for nominated titles is available to publishers for licensing. Arrangements can be made through ALA’s Rights and Permissions office for publishers who need permission to reproduce the seal on a paperback edition or book jacket. Contact permissions@ala.org or Mary Jo Bolduc, (312) 280-5416 or (312) 944-8741 (fax) for information.

2020 Teens’ Top Ten Voting Open

Voting is open for YALSA’s 2020 Teens’ Top Ten now through October 15. Teens aged 12-18 can vote for up to three titles from the 25 nominees. A video featuring the nominated books can be found on the Teens’ Top Ten site.

Every April, the Teens’ Top Ten nominees are posted on the Thursday of National Library Week, and readers vote online August 15 – October 15. To learn more about the Teens’ Top Ten and voting, please visit the Teens’ Top Ten website.

Share the nominees video on your library or school’s website and encourage teens to vote.

2021 Teens’ Top Ten Book Groups Application Open

Library staff can now apply on behalf of their teen book groups for a chance to be a part of the official 2021-2022 Teens’ Top Ten book groups.

The Teens’ Top Ten, formerly called YA Galley, is an ongoing project in which publishers of young adult books provide advanced reading copies of their recent titles to teen book discussion groups, also known as the Teens’ Top Ten book groups, in libraries. In exchange, teen readers evaluate books for the publishers.

A total of fifteen teen book groups, led by an advisor, will be selected to fulfill a two-year term (January of 2021 – December 31, 2022). Advisors of the book groups must be current personal members of YALSA and are required to submit sample teen book reviews with their application. Book reviews must be filled out by teens and can be for any book that they have recently read. Learn more about the Advisor’s Procedures, eligibility requirements, and more by reading the FAQ.

Apply by October 15.

2020 Printz and Odyssey Award Virtual Celebration Recordings

Last Sunday, ALA’s The Book Award Celebration event took place. The event celebrated several of its book and media award winners, including YALSA’s very own Printz and Odyssey Awards. If you missed our celebrations, check out the recordings below, which feature speeches and Q&A segments from the winning authors. Don’t forget to share these recordings with your teen patrons and feature them on your library’s website! You can also view the full playlist of all the celebrations.