JLG Picks Receive 59 Awards/Honors at the 2021 ALA Youth Media Awards!
Every year, JLG's esteemed editorial team reviews thousands of manuscripts long before publication to choose the best of the best in children's and young adult literature for our exclusive collection. In fact, only the top 3% are deemed worthy of being named JLG Gold Standard Selections—and, of these, 95% go on to earn starred reviews, honors, and industry awards. That means JLG subscribers have these future classics on their shelves at the earliest possible opportunity. Talk about being ahead of the curve!
Case in point: We are thrilled to announce that JLG selections took home 59 of the 2021 Youth Media Award awards and honors! Scroll down to see the JLG picks that shined bright at YMA!
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John Newbery Medal - JLG Selections Swept the Category!
That's right—all 5 Newbery Honor Books and the Newbery Medal Winner When You Trap a Tiger—are JLG Gold Standard Selections. In fact, subscribing members have had When You Trap a Tiger on their shelves since March 2020. That's nearly a year before these award announcements!
Newbery Medal Winner
When You Trap a Tiger
By Tae Keller
Published by Random House Children’s Books for Young Readers
Upper Elementary & Junior High (grades 5-7)
Newbery Honor Book
A Wish in the Dark
By Christina Soontornvat
Published by Candlewick Press
PG Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Newbery Honor Book
We Dream of Space
By Erin Entrada Kelly
Published by Greenwillow Books
Realistic Fiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Newbery Honor Book
Fighting Words
By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Realistic Fiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Newbery Honor Book
Box: Henry Brown Mails Himself to Freedom
By Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrated by Michelle Wood
Published by Candlewick Press
Biography Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Newbery Honor Book
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
By Christina Soontornvat
Published by Candlewick Press
Nonfiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Randolph Caldecott Medal
Caldecott Honor Book
The Cat Man of Aleppo
Illustrated by Yuko Shimizu
By Irene Latham & Karim Shamsi-Basha
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Multicultural Elementary (grades 2-6)
Coretta Scott King Book Awards
Coretta Scott King Author Award
Jacqueline Woodson
For Before the Ever After
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Upper Elementary & Junior High (grades 5-7)
Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor
Cozbi A. Cabrera
For Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks
Written by Suzanne Slade
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers
Biography Elementary Plus (grades 2-6)
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award
Tracey Deonn
For Legendborn
Published by Margaret K. McElderberry Books
Current Trends High Plus (grades 9+)
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature
Asian/Pacific American Award - Picture Book
Paper Son: The Inspiring Story of Tyrus Wong, Immigrant and Artist
Written by Julie Leung
Illustrated by Chris Sasaki
Published by Schwartz & Wade
Biography Elementary Plus (grades 2-6)
Asian/Pacific American Award - Children’s Literature
When You Trap a Tiger
Written by Tae Keller
Published by Random House Children’s Books for Young Readers
Upper Elementary & Junior High (grades 5-7)
Asian/Pacific American Award
Children’s Literature Honor Book
Prairie Lotus
Written by Linda Sue Park
Published by Clarion Books
Realistic Fiction Middle (grades 5-8)
Asian/Pacific American Award
Youth Literature Honor Book
Displacement
Written by Kiku Hughes
Published by First Second
Graphic Novels High Plus (grades 9+)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Middle Grade Book
Turtle Boy
Written by M. Evan Wolkenstein
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Advanced Readers (grades 6-9)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Middle Grade Honor Book
No Vacancy
Written by Tziporah Cohen
Published by Groundwood Books
Religious Books Elementary (grades 2-6)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Middle Grade Honor Book
The Blackbird Girls
Written by Anne Blankman
Published by Viking Books for Young Readers
Realistic Fiction Middle (grades 5-8)
Audiobooks Middle (grades 5-8)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Young Adult Literature
Dancing at the Pity Party
Written and Illustrated by Tyler Feder
Graphic Novels High Plus (grades 9+)
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Young Adult Honor Book
They Went Left
Written by Monica Hesse
Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
History High (grades 9+)
Audiobooks Mature Young Adults (grades 11+)
Schneider Family Book Award
Schneider Family Book Award
Best Young Children’s Book
I Talk Like a River
Written by Jordan Scott
Illustrated by Sydney Smith
Published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House
Character Building Elementary (grades 2-6)
Schneider Family Book Award
Best Young Children’s Honor Book
Itzhak: A Boy Who Loved the Violin
Written by Tracy Newman
Illustrated by Abigail Halpin
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers
Arts Elementary Plus (grade 2-6)
Schneider Family Book Award
Best Young Children’s Honor Book
All the Way to the Top: How One Girl’s Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything
Written by Annette Bay Pimentel
Illustrated by Nabi H. Ali
Forward by Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins
Published by Sourcebooks eXplore
Nonfiction Early Elementary Plus (grade K-2)
Schneider Family Book Award
Best Middle Grades Book
Show Me a Sign
Written by Ann Clara LeZotte
Published by Scholastic Press
Upper Elementary & Junior High Plus (grades 5-7)
Schneider Family Book Award
Best Middle Grades Honor Book
When Stars are Scattered
Written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Illustrated by Victoria Jamieson
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
Graphic Novels Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Audiobooks Middle (grades 5-8)
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
Geisel Award
See the Cat: Three Stories About a Dog
By Dave LaRochelle
Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
Published by Candlewick Press
Easy Reading (grades 1-3)
Geisel Honor Book
Where’s Baby?
Written and Illustrated by Anne Hunter
Published by Tundra Books of Northern New York
Pre-Kindergarten Plus (ages 2-5)
Geisel Honor Book
What about Worms!?
Written and Illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins
Published by Hyperion Books for Children
Emergent Readers Plus (grades K-1)
Stonewall Book Award
Mike Morgan & Larry Roman Children’s and Young Adult Literature Award
Stonewall Honor Book
Felix Ever After
Written by Kacen Callender
Published by Balzer + Bray
City High School (grades 10+)
Stonewall Honor Book
You Should See Me in a Crown
Written by Leah Johnson
Published by Scholastic Press
Young Adults Plus (grades 9+)
Alex Awards
Alex Awards
Black Sun
Written by Rebecca Roanhorse
Published by Saga Press/Gallery Books
Adult Crossover Thrillers Plus (grades 11+)
Alex Awards
The Impossible First: From Fire to Ice – Crossing Antarctica Alone
JLG Selection: The Young Reader’s Edition
Written by Colin O’Brady
Published by Scribner
Sports Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Alex Awards
The Only Good Indians
Written by Stephen Graham Jones
Published by Saga Press/Gallery Books
Adult Crossover Thrillers Plus (grades 11+)
Alex Awards
Plain Bad Heroines
Written by Emily M. Danforth
Published by William Morrow
Adult Crossover Thrillers Plus (grades 11+)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award - Another JLG Sweep!
What a thrill to see all JLG Gold Standard Selections make up this award category. Sibert Medal-winner Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera has been on subscribers' shelves since April of last year. Buzz-worthy, for sure!
Sibert Medal
Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera
By Candace Fleming
Illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House
Nonfiction Early Elementary (grades K-2)
Sibert Honor Book
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
By Christina Soontornvat
Published by Candlewick Press
Nonfiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Sibert Honor Book
Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks
By Suzanne Slade
Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera
Published by Abrams Books for Young Readers
Biography Elementary Plus (grades 2-6)
Sibert Honor Book
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
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Nonfiction Middle (grades 5-8)
Odyssey Award - A JLG Sweep for Audiobooks!
Did you know that JLG offers audiobook categories among our subscription options? Take a look! All 4 Honor titles and the winning audiobook Kent State are part of our collection. (Plus, we have the print selections in our collection as well!)
Odyssey
Audio Winner
Kent State
Written by Deborah Wiles
Narrated by Christopher Gebauer, Lauren Ezzo, Christina DeLaine, Johnny Heller, Roger Wayne, Korey Jackson, and David de Vries
Produced by Paul R. Gagne
Audiobooks Mature Young Adults (grades 11+)
History High (grades 9+)
Odyssey
Honor Audiobook
Clap When You Land
Written by Elizabeth Acevedo
Narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo and Melania Luisa-Marte
Produced by Caitlin Garing for HaperAudio
Audiobooks Mature Young Adults (grades 11+)
High-Interest High (grades 10+)
Odyssey
Honor Audiobook
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Written by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by Jason Reynolds with an introduction by Ibram X. Kendi
Produced by Robert Van Kolken
Audiobooks High (grades 9+)
Nonfiction High Plus (grades 9+)
Odyssey
Honor Audiobook
When Stars are Scattered
Written by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
Narrated by Faysal Ahmed
Produced by Kelly Gildea & Julie Wilson
Audiobooks Middle (grades 5-8)
Graphic Novels Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Pura Belpré Awards
Belpré Award for Young Adult Text
Furia
By Yamile Saied Méndez
Published by Algonquin Young Readers
Sports High (grades 9 & up)
Belpré Honor Book for Young Adult Text
Never Look Back
By Lilliam Rivera
Published by Bloomsbury YA
Young Adults (grades 9 & up)
Belpré Award for Children’s Text
Efrén Divided
By Ernesto Cisneros
Published by Harper
Realistic Fiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Belpré Honor Book for Children’s Text
Lupe Wong Won’t Dance (JLG Selection: Lupe Wong no baila)
By Donna Barbara Higuera
Published by Levine Querido
Spanish Middle (grades 5-8)
Belpré Award for Illustration
¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat
Written and Illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez
Published by Versify
Multicultural Elementary (grades 2-6)
Belpré Honor Book for Illustration
Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello / Sharuko: Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello
Illustrated by Elisa Chavarri
Written by Monica Brown
Published by Children’s Book Press
Spanish Elementary (grades 3-5)
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction - JLG Sweeps Nonfiction, too!
All 4 YALSA Honor Books are JLG Gold Standard Selections, and the winning title, The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh arrived on subscribers' shelves in May 2020. (The audiobook version hits subscriber shelves in February 2021!)
Excellence in Nonfiction
Winner
The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh
Written by Candace Fleming
Published by Schwartz and Wade
Nonfiction High Plus (grades 9+)
Audiobooks High (grades 9+)
Excellence in Nonfiction
Finalist
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team
Written by Christina Soontornvat
Published by Candlewick Press
Nonfiction Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
Excellence in Nonfiction
Finalist
The Cat I Never Named: A True Story of Love, War, and Survival
Written by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess and Laura L. Sullivan
Published by Bloomsbury YA
Biography High Plus (grades 8+)
Excellence in Nonfiction
Finalist
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
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
Nonfiction Middle (grades 5-8)
Excellence in Nonfiction
Finalist
You Call This Democracy?: How to Fix Our Democracy and Deliver Power to the People
Written by Elizabeth Rusch
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
Nonfiction High Plus (grades 9+)
Michael L. Printz Award
Printz Award Winner
Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story)
By Daniel Nayeri
Published by Arthur A. Levine
Advanced Readers Plus (grades 6-9)
Printz Honor Book
Every Body Looking
By Candice Iloh
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers
City High School (grades 10 & up)
Printz Honor Book
Dragon Hoops
Created by Gene Luen Yang
Color by Lark Pien
Published by First Second Books
Graphic Novels High Plus (grades 9 & up)
Printz Honor Book
Apple (Skin to the Core)
By Eric Gansworth
Published by Arthur A. Levine
Biography High Plus (grades 9 & up)
Mildred L. Batchelder Award
Batchelder Honor Book
Catherine’s War
By Julia Billet
Illustrated by Claire Fauvel
Translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger
Published by HarperAlley
Originally Published in French
Graphic Novels Middle Plus (grades 5-8)
William C. Morris Award
Morris Award
Finalist
The Black Kids
Written by Christina Hammonds Reed
Published by Simon and Schuster for Young Readers
City High School (grades 9+)
At JLG, our goal is to help librarians around the nation put ultra-readable, future classics in the hands of their readers. Find out more about our exclusive subscription service and how you can start receiving JLG Gold Standard Selections every month for your library!
