Teens Book Lists

The Alex Award is given to one book selected from ten titles that are chosen. These titles, written for adults, have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.

The APALA Award for Literature celebrates Asian/Pacific American culture and heritage. The awards are based on literary and artistic merit within three youth categories including Picture Book, Children’s Literature and Youth Literature..

The Coretta Scott King Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.

The John Steptoe Award is established to affirm new talent and to offer visibility to excellence in writing and/or illustration which otherwise might be formally unacknowledged within a given year within the structure of the two awards given annually by the Coretta Scott King Book Awards Committee.

The Michael J. Printz Award annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit, each year. In addition, the Printz Committee names up to four honor books, which also represent the best writing in young adult literature.

The Odyssey Awardwill be given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

The Pura Belpré Award is named after the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. This award is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.

The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.

The Stonewall Book Award is sponsored by the American Library Association's Rainbow Round Table (formerly the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table). Since the first award in 1971, many books have been honored for exceptional merit relating to the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender experience.

The Sydney Taylor Book Award is named in memory of the classic “All-of-a-Kind Family” series author Sydney Taylor. The award recognizes titles for children and teens that exemplify high literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience.

YALSA's Award for Excellence in Nonfiction honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults (ages 12-18) during a Nov. 1 – Oct. 31 publishing year.