Last week, the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter announced their 2020 literary award winners and honorees at its annual meeting. Below you can find which Penguin Random House titles appropriate for Middle School and High School students were among the winners.
To see which Elementary School titles were honored, click here.
In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
A tale of love, heartbreak and surfing from an important new voice in comics. In Waves is Craig Thompson's Blankets meets William Finnegan's Barbarian Days.
A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei's childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon -- and America itself -- in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.
Cantoras is a revolutionary new novel about five wildly different women who, in the midst of the Uruguayan dictatorship, find one another as lovers, friends, and ultimately, family.
The saga of the Logan family--made famous in the Newbery Medal-winning Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry--concludes in a long-awaited and deeply fulfilling story.
In the spirit of modern-day classics like Fish in a Tree and Counting by 7s comes the story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him.
From award-winning author Pablo Cartaya comes a deeply moving middle grade novel about a daughter and father finding their way back to each other in the face of their changing family and community.
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTSTONEWALL BOOK AWARD WINNER"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut. . . . Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." -The New York TimesThe award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times bestselling author of THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the truth when the world around you is in denial?
From National Book Award Finalist Albert Marrin comes the moving story of Janusz Korczak, the heroic Polish Jewish doctor who devoted his life to children, perishing with them in the Holocaust.
Inspired by her blockbuster phenomenon Wonder, R. J. Palacio makes her graphic novel debut with an unforgettable story of the power of kindness and unrelenting courage in a time of war."I was captivated by White Bird. It tells the hardest truths with honesty and calm (so that young readers can hear them). R.J.Palacio brings to life the nature of heroism and the real risks we face today." --Meg Medina, Newbery award-winning author of Mercy Suarez Changes Gears
"This powerful story, told with the music of poetry and the blade of truth, will help your heart grow."--Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Shout"[A] testimony and a triumph."--Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way DownIn her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.
Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award!A debut novel for fans of The Fault in Our Stars that thoughtfully and humorously depicts teen Ricky Bloom's struggles with a recent chronic illness diagnosis. "Silverstein sheds a powerful light on disease and how managing it can bring out one’s inner warrior. A blistering coming-of-age tale that will propel readers into Ricky’s corner." -Booklist
A tragic story of a cultural icon—dance prodigy, sex symbol, LGBTQ+ pioneer—this compelling work of narrative nonfiction chronicles a life of obsessive artistry and celebrity of Vaslav Nijinsky.
Spanning more than 400 years, this classic bottom-up history examines the legacy of Indigenous peoples' resistance, resilience, and steadfast fight against imperialism.
NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER • The timeless classic with cover art by two-time Caldecott Honor Award winner Kadir Nelson!"[Taylor] writes not with rancor or bitterness of indignities, but with pride, strength, and respect for humanity."—The New York Times Book ReviewWith the land to hold them together, nothing can tear the Logans apart.Why is the land so important to Cassie's family? It takes the events of one turbulent year—the year of the night riders and the burnings, the year a white girl humiliates Cassie in public simply because she is black—to show Cassie that having a place of their own is the Logan family's lifeblood. It is the land that gives the Logans their courage and pride, for no matter how others may degrade them, the Logans possess soemthing no one can take away."The vivid story of a black family whose warm ties to each other and their land give them strength to defy rural Southern racism during the Depression . . . the novel shows the rich inner rewards of black pride, love, and independence despite the certainty of outer defeat."—Booklist, starred reviewA National Book Award Nominee • American Book Award Honor Book • An ALA Notable Book • A NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies • A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book
Tracy Kidder, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has passed away at age 80. Tracy Kidder’s books covered subjects as wide-ranging as global public health, computer science, education, construction, and homelessness, but they were all united by his trademark research and dogged reporting that provided the foundations for stories of real people, passionately committed to their work. In
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and educators are increasingly aware that integrating social-emotional learning into the curriculum is critical if we want students to succeed both in and out of the classroom. Download the thematic educator guides on Teaching About Anxiety and Mindfulness and Teaching About Student Wellness. Explore our specially curated collections on
