Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction

A joint initiative of Carnegie Corporation of New York and the American Library Association, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction was established in 2012 to recognize the best fiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year. For more, visit the Carnegie Medal website.

2017 Award Winner

The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead

2017 Finalists

• Moonglow, by Michael Chabon
• Swing Time, by Zadie Smith

National Book Award

Awarded annually by the National Book Foundation, the National Book Award is given to recognize outstanding achievement in four genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. For a list of past winners and nominees, visit the National Book Award website.

2016 Award Recipient

Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
by Ibram X. Kendi

2017 Award Finalists

• Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge, by Erica Armstrong Dunbar
• The Evangelicals: The Struggle to Shape America, Frances FitzGerald
• The Future Is History: How Totalitarianism Reclaimed Russia, by Masha Gessen
• Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann
• Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America, by Nancy MacLean

National Book Critics Circle Award

Recognizing “the finest books and reviews published in English”, The National Book Critics Circle Awards are given annually in six categories: fiction, general nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poetry, and criticism. For a list of past winners and nominees, visit the National Book Critics Circle Award website.

2016 Award Recipients

Nonfiction

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
by Matthew Desmond

Autobiography

Lab Girl
by Hope Jahren

Biography

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life
by Ruth Franklin

Criticism

:
White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide
by Carol Anderson

2016 Non-fiction, Biography, Autobiography & Criticism Award Finalists

• Non-fiction
• Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, by Ibram X. Kendi
• Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right, by Jane Mayer
• Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War, by Viet Thanh Nguyen
• Writing to Save a Life: The Louis Till File, by John Edgar Wideman
• Autobiography
• The Iceberg, by Marion Coutts
• In Gratitude, by Jenny Diski
• The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between, by Hisham Matar
• The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father, by Kao Kalia Yang
• Biography
• Moscow Nights: The Van Cliburn Story, by Nigel Cliff
• Black Elk: The Life of an American Visionary, by Joe Jackson
• Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in Black and White, by Michael Tisserand
• Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas De Quincey, by Frances Wilson
• Criticism
• Against Everything: Essays, by Mark Greif
• Looking for The Stranger: Albert Camus and the Life of a Literary Classic, by Alice Kaplan
• The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone, by Olivia Laing
• Am I Alone Here?: Notes on Living to Read and Reading to Live, by Peter Orner

Pultizer Prize

Awarded annually in five categories for books (fiction, general nonfiction, history, biography/autobiography, and poetry), the Pulitzer Prize recognizes the best in letters and is considered by many the most prestigious award an author may receive. For a complete list of all Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists, visit the Pulitzer Prize website.

2017 Award Winners

General Nonfiction

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
by Matthew Desmond

History

Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy
by Heather Ann Thompson

Biography/Autobiography

Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between
by Hisham Matar

2017 Non-fiction, History & Biography/Autobiography Award Finalists

• General Nonfiction:
• In a Different Key: The Story of Autism, by John Donvan and Caren Zucker
• The Politics of Mourning: Death and Honor in Arlington National Cemetery, by Micki McElya
• History:
• Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It, by Larrie D. Ferreiro
• New England Bound: Slavery and Colonization in Early America, by Wendy Warren
• Biography/Autobiography:
• In the Darkroom, by Susan Faludi
• When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi

Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction

A joint initiative of Carnegie Corporation of New York and the American Library Association, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction was established in 2012 to recognize the best nonfiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year. For more, visit the Carnegie Medal website.

2017 Award Winner

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
by Matthew Desmond

2017 Finalists

• The Firebrand and the First Lady, by Patricia Bell-Scott
• Blood at the Root: A Racial Cleansing in America, by Patrick Phillips

Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award

The Arkansas Diamond Primary Book Award began 1998 to encourage reading for students in Grades K-3. The award was established to encourage reading for students in Grades K-3. Like the Charlie May Simon Awards, the award is selected by an annual vote. Children in Grades K-3 must have read at least three of the titles from the annual reading list and select one title. For a complete list of all Arkansas Diamond winners, visit the Arkansas State Library website.

2017 Award Winner

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla
by Katherine Applegate

2017 Honor Book

My Teacher Is A Monster! (No, I Am Not.)
by Peter Brown

Charlie May Simon Award

The Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award for children’s literature has been presented annually since 1971 to an author whose book has been selected through a vote taken by Arkansas school children in grades four, five and six. The purpose of the award is to promote better reading for children and to recognize Mrs. John Gould Fletcher, an outstanding Arkansas author who wrote under the pen name Charlie May Simon. For a complete list of all Charlie Simon Award winners, visit the Arkansas State Library website.

2017 Award Winner

The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander

2017 Honor Book

El Deafo
by Cece Bell

Pura Belpré Award

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, and by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, the Pura Belpré Award is given to the “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”. For a complete list of all Belpré winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2017 Award Winners

• Author:
  Juana & Lucas
  by Juana Medina
• Illustrator:
  Lowriders to the Center of the Earth
  illustrated by Raúl Gonzalez

2017 Author & Illustrator Honor Books

• The Only Road, written by Alexandra Diaz
• Esquivel!: Space-Age Sound Artist, by Susan Wood and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
• The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Caldecott Medal

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Caldecott Medal is given to “the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children published in English in the United States during the preceding year.” For a complete list of all Caldecott winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2017 Award Winner

• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
  illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

2017 Honor Books

• Leave Me Alone!, illustrated and written by Vera Brosgol
• Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
• Du Iz Tak?, illustrated and written by Carson Ellis
• They All Saw a Cat, illustrated and written by Brendan Wenzel

Geisel Award

Named in honor of Theoder Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, the Geisel Award is given annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to “the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English in the United States during the preceding year”. For a complete list of all Geisel winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2017 Award Winner

• We Are Growing
  written and illustrated by Laurie Keller

2017 Honor Books

• Good Night Owl, written and illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
• Oops, Pounce, Quick, Run! An Alphabet Caper, written and illustrated by Mike Twohy
• Go Otto Go!, written and illustrated by David Milgrim
• The Infamous Ratsos, written by Kara LaReau, illustrated by Matt Myers

Coretta Scott King Award

Awarded annually by the American Library Association, the King Award is given to “African American authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions”. For a complete list of all King Award winners and honor books, visit the ALA website.

2017 Award Winners

• March: Book Three
  by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell
• Radiant Child: The Story of Young Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat
  illustrated and written by Javaka Steptoe

2017 Author & Illustrator Honor Books

• As Brave As You, by Jason Reynolds
• Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
• Freedom in Congo Square, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
• In Plain Sight, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

National Book Award

Awarded annually by the National Book Foundation, the National Book Award is given to recognize outstanding achievement in four genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and young people’s literature. For a list of past winners and nominees, visit the National Book Award website.

2016 Award Recipient

• March: Book Three
  by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell

2017 Award Finalists

• What Girls Are Made Of, by Elana K. Arnold
• Far from the Tree, by Robin Benway
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, by Erika L. Sánchez
• Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, by Rita Williams-Garcia
• American Street, by Ibi Zoboi

Newbery Medal

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Newbery Medal is given to “the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.” For a complete list of all Newbery winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2017 Award Winner

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon, by Kelly Barnhill

2017 Honor Books

• Freedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to Life, written and illustrated by Ashley Bryan
• The Inquisitor’s Tale: Or, The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, by Adam Gidwitz
• Wolf Hollow, by Lauren Wolk

Sibert Medal

Awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, the Sibert Medal is given to “author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished book published in English during the preceding year”. For a complete list of all Sibert winners and honor books, visit the ALSC website.

2017 Award Winner

March: Book Three
by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin & Nate Powell

2017 Honor Books

• Giant Squid, written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann
• Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story, by Caren Stelson
• Uprooted: The Japanese American Experience During World War II, by Albert Marrin
• We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler, by Russell Freedman

Edgar Awards

Named in honor of Edgar Allan Poe, the Edgar is given by the Mystery Writers of America in recognition of excellence in mystery fiction and nonfiction. For a complete list of Edgar winners and nominees, visit the Edgar Awards website.

2017 Award Winners

Novel

:
Before the Fall
by Noah Hawley

First Novel

Under the Harrow
by Flynn Berry

Fact Crime

The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
by Kate Summerscale

2017 Novel, First Novel & Fact Crime Award Nominees

• Best Novel
• The Ex, by Alafair Burke
• Where It Hurts, by Reed Farrel Coleman
• Jane Steele, by Lyndsay Faye
• What Remains of Me, by Alison Gaylin
• Best First Novel
• Dodgers, by Bill Beverly
• IQ, by Joe Ide
• The Drifter, by Nicholas Petrie
• Dancing with the Tiger, by Lili Wright
• The Lost Girls, by Heather Young
• Best Fact Crime
• Morgue: A Life in Death, by Dr. Vincent DiMaio & Ron Franscell
• The Lynching: The Epic Courtroom Battle that Brought Down the Klan, by Laurence Leamer
• Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane: A True Story of Victorian Law and Disorder, by Paul Thomas Murphy
• While the City Slept: A Love Lost to Violence and a Young Man’s Descent into Madness, by Eli Sanders

The Hugo Awards

Given by the members of the World Science Fiction Society, the Hugo Awards recognize excellence in the genre of science fiction and fantasy. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Hugo Awards website.

2017 Best Novel

The Obelisk Gate
by N.K. Jemisin

2017 Best Novel Nominees

• All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders
• A Closed and Common Orbit, by Becky Chambers
• Death’s End, by Cixin Liu
• Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee
• Too Like the Lightning, by Ada Palmer

Nebula Awards

Presented annually by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, the Nebula Awards “celebrate excellence in science fiction and fantasy writing”. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Nebula Awards website.

2016 Best Novel Winner

All the Birds in the Sky
by Charlie Jane Anders

2016 Best Novel Nominees

• All the Birds in the Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders
• Borderline, by Mishell Baker
• Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee
• The Obelisk Gate, by N.K. Jemisin
• Everfair, by Nisi Shawl

Thurber Prize for American Humor

Given annually by the Thurber House, the Thurber Prize for American Humor recognizes works of humorous fiction and non-fiction written by American citizens. For a complete list of past winners and nominees, visit the Thurber Prize website.

2016 Winner

The World’s Largest Man
by Harrison Scott Key

2017 Finalists

• Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah
• Amp’d, by Ken Pisani
• Mr. Eternity, by Aaron Thier