Awards

The 2025 Ezra Jack Keats Writer Award went to Breanna J. McDaniel for Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller. X. Fang won the Illustrator Award for We Are Definitely Human.

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association, Inc. and School Library Journal have revealed the winning titles in the 2025 Children & Youth Literary Awards, which celebrate the diversity of the Black experience.

Following a devastating year of violence against children, our deepest hope is that these 40 outstanding international titles, and the words within them, can inspire bridges of understanding and peace. Download the full list here.

Author Hilary Horder Hippely's title earned the annual award given for outstanding writing in a picture book.

Shark Teeth by Sherri Winston and Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson are this year's winners in the younger readers and teen categories, respectively.

The SLJ reviews editors rounded up our reviews of the books lauded at the 2025 Youth Media Awards. Here, the reviews of the winners of the Geisel, Odyssey, Alex, and Batchelder awards.

SLJ reviews of YALSA's Excellence in Nonfiction Award titles and the winner and honor books of the 2025 Robert F. Sibert Informational Award, administered by ALSC.

Bestowed annually, the William C. Morris Award honors a young adult title written by a first-time author writing for teens. The 2025 winner: Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo. Four honor books were named.

This dedicated page features everything about the awards, including all of SLJ's reporting of the 2025 Youth Media Awards ceremony and recognized titles and creators; a complete list of winners and honor books; plus links to book reviews, author interviews, blog posts, and related coverage.