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ALA Youth Media Award Winners

The Youth Media Award Winners are announced.SLJ has full and ongoing coverage. 

Big Books of the Week

Sparking Fire Out of Fate by Brigid Kemmerer (Bloomsbury) leads holds this week.

Other titles in demand include:

Plenty of Pancakes by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Brianne Farley (Putnam)

What a Small Cat Needs by Natalia Shaloshvili, translated by Lena Traer (Enchanted Lion)

Dr. Zeus by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts (Little, Brown/Jimmy Patterson)

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay by Ryan Douglass (HarperCollins)

These books and others publishing the week of January 26, 2026 are listed in a downloadable spreadsheet.

Librarians and Booksellers Suggest

Seven Indie Next picks publish this week:

Picture Books

Crouton: One Cat's Adoption Tale by Kristine A. Lombardi (Random)

“You can’t help but fall for this adorable cat, Crouton, as she waits expectantly in her crate to be adopted. Told from the cat's perspective, it's delightfully simple yet filled with hope, empathy, and perseverance.”

—Patti Exstein, Three Wishes Bookshop, Alexandria, VA

Mungo on His Own by Matthew Burgess, Julie Benbassat (Illus.) (Harper/Clarion)

“The illustrations are so cute. I wish I could squeeze little Mungo! What a beautiful story about independence, confidence, and bravery. Such an important message for kids as they grow up and into themselves.”

—Katie Pionk, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, Petoskey, MI

Plenty of Pancakes By Carrie Finison, Illustrated by Brianne Farley (Putnam)

“Topsy Opossum wants to cook up a special surprise for her friend LouAnn who has been sleeping all winter — pancakes! Topsy’s woodland friends help her make more pancakes and solve the mystery of who's been eating them up. A sweet story of friendship among the most unlikely of friends: a little opossum and a giant bear.”

—Myrna Mibus, Content Bookstore, Northfield, MN

Middle Grade

Saber-Tooth: A Novel in Verse by Robin Gow (Abrams/Amulet)

“Digging a giant hole in the yard as a way to process anger and shame is not Jasper’s worst idea, but digging up a manipulative (and vengeful) saber-tooth tiger’s bones doesn’t give Jasper the emotional resolution he so desperately needs. This story works on all levels: literal, magical, emotional. ”

—Betsy Haberl, Booked, Evanston, IL

Serendipity By Gabbie Benda (Holiday House)

“Great story about a girl who is overscheduled and stretched so thin that she no longer finds enjoyment in any of the activities she signed up for. The book offers great lessons about being overscheduled, what it means to be a good friend, about making your own way, about choice, about teamwork and about listening to yourself and your friends, while managing to be FUNNY!”

—Andrea Iriarte, Molly's Bookstore, Melrose, MA

Young Adult

The Great Disillusionment of Nick and Jay By Ryan Douglass (HarperCollins)

“In this The Great Gatsby reimagining, Nick Carrington, a young aspiring writer, enrolls at West Egg and fatefully encounters the wealthy and charismatic Jay Gatsby Jr. From there, their relationship twists and turns as truths are revealed about Gatsby and what really happens behind the scenes at West Egg. Expect glitz and glamour mixed with sad realities and prejudices faced by young queer people of color.”

—Thomas Curtin, Changing Hands, Tempe, AZ

The Roommate Arrangement By Samantha Markum (S. & S./McElderry)

“Samantha Markum blends the very real struggles of imposter syndrome, gifted kid burn out, and overbearing parental expectations with the joys of crushes, finding forever friends, and the little moments where you realize you truly belong. This story deserves to be cherished, just like the characters within it. ”

—Emily Morgan, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, MO

Best Sellers

Links for the week:NYT Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover | NYT Children’s Picture Books | NYT Children’s & Young Adult Series | NYT Young Adult Hardcover | USA Today Bestselling Books

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Knopf) tops the NYT Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover list after 526 weeks on the list. New to the list are The Moon Without Stars by Chanel Miller (Philomel) coming in at no. 6 and Basket Ball by Kadir Nelson (Little, Brown) coming in at no. 10.

Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle, Illustrated by Jill McElmurry (Clarion) tops the NYT Children’s Picture Books list with 28 weeks on the list. For the Fans by Angela Song (Golden) enters its third week on the list coming in at the no. 2 position after a week on top.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney (Amulet) takes the top spot from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) which dropped to no. 2 in the NYT Children’s & Young Adult Series list.

Fake Skating by Lynn Painter (Simon & Schuster) moved into the no. 1 spot from a no.2 showing last week on the NYT Young Adult Hardcover list. Dragon Cursed by Elise Kova (Mayhem) comes in at no. 2 in its second week on the list.

Three children's titles feature on the USA Today Bestselling Books list top 15, last updated on 1/21/2025:

Dog Man: Big Jim Believes: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #14) by Dav Pilkey (Scholastic/Graphix) moves to no. 12.

You're My Little Cuddle Bug by Nicola Edwards (Silver Dolphin/S. & S.) comes in at no. 13.

Partypooper (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 20) by Jeff Kinney (Abrams/Amulet) moves to the no. 15 spot.

Reviews

"Teen Librarian Toolbox" reviewed the audiobook of Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet (S. & S.): “I genuinely enjoyed and highly recommend this book. I did feel that it got a little bit sluggish about 3/4 of the way through, but it ramps back up and at no point did I want to stop reading because I wanted to know who did it and genuinely cared about the March sisters. Some specific notes about the audiobook. It is told in four points of view in a then and now timeline, but the chapters headings make it clear who and when we are in the narration, as does the multiple narrating voices. I thought the multiple narrators did a good job and helped me keep track of whose storyline and point of view I was in. I finished the book in one day.”

"Pearl’s & Ruby’s" reviewed Onward: 16 Climate Fiction Short Stories to Inspire Hope edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter (Charlesbridge Teen): “Recognizing how these stories serve as literacy tools helps us better understand the complex relationship that humans have with Earth, and it relates how important we are to each other. This is an important collection to have in school and public libraries to examine craft, the realities of our climate and what might be next for all of us. Highly recommended and should be very popular with teens.”

Briefly Noted

The United States Board on Books for Young People released its 2026 Outstanding International Book List

People exclusively reveals the cover of Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell’s new book, My Super Duper Me (Scholasting/Orchard)

NYT recommends books perfect for a snowy day

Publishers Weekly interviewed L.S. Stratton on her new book, Sundown Girls (Penguin/Nancy Paulsen)

‘Comic Beats’ exclusively announces Papercutz’s new Disney science comics

Book Riot released their most anticipated historical fiction novels of 2026 including YA book, Behind Five Willows (Feiwel & Friends)

"Good Comics for Kids" talks about two graphic novels featuring Claudette Colvin, who died on January 13th at the age of 86

"A Fuse 8 Production" interviewed Questlove and S.A. Cosby about their book, The Rhythm of Time (Macmillan)

"Teen Librarian Toolbox" has a guest post from Estelle Laure, author of Love Goes Viral (S. & S.) on strong female characters in romance

Publisher’s Weekly revealed the cover of R.J. Palacio’s upcoming ghostly picture book, The Haunted Playground (Random)

"American Girl" turns 40 and People exclusively reveals details about a new book featuring the iconic brand

People announces Alex Aster’s upcoming Barbie YA novel, Barbie: Dreamscape (S. & S.)

A "Teen Librarian Toolbox" guest post features A Wild Radiance (Peachtree Teen) author, Maria Ingrande Mora, who talks depicting polyamory in YA literature.

Scholastic celebrates The Baby-Sitters Club (Scholastic) turning 40 by announcing to People a new spin-off and graphic novel

People exclusively reveals new paperback editions of Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic)

Page to Screen

USA Today features the biggest book-to-movie adaptations coming this year including YA books Finding Her Edge (Putman), This Is Not a Test (Bindery Books), and Sunrise on the Reaping (Scholastic).

Authors on Air

People spoke exclusively with Saturday Night Live cast member Kenan Thompson about his new book, Unfunny Bunny (Macmillan)

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" author, Jeff Kinney, shared his favorite funny books for kids with the NYT