Award-Winning Young Adult Books

There are many different awards given out each year to honor notable contributions to young adult literature. Below you'll find links to some of these celebrated titles, honored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Check them out for yourself, and see why they deserve an award!

The Alex Awards are given annually to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.

The winners of the 2012 Alex Award are Big Girl Small by Rachel DeWoskin, In Zanesville by JoAnn Beard, The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan The New Kids: Big Dreams and Brave Journeys at a High School for Immigrant Teens by Brooke Hauser, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures by Caroline Preston, and The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo. To learn more about these books and past winners of this award, please visit http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/alexawards/alexawards.cfm/

The Edwards Award honors an author and a specific work for significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.

The 2012 winner of the Edwards Award is Susan Cooper for her The Dark is Rising sequence. To read more about this author and past winners, visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/margaretaedwards/margaretedwards.cfm/

The Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author.

The 2012 Morris Award winner is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. To view other nominees and previous winners, visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/morris/morrisaward.cfm/

This award honors the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

The 2012 Odyssey Award winner is Rotters by Daniel Kraus. To learn more about this audiobook and to view past nominees and winners, it: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/odyssey.cfm

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

The 2012 Printz Award winner is Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley.
To learn more about this book and view other nominees and past winners, visit: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm/

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

The 2012 YALSA Nonfiction Award winner is The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin.
To learn more about this book and view other nominees and past winners, visit: http://http://www.ala.org/yalsa/nonfiction.cfm/