2026 Youth Media Awards for Teens

The American Library Association (ALA) 2026 award winners and honor books for teens!

This list includes the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, the Schneider Young Adult Award -- Ages 14-18, the Odyssey Award for Young Adults, the Belpré Young Adult Author Award, the Stonewall Book Awards - Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Young Adult Literature Award, the Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, the American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Young Adult Literature, and the Sydney Taylor Book Award Gold Medalist.


"American Library Association announces 2026 Youth Media Award winners", American Library Association, January 26, 2026

https://www.ala.org/news/2026/01/american-library-association-announces-2026-youth-media-award-winners (Accessed February 20, 2026)

Document ID: e8e66408-a08f-4afc-9ec4-f7bb01a819ce

Updated February 20, 2026
C
Clinton Essex Franklin Library System Plattsburgh Public Library
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American spirits :
Rosenstock, Barb.
Paper Book
Finalist, 2026 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults A Kirkus Reviews Best Book A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year CAN THE DEAD TALK TO THE LIVING? Discover the astonishingly true story of Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox--the Civil War...
D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T
White, Abby
Paper Book
"A fresh new voice, Abby White delivers the perfect dose of humor and heartbreak with her debut D.J. Rosenblum Becomes the G.O.A.T. Readers will root for D.J. as she navigates a new home, friends, even a crush, with such insight and truth. A standout especially-young adult from an exciting new...
Death in the jungle /
Fleming, Candace
Paper Book
How did Jim Jones, the leader of Peoples Temple, convince more than 900 of his followers to commit "revolutionary suicide" by drinking cyanide-laced punch? From a master of narrative nonfiction comes a chilling chronicle of one of the most notorious cults in American history. A YALSA...
Devils Like Us
Thompson, L. T.
A Stonewall Honor Winner New York Public Library Best Book of 2025 Our Flag Means Death meets The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue in this YA historical fantasy about three queer teens and their found family of queer pirates facing down a...
The favorites :
Fargo, Layne,
Paper Book
To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession. NATIONAL BESTSELLER * An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice "Part...
The girls who grew big /
Mottley, Leila,
Paper Book
From the author of Oprah's Book Club pick and New York Times bestseller Nightcrawling, here is an astonishing new novel about the joys and entanglements of a fierce group of teenage mothers in a small town on the Florida panhandle. Adela Woods is sixteen...
Harriet Tubman: live in concert :
Bob the Drag Queen,
Paper Book
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2025 by Pride * Best New Books of Spring 2025 by Bustle * Most Anticipated Books of 2025 by LitHub * Biggest Books of March by Book Riot * Most Anticipated Books of March by...
He's so possessed with me
Liu, Corey
A Stonewall Honor book!  Jennifer's Body meets Heartstopper in this terrifying, tender, and bitingly hilarious supernatural horror about a boy who must save his best friend from a demon that wants to steal his heart--literally. ...
Hick :
Miller, Sarah,
Paper Book
In this riveting YA non-fiction set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, trace Lorena Hickok--or Hick's-- rise from devastating childhood to renowned journalist, and watch as she forms the most significant friendship and romantic relationship of her life with first lady, Eleanor...
Hole in the sky :
Wilson, Daniel H.
A Native American first contact story and gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse "Thrilling and personal... an important addition to the landscape of science fiction."-Pierce Brown, #1 New York Times bestselling author of...
Insectopolis :
Kuper, Peter,
Paper Book
This visually immersive work of graphic nonfiction dives into a world where ants, cicadas, bees, and butterflies visit a library exhibition that displays their stories and humanity's connection to them throughout the ages. Kuper's thrilling visual feast layers history and science, color and...
Legendary frybread drive-in /
Paper Book
Michael L. Printz Award Winner American Indian Youth Literature Award Winner Featuring the voices of both new and acclaimed Indigenous writers and edited by bestselling Muscogee author Cynthia Leitich Smith, this collection of interconnected stories serves up laughter...
On the wings of la Noche
Torres, Vanessa L.
Paper Book
Noche is a Lechuza by night, an ethereal jet-black owl who guides the dead to the after. Except now, Noche cannot bring herself to escort her dead girlfriend, whose soul is fading the harder Noche holds on-an aching romance about first and second loves and finding the strength to let go.<...
One of the boys
Zeller, Victoria
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller Grace Woodhouse was a star kicker with a D1 future, but that was before she came out as transgender and quit football. Now, as senior year begins, Grace is navigating a new life with queer friends and a fresh perspective. But...
Plum
Anderegg, Andy
Winner of ALA's 2026 Alex Awards Longlisted for the Crook's Corner Book Prize A Debutiful Most Anticipated & a Best Debut Book of 2025 "You wish to never see a plum again in your life... You think: When I am an adult, I will never have a fruit tree. I will never be like this."<...
The rebel girls of Rome
Taylor, Jordyn
Part historical mystery, part sweeping romance, The Rebel Girls of Rome brings the stories of two young women to brilliant life: Lilah, a college student looking to understand her grandfather's mysterious past, and Bruna, a queer Jewish woman who joins the resistance during World...
The red car to Hollywood
Liu, Jennie
Paper Book
Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature Young Adult Winner A New York Public Library Best Books for Teens Los Angeles, 1924 Sixteen-year-old Ruby Chan considers herself a modern, independent American girl. But when her secret relationship with a white boy implodes--and...
Rosa by any other name /
Alcaraz, Hailey
Paper Book
In this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling set during the civil rights era, a Mexican American girl is driven to join a movement for justice after her white classmate and best friend from the barrio are tragically murdered. PURA BELPRÉ YOUNG ADULT AUTHOR HONOR BOOK ...
Sheine Lende /
Little Badger, Darcie,
Paper Book
"Like Elatsoe, Sheine Lende is much more chill than your typical YA fantasy or YA mystery. The stakes are high, but it never feels stressful. There is little on-the-page violence, and even when things get heavy or dangerous, the reader always feels...
Silenced voices :
Leon, Pablo,
A Pura Belpré Award Honor, Young Adult A Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor In this moving intergenerational tale perfect for fans of Messy Roots and Illegal, Eisner-nominated creator Pablo Leon combines historical research of the Guatemalan Civil...
Sisters in the wind /
Boulley, Angeline,
Paper Book
A Printz Honor Book! An AIYLA Honor Book! A Good Morning America Book Club Pick! From the instant New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed comes a daring new mystery about a foster teen claiming her heritage on her own...
Sometimes the girl
Mason-Black, Jennifer
A Stonewall Honor Book for Young Adult Literature A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Selection A Kirkus Best Teen/YA Book of 2025 Eighteen-year-old Holiday needs to sort her life out. She's still shaken from her brother's recent suicide attempt; still pining over...
Sonita : my fight against tyranny and my escape to freedom
Alizadeh, Sonita
2026 AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION ALEX AWARD WINNER Nearly 15 million girls, including many in the U.S., are forced into marriage each year. Each of these girls has a price tag--and a story. Sonita Alizada was almost sold twice. Her price tag was $9,000. The money her...
The story of my anger
Méndez, Jasminne
PURA BELPRÉ HONOR BOOK * A powerful young adult novel-in-verse about a Texas teen battling racism in her theater program and book banning efforts by her town's school board--from the acclaimed author of Aniana del Mar Jumps In. An International Literacy Association Notable...
Tall water /
Sindu, SJ,
THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE HONOR BOOK! From Stonewall Honor-winning writer SJ Sindu, author of Shakti, and celebrated illustrator Dion MBD comes a powerful coming-of-age teen graphic novel that follows one girl's journey to Sri Lanka to...
These heathens : a novel
McKenzie, Mia
Paper Book
From the "razor-sharp and outrageously funny" (Taylor Jenkins Reid) mind of Mia McKenzie comes a vibrant novel exploring how one weekend can change your whole life. LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL AND THE ASPEN WORDS LITERARY PRIZE . A CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK...
Trans History:
Combs, Alex L.
Paper Book
"Combs and Eakett do a fantastic job of providing readers an incredibly comprehensive and strongly researched--yet somehow compact--look into the history of trans identity." --School Library Journal (starred review) An essential introduction to trans history, from...
The unfinished
Isaacs, Cheryl
Paper Book
An American Indian Youth Literature Award Honoree In her stunning debut, Cheryl Isaacs (Mohawk) pulls the reader into an unsettling tale of monsters, mystery, and secrets that refuse to stay submerged. When small-town athlete Avery's morning run leads her to a strange...
Whale eyes : a memoir about seeing and being seen
Robinson, James (Filmmaker)
Paper Book
★ 5 STARRED REVIEWS ★ ★ "Lively, interactive...truly eye-opening." -Booklist ★ "A sincere reflection on childhood...growing up in a world not built with him in mind." -Publishers Weekly ★ "A...
What kind of paradise :
Brown, Janelle.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A WASHINGTON POST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * A teenage girl breaks free from her father's world of isolation to discover that her whole life is a lie in this "absorbing and well-crafted" (The Washington Post) novel from the New York Times bestselling author...
Where wolves don't die /
Treuer, Anton.
Paper Book
Tightly woven Indigenous YA thriller that explores masculinity and love between generations of family Ezra Cloud hates living in Northeast Minneapolis. His father is a professor of their language, Ojibwe, at a local college, so they have to be there. But Ezra hates the dirty,...
White House secrets :
Jarrow, Gail
Finalist, 2026 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults A School Library Journal Best Book Chicago Public Library Best of the Best List 2025 Here are the shocking, yet true, stories of presidential medical cover-ups from the 19th to the 21st century-the...
White lies :
Bausum, Ann.
Paper Book
This powerful and unflinching examination of racism in America by award-winning historian Ann Bausum deconstructs the warped history of the Civil War, perfect for fans of STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING and JUST MERCY. Warning: This is not your average U.S. history book.
The Whyte Python world tour : a novel
Kennedy, Travis
Paper Book
Rikki Thunder, twenty-two-year-old drummer for the scorching new '80s metal band Whyte Python, is about to have it all: absurd wealth, global fame, and a dream girlfriend. But an unwitting role as an international spy? That was definitely not part of the plan. "A rock-n-roll thrill...
A world without summer :
Day, Nicholas,
The true story of how a massive catastrophic eruption plunged the world into darkness, altering the global climate and inspiring the likes of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein--from the award-winning author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes and featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout....

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