The National Book Award for Young People's Literature is one of four annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation (NBF) to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers". The panelists are five "writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field".
The category Young People's Literature was established in 1996. From 1969 to 1983, prior to the Foundation, there were some "Children's" categories.
The award recognizes one book written by a US citizen and published in the US from December 1 to November 30. The National Book Foundation accepts nominations from publishers until June 15, requires mailing nominated books to the panelists by August 1, and announces five finalists in October. The winner is announced on the day of the final ceremony in November. The award is $10,000 and a bronze sculpture; other finalists get $1000, a medal, and a citation written by the panel.
There were 230 books nominated for the 2010 award.
Books for "children" were first recognized by the National Book Awards in 1969 (publication year 1968). Through 1979 there was a single award category called either "Children's Literature" or "Children's Books".
1979: Katherine Paterson, The Great Gilly Hopkins
Lloyd Alexander
Vera Cleaver, Queen of Hearts
Sid Fleischman, Humbug Mountain
Paula Fox, The Little Swineherd and Other Tales
1978: Judith and Herbert Kohl, The View From the Oak: The Private Worlds of Other Creatures (ethology)
Betty Sue Cummings, Hew Against the Grain
Ilse Koehn, Michling, Second Degree
David McCord, One at a Time (poetry)
William Steig, Caleb + Kate
1977: Katherine Paterson, The Master Puppeteer
Milton Meltzer, Never to Forget: The Jews of the Holocaust
John Ney, Ox Under Pressure
Mildred D. Taylor, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Barbara Wersba, Tunes for a Small Harmonica
1976: Walter D. Edmonds, Bert Breen's Barn
Eleanor Cameron, To the Green Mountains
Norma Faber, As I Was Crossing Boston Common
Isabelle Holland, Of Love and Death and Other Journeys
David McCord, The Star in the Pail (poetry)
Nicolasa Mohr, El Bronx Remembered
Brenda Wilkinson, Ludell
1975: Virginia Hamilton, M. C. Higgins the Great
Natalie Babbitt, The Devil's Storybook
Bruce Buchenholz, Doctor in the Zoo
Bruce Clements, I Tell a Lie Every So Often
James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier, My Brother Sam is Dead
Ettagale Laure and Jason Laure, Joi Bangla! The Children of Bangladesh
Milton Meltzer, World of Our Fathers
Milton Meltzer, Remember the Days
Adrienne Richard, Wings
Mary Stolz, The Edge of Next Year
1974: Eleanor Cameron, The Court of the Stone Children
Alice Childress, A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich
Vera and Bill Cleaver, The Whys and Wherefores of Littabelle Lee
Julia Cunningham, The Treasure is the Rose
Bette Greene, Summer of My German Soldier
Kristin Hunter, Guests in the Promised Land (stories)
E. L. Konigsburg, A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver (see Eleanor of Acquitaine)
Norma Fox Mazer, A Figure of Speech
F. N. Monjo, Poor Richard in France
Harve and Margot Zemach, Duffy and the Devil
1973: Ursula K. Le Guin, The Farthest Shore
Betsy Byars, The House of Wings
Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire, d'Aulaires' Trolls
Jean Craighead George, Julie of the Wolves
Betty Jean Lifton and Thomas C. Fox, Children of Vietnam
Georgess McHargue, The Impossible People
Zilpha Keatley Snyder, The Witches of Worm
William Steig, Dominic
1972: Donald Barthelme, The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine or The Hithering Thithering Djinn
The National Book Foundation lists no other finalists.
1971: Lloyd Alexander, The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian
Vera and Bill Cleaver, Grover
Paula Fox, Blowfish Live in the Sea
Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad are Friends
E. B. White, The Trumpet of the Swan
1970: Isaac Bashevis Singer, A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing up in Warsaw (autobiographical)
Vera and Bill Cleaver, Where the Lilies Bloom
Edna Mitchell Preston, Popcorn and Ma Goodness
William Steig, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Edwin Tunis, The Young United States, 1783–1830
1969: Meindert DeJong, Journey from Peppermint Street
Lloyd Alexander, The High King
Patricia Clapp, Constance: A Story of Early Plymouth (novel featuring Constance Hopkins)
Esther Hautzig, The Endless Steppe (memoir)
Milton Meltzer, Langston Hughes: A Biography (about Langston Hughes)
In 1980 under the new name "The American Book Awards" (TABA), the number of literary award categories jumped to 28 including two for Children's Books, hardcover and paperback. (Some graphics awards were inaugurated, too.) In the next three years there were three, five, and five "Children's" award categories —thus fifteen in four years— before the program was revamped with only three annual awards and none for children's books.
1983
Nonfiction
James Cross Giblin, Chimney Sweeps
Linda Grant De Pauw, Seafaring Women
Patricia Lauber, Journey to the Planets
John Nance, Lobo of the Tasaday
Judith St. George, The Brooklyn Bridge
Fiction, hardcover
Jean Fritz, Homesick: My Own Story (autobiographical)
Lloyd Alexander, The Kestrel
Edward Fenton, The Refugee Summer
Virginia Hamilton, Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush
Zibby Oneal, A Formal Feeling
Fiction, paperback (split award)
Paula Fox,
A Place Apart (1980)
Joyce Carol Thomas,
Marked by Fire (original)
Judy Blume, Tiger Eyes (1981)
Sue Ellen Bridgers, Notes for another Life (1981)
Lois Lowry, Anastasia Again! (1981)
Picture Books, hard (split award)
Barbara Cooney, Miss Rumphius
William Steig, Doctor De Soto
Illustrated by Marcia Brown, Shadow (translation of a poem by Blaise Cendrars)
Karla Kuskin and illustrator Marc Simont, The Philharmonic Gets Dressed
Cynthia Rylant and illustrator Diane Goode, When I Was Young in the Mountains
Picture Books, paper
Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrator Betty Fraser,
A House is a House for Me (1978) (verse nonfiction)
Steven Kellogg, Pinkerton, Behave! (1979)
Illustrated by Peter Koeppen, A Swinger of Birches (poems by Robert Frost) (original)
Edward Marshall, Space Case (1980)
Ellen Shire, The Bungling Ballerinas (original)
1982
Nonfiction
Susan Bonners, A Penguin Year
Jean Fritz, Traitor: The Case of Benedict Arnold (about Benedict Arnold)
James Howe, The Hospital Book (Mal Warshaw, photos)
Patricia Lauber, Seeds: Pop, Stick and Glide (James Wexler, photos)
Melvin B. Zisfein, Flight: A Panorama of Aviation (Robert Parker, illus.)
Fiction, hardcover
Lloyd Alexander, Westmark
Beverly Cleary, Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Deborah Hautzig, Second Star to the Right
Mildred D. Taylor, Let the Circle Be Unbroken
Cynthia Voigt, Homecoming
Fiction, paperback
Ouida Sebestyen,
Words by Heart (1979)
Lloyd Alexander, The Wizard in the Tree (1974)
Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved (1980)
Katherine Paterson, The Master Puppeteer (1975)
Picture Books, hard
Maurice Sendak, Outside Over There
Olaf Baker, illus. Stephen Gammell, Where the Buffaloes Begin
Arnold Lobel and illustrator Anita Lobel, On Market Street
Chris Van Allsburg, Jumanji
Nancy Willard and illustrators Alice and Martin Provensen, A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers
Picture Books, paper
Peter Spier,
Noah's Ark (1977)
Muriel Feelings and illustrator Tom Feelings, Jambo Means Hello: Swahili Alphabet Book (1974)
Jane Langton, The Fledgling (1980)
Traditional, illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen, A Peaceable Kingdom: The Shaker Abecedarius (original)
William Sleator and illustrator Blair Lent, The Angry Moon (1970)
Rosemary Wells, Stanley and Rhoda (original)
1981
Nonfiction
Alison Cragin Herzig and Jane Lawrence Mali, Oh, Boy! Babies
Jean Fritz, Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?
William Jaspersohn, The Ballpark
Milton Meltzer, All Time, All Peoples: A World History of Slavery
Peter Spier, People
Fiction, hardcover
Betsy Byars, The Night Swimmers
Paula Fox, A Place Apart
Katherine Paterson, Jacob Have I Loved
Ouida Sebestyen, Far From Home
Jan Slepian, The Alfred Summer
Fiction, paperback
Beverly Cleary,
Ramona and Her Mother (1979)
Lloyd Alexander, The High King (1968)
Sue Ellen Bridgers, All Together Now (1979)
S. E. Hinton, Tex (1979)
Ellen Raskin, The Westing Game (1978)
1980
Hardcover
Joan Blos, A Gathering of Days: A New England Girl's Journal, 1830–82 (fiction)
David Kherdian, The Road from Home
E. L. Konigsburg, Throwing Shadows
Ouida Sebestyen, Words by Heart
Paperback
Madeleine L'Engle,
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (1978)
Myron Levoy, Alan and Naomi (1977)
Arnold Lobel, Frog and Toad Are Friends (1970)
Katherine Paterson, The Great Gilly Hopkins (1978)
Maurice Sendak, Higglety Pigglety Pop!: Or There Must Be More to Life (1967)
The winner is listed first followed by the four other finalists.
2016: John Lewis, Nate Powell, and Andrew Aydin, March: Book Three
Kate DiCamillo, Raymie Nightingale
Grace Lin, When the Sea Turned to Silver
Jason Reynolds, Ghost
Nicola Yoon, The Sun is Also A Star
2015: Neal Shusterman, Challenger Deep
Ali Benjamin, The Thing About Jellyfish
Laura Ruby, Bone Gap
Steve Sheinkin, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War
Noelle Stevenson, Nimona
2014: Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming
Eliot Schrefer, Threatened
Steve Sheinkin, The Port Chicago 50
John Corey Whaley, Noggin
Deborah Wiles, Revolution
2013: Cynthia Kadohata, The Thing About Luck
Kathi Appelt, The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
Tom McNeal, Far Far Away
Meg Rosoff, Picture Me Gone
Gene Luen Yang, Boxers & Saints
2012: William Alexander, Goblin Secrets
Carrie Arcos, Out of Reach
Patricia McCormick, Never Fall Down
Eliot Schrefer, Endangered
Steve Sheinkin, Bomb: The Race to Build―and Steal―the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon
2011: Thanhha Lai, Inside Out & Back Again
Franny Billingsley, Chime
Debby Dahl Edwardson, My Name is Not Easy
Albert Marrin, Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy (about Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire)
Gary Schmidt, Okay for Now
2010: Kathryn Erskine, Mockingbird
Laura McNeal, Dark Water
Paolo Bacigalupi, Ship Breaker
Rita Williams-Garcia, One Crazy Summer
Walter Dean Myers, Lockdown
2009: Phillip Hoose, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (about Claudette Colvin)
Deborah Heiligman, Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith (about Emma Darwin)
David Small, Stitches (memoir)
Laini Taylor, Lips Touch: Three Times
Rita Williams-Garcia, Jumped
2008: Judy Blundell, What I Saw and How I Lied
Laurie Halse Anderson, Chains
Kathi Appelt, The Underneath
E. Lockhart, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Tim Tharp, The Spectacular Now
2007: Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (fiction)
Kathleen Duey, Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One
M. Sindy Felin, Touching Snow
Brian Selznick, The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sara Zarr, Story of a Girl
2006: M. T. Anderson, The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party
Martine Leavitt, Keturah and Lord Death
Patricia McCormick, Sold
Nancy Werlin, The Rules of Survival
Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese
2005: Jeanne Birdsall, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
Adele Griffin, Where I Want to Be
Chris Lynch, Inexcusable
Walter Dean Myers, Autobiography of My Dead Brother
Deborah Wiles, Each Little Bird That Sings
2004: Pete Hautman, Godless
Deb Caletti, Honey, Baby, Sweetheart
Laban Carrick Hill, Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance (about Harlem Renaissance)
Shelia P. Moses, The Legend of Buddy Bush
Julie Anne Peters, Luna: A Novel
2003: Polly Horvath, The Canning Season
Paul Fleischman, Breakout
Jim Murphy, An American Plague: The Time and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 (about Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793)
Richard Peck, The River Between Us
Jacqueline Woodson, Locomotion
2002: Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion
M. T. Anderson, Feed
Naomi Shihab Nye, 19 varieties of gazelle: poems of the Middle East
Elizabeth Partridge, This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie (about Woody Guthrie)
Jacqueline Woodson, Hush
2001: Virginia Euwer Wolff, True Believer
Kate DiCamillo, The Tiger Rising
Phillip Hoose, We Were There Too! Young People in U.S. History
An Na, A Step from Heaven
Marilyn Nelson, Carver: A Life in Poems (about George Washington Carver)
2000: Gloria Whelan, Homeless Bird
Adam Bagdasarian, Forgotten Fire
Michael Cadnum, The Book of the Lion
Carolyn Coman, Many Stones
Jerry Stanley, Hurry Freedom: African Americans in Gold Rush California
1999: Kimberly Willis Holt, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town
Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak
Louise Erdrich, The Birchbark House
Polly Horvath, The Trolls
Walter Dean Myers, Monster
1998: Louis Sachar, Holes
Ann Cameron, The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods
Jack Gantos, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Anita Lobel, No Pretty Pictures: A Child of War
Richard Peck, A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories
1997: Han Nolan, Dancing on the Edge
Brock Cole, The Facts Speak for Themselves
Adele Griffin, Sons of Liberty
Mary Ann McGuigan, Where You Belong
Tor Seidler, Mean Margaret
1996: Victor Martinez, Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida ("my life", fiction)
Carolyn Coman, What Jamie Saw
Nancy Farmer, A Girl Named Disaster
Helen Kim, The Long Season of Rain
Han Nolan, Send Me Down a Miracle
1984 to 1995: no awards
See Winners of multiple U.S. National Book Awards
Two authors have won two Children's or Young People's awards twice.
Lloyd Alexander won for The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian (1971) and Westmark (1982), among six titles that were finalists.
Katherine Paterson won for The Master Puppeteer (1977) and The Great Gilly Hopkins (1979), among three titles that were finalists.
Isaac Bashevis Singer won the Children's Literature award in 1970 for A Day of Pleasure: Stories of a Boy Growing up in Warsaw and shared the Fiction award in 1974 for A Crown of Feathers and Other Stories.
