Congratulations to the 2023 YMA Winners and Honorees

Congratulations to the 2023 Youth Media Awards (YMAs) winners and honorees, especially those from Southern California*. On January 30, 2023, the American Library Association announced the winners of the YMAs, as well as the ALA Affiliate Awards (the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature and the Sydney Taylor Book Award). For a full list of winners, view the press release and www.ala.org/yma.

* If you believe we missed any Southern California creators on this list, please contact publicity@childrensliteraturecouncil.org.

These titles are available to borrow from libraries and to purchase wherever books are sold. You may also wish to support CLCSC by purchasing copies through our Bookshop links.

Founder and executive director of the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature (CSMCL), retired librarian, former bookseller, and our very own 2022 CLCSC Awards Ceremony keynote speaker Dr. Claudette McLinn won the Coretta Scott King – Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. The memorial award is presented in odd years “to a practitioner for substantial contributions through active engagement with youth using award-winning African American literature” for young people. (Source)

Find out more about Dr. McLinn and CSMCL at https://www.csmcl.org. For more information about the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award, visit https://www.ala.org/rt/cskbart/virginia-hamilton-award-lifetime-achievement. For more information about the beloved author Virginia Hamilton, in whose memory the award is named, visit https://www.virginiahamilton.com.

Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee won a Newbery Honor and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature.

Twelve year-old Maizy discovers her family’s Chinese restaurant is full of secrets in this irresistible novel that celebrates food, fortune, and family. (Penguin Random House)

Lisa Yee divides her time between Massachusetts and Southern California. Find out more about Lisa at http://www.lisayee.com.

Read about the Newbery Awards at https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newbery. For details about the APALA Literature Awards, visit https://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/.

A Seed Grows by Antoinette Portis garnered both a Sibert Honor and a Geisel Honor.

From tiny seed to a huge, fold-out bloom, the transformative life cycle of a sunflower plays out in this bold read-aloud. (Penguin Random House)

Learn about Antoinette Portis on her website, https://www.antoinetteportis.com.

Click these links to learn more about the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award.

Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by LA-based author Angela Joy and illustrated by Janelle Washington won a Sibert Honor. Illustrator Janelle Washington is based in Virginia, and also received the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award and a Caldecott Honor for this title.

A Caldecott-honor winning picture book biography of the mother of Emmett Till, and how she channeled grief over her son's death into a call to action for the civil rights movement. (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan)

To read more about the author, visit https://www.angelajoybooks.com. To learn about the illustrator, go to https://www.washingtoncuts.com.

For more about the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award, and the Randolph Caldecott Medal, visit the preceding links.

Abuela, Don't Forget Me by Rex Ogle was named a Finalist for YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

Rex Ogle’s companion to Free Lunch and Punching Bag weaves humor, heartbreak, and hope into life-affirming poems that honor his grandmother’s legacy. (W.W. Norton)

Read all about Rex Ogle at https://www.rexogle.com.

For information about the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, visit https://www.ala.org/yalsa/nonfiction-award.

Troublemaker by John Cho was named the Honor title for the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.

Troublemaker follows the events of the LA Riots through the eyes of 12-year-old Jordan as he navigates school and family. This book will highlight the unique Korean American perspective. (LBYR/Hachette)

Although John Cho does not maintain an author website, you may find more info on Instagram and Twitter. More about Canadian co-author Sarah Suk can be found at https://www.sarahsuk.com.

For further details about the APALA Literature Awards, visit https://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/.

Of the ten Alex Awards winners, two authors were from Southern California:

**Jeanette McCurdy**, author of ***I'm Glad My Mom Died***

A heartbreaking and hilarious memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor—including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother—and how she retook control of her life. (Simon & Schuster)

Read about Jennette McCurdy on her website, https://www.jennettemccurdy.com.

***The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.*** by **James Spooner** (Photo credit: Lisa Nola)

A formative coming-of-age graphic memoir by the creator of Afro-punk: a young man’s immersive reckoning with identity, racism, clumsy teen love and belonging in an isolated California desert, and a search for salvation and community through punk. (HarperCollins)

James Spooner’s work can be seen at https://www.spoonersnofun.com.

The Alex Awards are given to books written for adults that have a special appeal to young adults, ages 12 to 18. Learn more about the awards and the other winners at https://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards.

Two Southern California creators won Pura Belpre Illustration Honors.

Magic: Once Upon a Faraway Land by Mirelle Ortega

In her acclaimed debut as author and illustrator, Mirelle Ortega shares her own story of growing up near her family’s pineapple farm in Mexico, where she learned the true meaning of magic. (Abrams)

Check out Mirelle Ortega’s work at https://www.mirelleortega.com.

Phenomenal AOC: The Roots and Rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by Anika Aldamuy Denise, Illustrated by Loris Lora

In 2019, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman in America. How did this young Puertoriqueña become an unstoppable force in politics? Find out in this accessible and engaging book for young readers. (HarperCollins)

For more info about the work of Loris Lora, visit her website, https://www.lorislora.com.

To learn about Rhode Island author Anika Aldamuy Denise, check out https://www.anikadenise.com.

Read about Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at New York Public Library, the award established in her name, and other winners at https://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpre.

Congratulations to all the winners!

This list and blog post has been compiled by members of the 2023 CLCSC Communications Committee.

26th Annual Charlotte S. Huck Children’s Literature Festival - March 3-4, 2023

2022 CLCSC Awards - Acceptance Speech by Winner Paula Yoo