Every year before the winners of American Library Association's Youth Media Awards are announced, our teen librarians come together to honor some of our favorite titles of the year while discovering new books to recommend to you! Here are the 2018 winners as selected by our staff.
Mock Printz Award for Literary Excellence
Winner: Sadie: Haunting and super creepy, this is a story of loss, lies and betrayal wrapped in a tale of two sisters. After Sadie’s little sister Maddie is murdered, she takes off to find the killer and get revenge. When Sadie’s car is found abandoned outside their Colorado trailer park, a podcast called “The Girls” investigates clues to find Sadie in this gritty, suspenseful thriller.
Honor Books: Damsel and Munmun
Mock Morris Award for Best Debut Novel
Winner: The Poet X: In this empowering novel in verse set in New York's Harlem neighborhood, Xiomara starts to question her family's Catholic beliefs. When she joins a poetry slam club at school, she finds her voice and speaks out about the sexism and racism she faces as a young Dominican woman.
Honor Books: Blood Water Paint and The Astonishing Color of After
Mock Eisner Award for Best Comic Published for Teens 13 to 19
Winner: The Prince and the Dressmaker: In this vibrantly illustrated story about gender fluidity, Prince Sebastian longs to wear couture gowns even though his parents want him to find a bride. The dressmaker, his friend Frances, must decide whether to compromise her career ambitions to keep Sebastian's secret.
Honor Books: Speak and Hey, Kiddo
Mock Excellence in Manga for Teens
Winner: Silver Spoon: Yuugo flees the city and signs up for classes at Ooezo Agricultural High School because he thinks he'll be able to slack off. Little does he expect the challenges of caring for horses, cows and chickens, or the bonding with his new classmates to change his mind about the countryside.
Honor Books: Dead Dead Demon's Dededede Destruction and Again!!
The Youth Media Awards winners will be announced January 28.
What was your favorite teen book of 2018?
Add a comment to: CPL’s 2018 Teen Mock Book Awards