Latest News

THE CHILDREN’S & TEEN CHOICE BOOK AWARDS FINALISTS

August 13, 2020

The finalists for the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, now in its 13th year, were announced in PW Children’s Bookshelf on August 11.

Seven finalists in each of four categories will be voted on by kids and teens across the country from September 14 to November 15 online — voting link to come.

A video series, in partnership with KidLit TV, featuring the finalist and their creators will be released in October and brand new downloadable activities will be available soon!

See this year’s finalists below and encourage the kids in your care to read the books and get ready to voice their choice this fall.

Kindergarten – 2nd Grade Book of the Year

  • Babysitter from Another Planet. Written and illustrated by Stephen Savage. (Holiday House / Neal Porter Books)
  • Bear Came Along. By Richard T. Morris. Illus. LeUyen Pham. (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
  • The Good Egg. By Jory John. Illus. Pete Oswald. (HarperCollins)
  • I Am a Tiger. By Karl Newson. Illus. Ross Collins. (Scholastic)
  • I Am Love: A Book of Compassion. By Susan Verde and Peter Reynolds (Abrams Books for Young Readers)
  • No Place Like Home. Written and illustrated by Ronojoy Ghosh. (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers)
  • The Perfect Sofa. Written and illustrated by Fifi Kuo (Little Bee Books)

3rd – 4th Grade Book of the Year

  • Chapter Two Is Missing. By Josh Lieb. (Penguin / Razorbill)
  • The Immortal Jellyfish. Written and illustrated by Sang Miao. (Nobrow /Flying Eye Books)
  • The Karate Kid. By John G. Avildsen, Kim Smith, Robert Mark Kamen. Illus. Kim Smith. (Quirk Books)
  • Mr. Posey’s New Glasses. By Ted Kooser. Illus. Daniel Duncan. (Candlewick Press)
  • Science You Can Eat: 20 Activities that Put Food Under the Microscope. By Stefan Gates. (DK)
  • The Seekers. By Hari Panicker & Deepti Nair. (Random House / Alfred A. Knopf BFYR)
  • Undefeated. By Kwame Alexander. Illus. Kadir Nelson. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / Versify)

5th – 6th Grade Book of the Year

  • Earth. By Steve Jenkins. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers)
  • Guts. By Raina Telgemeier. (Scholastic / Graphix)
  • Hicotea. Written and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez. (Nobrow / Flying Eye Books)
  • Pandora’s Legacy. By Bones Leopard. Illus. Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews. (BOOM! Studios / KaBOOM!)
  • Pilu of the Woods. Written and illustrated by Mai K. Nguyen. (Oni Press)
  • Rising Water: The Story of the Thai Cave Rescue. By Marc Aronson. (Simon & Schuster / Atheneum BFYR)
  • Survivors of the Holocaust: True Stories of Six Extraordinary Children. Edited by Kath Shackleton. Illus. Zane Whittingham. (Sourcebooks eXplore)

Teen Book of the Year

  • Are You Listening? Written and illustrated by Tillie Walden. (Macmillan Children’s / First Second)
  • Beast Rider. By Tony Johnston & Maria Elena Fontanot De Rhoads (ABRAMS / Amulet)
  • The Field Guide to the North American Teenager. By Ben Phillippe. (HarperCollins / Balzer + Bray)
  • Frankly in Love. By David Yoon. (Penguin / G.P. Putnam’s Sons BFYR)
  • It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime. By Trevor Noah. (Random House / Delacorte BFYR)
  • Mirror, Mirror: A Twisted Tale. By Jen Calonita. (Disney Book Group / Hyperion)
  • Watch Us Rise. By Renée Watson and Ellen Hagan. (Bloomsbury YA)

About the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards

The Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards are the only national book awards voted on solely by kids and teens. Launched in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader, the awards provide young readers with an opportunity to voice their opinions about the books being written for them. Finalists titles are determined through the Children’s Choices and Young Adults’ Choices programs in partnership with the International Literacy Association.

Back to top