These ALA Award Winners deserve a place in all libraries—in all formats! Check those holds and confidently recommend the Listening Library/BOT audio editions of the best in children’s publishing from Newbery Honors, to the Printz Winner, and many more! View all winners and watch a video of the announcement that took place at LibLearnX in New Orleans on January 30, 2023 here. Hear why the audio editions of these award winners are vital additions to any school and library.
Click here to learn about our 2023 Odyssey Honor-winning audiobook, THE FIRST HELPING! (Lunch Lady Books 1 & 2) by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, read by Kate Flannery, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and a Full Cast.
Click here to view a collection of all 24 of the ALA Award Winners listed below. Keep reading for award details and audiobook reviews.
Newbery Honor Books
By Andrea Beatriz Arango
Read by Raquel Merediz
“Narrator Raquel Merediz shines with warmth and compassion in this moving performance. . .Merediz compassionately voices all the characters in an emotionally demanding performance. She jumps from English to Puerto-Rican Spanish seamlessly. Her vocal range is very impressive, and she successfully portrays characters of a variety of ages and genders.”—AudioFile
Also the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature
By Lisa Yee
Read by Yu-Li Alice Shen
“Narrator Yu-Li Alice Shen brings multiple facets to her portrayal of 11-year-old Maizy Chen… Shen’s character depth is necessary as Maizy has much to understand… The author’s afterword offers personal and historical viewpoints that further contextualize the story.”—AudioFile
Printz Award Winner
By Sabaa Tahir
Read by Deepti Gupta, Kamran R. Khan, & Kausar Mohammed
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • AUDIBLE’S BEST AUDIOBOOK OF 2022
“We were swept away by Sabaa Tahir’s ALL MY RAGE. . . No three voices have ever won our hearts quite like Misbah, Noor, and Sal—first as they broke them, and then (mercifully) put them back together. Beautifully performed.”—Audible
“Telling the story from the perspectives of Misbah (Salahudin’s mother), Salahudin, and Noor, the cast delivers performances true to the full emotional journey of each, the challenges they face, and the bond that connects them.”—Booklist
“A stellar trio of narrators delivers the alternating viewpoints in this superb contemporary debut by YA fantasy author Sabaa Tahir.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
Coretta Scott King Awards
*CORETTA SCOTT KING – AUTHOR HONOR BOOK*
By Ibi Zoboi
Read by Robin Miles & Ibi Zoboi
“Narrator Robin Miles’s smooth and honeyed voice alternates with Zoboi’s higher, lighter pitch as the two make the most of the text’s poetry and prose.”—AudioFile
*CORETTA SCOTT KING – ILLUSTRATOR BOOK WINNER*
Written and read by Carole Boston Weatherford
“Weatherford’s latest deserves to be appreciated in every medium: the ideal experience combines both the print title (and Frank Morrison’s spectacularly vivid art) with Weatherford’s own unforgettable recitation. . . Weatherford brilliantly adapts the original lyrics. . . [and] wondrously sings her radiant achievement. Resonating enchantment awaits.”—School Library Journal, starred review
Schneider Family Book Award Winners
* SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD YOUNG CHILDREN’S WINNER*
By Shannon Stocker
Read by Elle Newlands
“Read with an appealing Scots lilt, this inspiring story about Scottish Evelyn Glennie is powerful… As Evelyn plays each percussion instrument (drums, chimes, cymbals, or marimba), its sound is reproduced with the accompanying instrument. Also, the narrator voices the sounds Evelyn ‘hears’ with creative authenticity… This is a positive and powerful message for anyone who lives with a disability.”—Booklist
*SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD FOR TEENS*
By Erin Stewart
Read by Phoebe Strole
“Narrator Phoebe Strole’s youthful tone captures 16-year-old Lily Larkin… Strole’s strong characterizations of major and minor characters create an empowering message about voicing the words that matter.”—AudioFile
Alex Award Winners
By Sophie Irwin
Read by Eleanor Tomlinson
“Narrator Tomlinson portrays the realistic personalities of Irwins’s characters, adding that touch of entitlement to their upper-class speech.”—Booklist, starred review
Written and read by Javier Zamora
“Javier Zamora narrates his memoir with a singular power… Zamora conveys this heartrending listening experience with quiet, beautiful humanity.”—AudioFile Earphones Award[/product]
By Sara Novic
Read by Lisa Flanagan & Kaleo Griffith
“Flanagan clearly distinguishes each character’s gender and age, believably rendering their range of feelings… A subtle sound effect successfully distinguishes ASL from English.”—AudioFile
Congrats to Jason Reynolds, recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
By Jason Reynolds
Read by Guy Lockard
“Listeners will be delighted with this superhero story.”—AudioFile
“Guy Lockard provides a compelling narration.”—School Library Journal
By Jason Reynolds
Read by JB Adkins
“Reynolds’ debut novel is read with refreshing authenticity by Adkins, who effortlessly sounds like an urban teen… Adkins’ narration of this recommended title is comfortable, relaxed, and authentic.”—Booklist (Named a YALSA Amazing Audiobook 2015)
Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book
By Cao Wenxuan
Read by Catherine Ho
From acclaimed Chinese author Cao Wenxuan, recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, comes a compelling family saga spanning fifty years and three generations.Ah-Mei and her French grandmother, Nainai, share a rare bond. Maybe it’s because Ah-Mei is the only girl grandchild.
Pura Belpré Children’s Author Honor Books
By Stephen Briseño
Read by María José Zuniga
“The talented and capable María José Zuniga narrates this story about kindness at the Mexican-American border… Zuniga skillfully switches between a Mexican accent to a neutral American accent, making the English dialogue in the audiobook sound authentic. Words and phrases in Spanish are spoken in a perfect Mexican accent… The production starts and ends with Mexican music.”—AudioFile Earphones Award
By Celia C. Pérez
Read by Victoria Villarreal
“First, Villarreal shows the contentment of 12-year-old Adela… Villarreal allows listeners a view of how Adela’s life is upended… [and] makes credible the intimacy and warmth of Adela’s newfound family.”—AudioFile
Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
Georgia Gilmore and the Montgomery Bus Boycott
By Mara Rockliff
Read by Rosa Howard
“With even pacing and crystal-clear diction, narrator Rosa Howard embodies the charisma and conviction of one woman who stepped up to do what she could during the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955-56… Howard’s voice, rich and warm, strong but relatable, conveys the big heart of an ordinary woman who answered the call to help her community fight injustice.”—AudioFile
Stonewall Award Honor Books
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE HONORS
By Mariama J. Lockington
Read by Yinka Ladeinde & Imani Jade Powers
From the author of the critically acclaimed novel For Black Girls Like Me, Mariama J. Lockington, comes a coming-of-age story surrounding the losses that threaten to break us and the friendships that make us whole again. Thirteen-year-old Andi feels stranded after the loss of her mother, the artist who swept color onto Andi’s blank canvas.
By Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, & Joe Wilson
Read by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu
An Indigenous legend about how four extraordinary individuals of dual male and female spirit, or Mahu, brought healing arts from Tahiti to Hawaii, based on the Academy Award–contending short film.In the 15th century, four Mahu sail from Tahiti to Hawaii and share their gifts of science and healing with the people of Waikiki.
YOUNG ADULT HONORS
By R. Eric Thomas
Read by Torian Brackett
“Torian Brackett’s joyful, ebullient narration sets the tone for this YA novel… Brackett’s perfect narration—he truly sounds like two different teenage boys—makes this fantastic book even better.”—AudioFile
By Cory McCarthy
Read by E.R. Fightmaster
“E.R. Fightmaster’s performance is the perfect example of the unique magic that happens when a great narrator is paired with the perfect book… Like the author, Fightmaster is nonbinary, making this performance all the more heartfelt.”—AudioFile
William C. Morris Award
WINNER
By Isaac Blum
Read by Josh Bloomberg
“Josh Bloomberg’s resonant voice is perfect for 15-year-old Hoodie Rosen… Bloomberg guides listeners expertly through Jewish terms and traditions, Hoodie’s experience of first love, and the hatred mounting in a conflicted community.”—AudioFile
FINALIST
By Andrew Joseph White
Read by Shaan Dasani, Graham Halstead, & Avi Roque
“Three narrators deliver a chilling apocalyptic story… haunting, visceral audio.”—AudioFile
Sydney Taylor Book Award
SILVER MEDALIST – YOUNG ADULT HONOR
By Hannah Reynolds
Read by Emily Lawrence
“The pair’s evolving relationship plays out amid their families’ Hanukkah and Christmas traditions in scenes that allow listeners to share in the warmth and hilarity of holiday gatherings large and small.”—AudioFile
