2023 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature

Winner: "In this graphic memoir, readers learn that Dan is a good kid who is used to being made fun of, which is why he’s not particularly eager to go on a class trip to Europe. Much to his surprise, in that same trip, Dan experiences a series of life-changing firsts—his first sip of Fanta, first time listening to French rap, first time getting lost in a foreign country, and first time falling in love."

Big (Caldecott Medal Winner & Coretta Scott King Honor Title)

Finalist: "Self-love is at the heart of Big, a picture book written and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. Big is the story of a little girl with a big heart and big dreams who—on the playground and in ballet class—learns that 'big' doesn’t always have a positive connotation. Harrison deftly addresses the adultification of Black girls and anti-fatness, while offering readers an important reminder that words matter and that it’s okay for bodies to take up space."

Gather

Finalist: "In Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow, Ian Gray fights to maintain his family’s home, find a job, and care for his mother as she recovers from her opioid addiction—all the while adopting Gather, a stray dog he isn’t supposed to have. Cadow’s debut novel is a coming-of-age story based in rural Vermont about the importance of resiliency, survival, and companionship."

The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine (National Book Award Finalist)

Finalist: "The Lost Year interrogates a chapter of Ukrainian history, following 13-year-old Matthew as he uncovers a family secret tracing back to Holodomor, a government-imposed famine that led to the death of millions of Ukrainians. Katherine Marsh guides the reader through alternating timelines that link three cousins through 1930s Ukraine, 1930s Brooklyn, and present-day New Jersey to weave together a story about survivor’s guilt, sacrifice, and resistance."

Huda F Cares?: (National Book Award Finalist)

Finalist: "During her family’s road trip from Dearborn, Michigan to Orlando, Florida, Huda can’t help but feel self-conscious when it seems like all eyes are on her visibly Muslim family during rest stops, prayer time, and at Disney World. Huda Fahmy’s graphic novel Huda F Cares? is a story about self-acceptance, proudly practicing your faith, and the joys and embarrassments of sisterhood."

Simon Sort of Says: Newbery Honor Award Winner

Longlist: "In Simon Sort of Says, when Simon O’Keeffe becomes the only survivor of a school shooting, he and his family move to a town in the United States where the internet, and all electronic devices, are banned: the National Quiet Zone. Erin Bow’s novel is a tribute to the power of friendship and the courage it takes to pursue joy in a world of violence."

Forget Me Not

Longlist: "In Alyson Derrick’s solo authorial debut, Stevie loses her memory after a devastating fall, erasing the past two years of her life: her plans to escape her conservative hometown, coming to terms with her queer identity, and even her girlfriend, Nora. Forget Me Not explores the inevitability of fate and the significance of having to choose the one you love all over again."

Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day (a Graphic Novel)

Longlist: "Complete with graphs, maps, and diagrams, this nonfiction graphic novel written and illustrated by Dan Nott explores hidden systems’ impacts on the environment, the structural inequities they magnify, and the changes we must all embrace now in order to improve our future."

Parachute Kids: A Graphic Novel

Longlist: "In Parachute Kids, Feng-Li and her two siblings are excited to visit the United States for the first time, but at the end of their monthlong vacation they find out that their parents plan to return to Taiwan, leaving the siblings in California with family friends. In this graphic novel by Betty C. Tang, the siblings learn to live with each other as they navigate racist bullies, grasp a new language, and are thrust headfirst into American culture."

More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Longlist: "[The book] takes readers on a journey that looks beyond Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to explore the March on Washington’s often overlooked radical roots. Using photos and reports from Black newspapers, Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long focus on the role of Black women activists who made the protest possible and connect the demands for jobs and freedom from six decades ago to today’s continued fight for economic and racial justice."