Newbery medal for best children's book is given to Erin Entrada Kelly's 'The First State of Being'

[January 28, 2025]  NEW YORK (AP) — Erin Entrada Kelly's “The First State of Being,” a coming-of-age story that blends time travel and the approaching millennium of the year 2000, has won the John Newbery Medal for the year's outstanding children's book. The Randolph Caldecott Medal for best picture story went to “Chooch Helped,” a tale of Cherokee siblings illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz and written by Andrea L. Rogers. 

Chanel Miller's “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” was a runner-up for the Newbery prize. Miller is also the author of “Know My Name,” her acclaimed memoir about being sexually assaulted on the Stanford University campus.

The awards were announced Monday by the American Library Association, which has gathered in Phoenix for “LibLearnX: The Library Learning Experience.”

Jason Reynolds' “Twenty-four Seconds from Now ..." received the Coretta Scott Award for a work by a Black author, and the King prize for illustration went to “My Daddy Is a Cowboy,” illustrated by C.G. Esperanza and written by Stephanie Seales. Carolyn L. Garnes, a longtime library director and founder of the nonprofit Aunt Lil’s Reading Room, won the King/Virginia Hamilton Award for lifetime achievement.

“Brownstone,” written by Samuel Teer and illustrated by Mar Julia won the Michael L. Printz Award for young adult literature. Jes and Cin Wibowo's “Lunar Boy” won the Stonewall Award for best LGBTQ children's book, and Jonny Garza Villa's “Canto Contigo" won the Stonewall award for young adult stories.

Three Pura Belpré Awards for Latino writers and illustrators were announced: “Abuelo, the Sea, and Me," illustrated by Tatiana Gardel and written by Ismée Williams, won for illustration; Karla Arenas Valenti's “Lola” was cited in the best children's author category; and the young adult award was given to Carolina Ixta's ““Shut Up, This Is Serious.”

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