The Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards have celebrated excellence in children’s books, middle grade and young adult novels since 1967. In an age of book bans and increased scrutiny on what children and young adults are reading, it’s imperative that awards like these continue to shine a light on new releases for young readers. The three winners and six Honor books in the Picture Books, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction categories, serve the essential purpose of educating children, enriching their lives and opening their eyes to others’ experiences and perspectives.
Every year, the awards are selected by an independent panel of judges, and the winners and honorees will be celebrated this coming October. This year, the judges were Erica Marks, chair of the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards and the Senior Director of Outreach and Programming at Cleveland Public Library; Martha V. Parravano, the Contributing Editor of The Horn Book, Inc.; and Roger Sutton, the Editor in Chief Emeritus of The Horn Book, Inc.
To watch the full livestream of the awards, you can click the link here.
Without further ado, here are the 2023 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winners!
PICTURE BOOKS:
When You Can Swim by Jack Wong (Orchard Books/Scholastic Inc.)
The perfect summer read, When You Can Swim celebrates the joy and freedom that comes with diving into the local pool, floating atop a sunny lake or splashing through the ocean surf. It’s an experience many children look forward to as the days get longer and hotter — but what about the kids who shy away from water? No matter where nervous swimmers are on their journey, When You Can Swim assures them that there’s fun to be found in the water, whenever they’re ready. With evocative illustrations of summer fun, When You Can Swim isn’t just for beginners looking to dip their toes into the water — it’s for everyone, young and old, to enjoy the fun that comes with a great day in the water.
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And the Honor books are …
- Remember by Joy Harjo; illustrated by Michaela Goade (Random House Studio/Random House Children’s Books)
- Standing in the Need of Prayer: A Modern Retelling of the Classic Spiritual by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Frank Morrison (Crown Books for Young Readers/Random House Children’s Books)
FICTION AND POETRY:
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
Angeline Boulley, author of the award-winning Firekeeper’s Daughter, brings her all in this new bestseller. Perry Firekeeper-Birch is always happiest on Sugar Island, alongside her twin sister and her Anishinaabe community. But outside forces threaten the place and people she loves — nearby cases of missing Indigenous women are moving closer and closer to the island, along with grave robbers looking to plunder the ancestral lands. And when her family is thrust into the spotlight from a murder investigation, Perry must act fast to protect the people she loves and the place she calls home. Grappling with the very real crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, Boulley creates an electrifying story of family, community and the full scope of selfishness and selflessness that humanity is capable of.
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And the Honor books are …
- Promise Boys by Nick Brooks (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
- When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhhà Lại (Harper/HarperCollins Children’s Books)
NONFICTION:
Sunshine by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Graphix/Scholastic Inc.)
Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author-illustrator of the graphic memoir Hey, Kiddo, is back with another powerful story based on his own life experience. At age sixteen, Krosoczka spends time as a counselor at Camp Sunshine: a camp for children with serious illnesses, along with their families. At first, everyone around Krosoczka is skeptical — wouldn’t working at such a place be depressing? But life among the kids at Camp Sunshine soon turns out to be anything but. Krosoczka finds himself in a place imbued with hope, courage and the celebration of life. Being a counselor at Camp Sunshine is no easy feat, but it turns out to be an invaluable experience that forever changes his life. Sunshine is sure to linger with readers far past the last page.
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And the Honor books are …
- H Is for Harlem by Dinah Johnson; illustrated by April Harrison (Christy Ottaviano Books/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
- Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy; illustrated by Janelle Washington (Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
