They didn't get the Newbery or Caldecott but these kids' authors won big this year

The American Library Association handed out nearly two dozen awards for kids' books this week. We look at some of the winners.

Transcript

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

Two of the most meaningful words in children's literature are Caldecott and Newbery. Those are the names of prestigious medals awarded each year by the American Library Association. But they're among nearly two dozen awards the group handed out this year to books for kids. And NPR's Neda Ulaby noted a few names that just kept winning during this year's ceremony.

NEDA ULABY, BYLINE: One of the best books for teenagers in American Indian literature was...

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: "Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley.

ULABY: A member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Boulley won two other awards - best first young adult novel and an award for excellence in literature for young adults. Author Malinda Lo was only a runner-up for that award, but try not to feel too sorry for her.

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: "Last Night At The Telegraph Club," written by Malinda Lo.

ULABY: Lo won the best young adult prize for LGBT literature and...

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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: The 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature is "Last Night At The Telegraph Club," written by Malinda Lo.

ULABY: But the book for young people that received the most recognition from the American Library Association this year is called "Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre."

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CAROLE BOSTON WEATHERFORD: So we won more awards than any other book.

ULABY: Author Carole Boston Weatherford has won lots of awards. She and her collaborator, the illustrator Floyd Cooper, each won a Coretta Scott King Award this year. "Unspeakable" was also a Caldecott honor book and a runner-up for the Robert Sibert Award. But Weatherford says the biggest reward for her is when a child reads about this piece of history and starts asking questions.

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WEATHERFORD: Did that really happen, or why did that happen?

ULABY: A book about the Tulsa Race Massacre could be banned in a number of states these days, she warns, because some legislators might see it as critical race theory. Weatherford was looking forward to working on her next book with Floyd Cooper, but he died in July of cancer. He was 65 years old.

Neda Ulaby, NPR News. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.