Must-Read Award Winning MG and Children’s Books

When two prestigious book award selection committees choose the same books as winners, add them to your TBR list!

Activism and seeking justice are themes this week in picture books and middle grade fiction.

In November, the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children named Mascot written by Charles Waters and Traci Sorrell, (Charlesbridge Press) and That Flag written by Tameka Fryer Brown and illustrated by Nikkolas Smith (HarperCollins) as Honor Books.

Tameka Fryer Brown and me, NCTE 2024

Last week, the 2024 Jane Addams Children’s Book Awards were announced and both books received awards. In the middle grade text Mascot, the author examines school traditions with themes of discrimination and right-and-wrong. In That Flag, Fryer Brown also examines symbols with themes of friendship and historical significance.

Nikkolas Smith’s brilliant and beautiful The Artivist is also an award winner and a 2023 Kirkus Review Best Book. This picture book addresses themes of injustice and activism and was easily a 5-star book on my Goodreads.

Another Jane Addams awardee that received 5 stars from me was World Made of Glass by Ami Polonsky (Little, Brown and Company). This middle grade text takes a courageous step to address the prejudice and misinformation around AIDS in the 1980s. Heart-breaking and unforgettable are two words I would use to describe the text, which I listened to on audio.

All of these books are inspirational, thought-provoking, and will make a great addition to classroom and personal libraries!

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