Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards Announced at BookExpo

On Wednesday, May 31, booksellers, publishers, and other book industry professionals attended the Silent Art Auction at BookExpo 2017, where they watched the presentation of the 10th annual Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards and bid on works of art from more than 125 children’s book illustrators.

The event was sponsored by the American Booksellers Association and the Children’s Book Council (CBC); the proceeds will benefit American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) and Every Child a Reader.

Gene Luen Yang, the Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, announced the Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards, as determined by the votes of children and teens across the U.S. Voting ended on May 7, the last day of Children’s Book Week, which celebrated its 98th year from May 1 to 7.

“As the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, it’s my job to get both more kids reading and kids reading more,” said Yang. “In other words, it’s my job to get kids to love books. And the reason why I’m so thrilled to be a part of tonight is that we get to honor authors and illustrators who make my job easier. They make books that are super easy to love.”

The 2017 Children’s & Teen Choice Book Awards winners are:

K–2nd Grade Book of the Year: Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp (Peachtree Publishers)

3rd–4th Grade Book of the Year: Once Upon an Elephant by Linda Stanek and Shennen Bersani (Illus.) (Arbordale Publishing)

5th–6th Grade Book of the Year: The Misadventures of Max Crumbly 1: Locker Hero by Rachel Renée Russell, with Nikki Russell and Erin Russell (Aladdin/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)

Teen Book of the Year: The Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Henry Holt and Co./Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)

Winners and finalists for the Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards will mingle with booksellers during a special reception in the ABA Member Lounge & Galley Room on the trade show floor on Friday, June 2, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.