On Thursday, June 20, 2024 at 12 pm EDT, Horn Book Editor in Chief Elissa Gershowitz announced the 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners. If you want to relive the excitement, you can watch the archived video here:

2024 BOSTON GLOBE–HORN BOOK AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

Prestigious Program Honors Excellence in Literature for Children and Young Adults

Boston, MA — June 20, 2024 — The Horn Book, Inc., established in 1924 and now celebrating its centennial anniversary, has announced the 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners. First presented in 1967, the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards celebrate excellence in children’s and young adult literature.

Winners and honor books were selected in the following categories: Picture Book; Fiction; and Nonfiction and Poetry. In addition, a Special Citation was awarded. The winning titles must be first U.S. editions of books published between June 2023 and May 2024 but may be written or illustrated by citizens of any country.

“Congratulations to the Horn Book on reaching 100 years,” said Linda Henry, CEO of the 152-year-old Boston Globe Media. “The Boston Globe has been honored to partner with the Horn Book for almost sixty of those years to recognize the talent and creativity of children’s book authors, illustrators, and luminaries. We are delighted to continue the tradition of the prestigious Boston Globe–Horn Book honor and celebrate the authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult’s literature.”

“This is a very special year for the Horn Book, and this slate of Boston Globe–Horn Book awardees—bold, daring, emotional, and authentic—reflects that uniqueness,” said Elissa Gershowitz, Editor in Chief of the Horn Book. “And we are awarding our first Special Citation since 2008. The fluidity of genre is particularly exciting."

"As we look back at the past 100 years, and into the future, we are extremely grateful for the longstanding partnership with the Boston Globe on this program," said Rebecca T. Miller, Publisher of the Horn Book. "As we evolve, we are excited to support the vibrant children’s literature industry broadly through our editorial coverage and specifically through the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards.”

The 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners are:

PICTURE BOOK AWARD WINNER:

Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith (Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House)

Read the Horn Book's review.

FICTION AWARD WINNER:

Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House)

Read the Horn Book's review.

NONFICTION AND POETRY:

NONFICTION AWARD WINNER:

The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity by Nicholas Day; illustrated by Brett Helquist (Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House)

Read the Horn Book's review.

POETRY AWARD WINNER:

Kin: Rooted in Hope by Carole Boston Weatherford; illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

Read the Horn Book's review.

SPECIAL CITATION:

The New Brownies’ Book: A Love Letter to Black Families by Karida L. Brown and Charly Palmer (Chronicle Books)

Read the Horn Book's review.

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PICTURE BOOK HONOR BOOKS:

• I’m From by Gary R. Gray, Jr.; illustrated by Oge Mora (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
• Ode to a Bad Day by Chelsea Lin Wallace; illustrated by Hyewon Yum (Chronicle Books)

Read the Horn Book's reviews.

FICTION HONOR BOOKS:

• The Blood Years by Elana K. Arnold (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)
• Rez Ball by Byron Graves (Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Read the Horn Book's reviews.

NONFICTION AND POETRY HONOR BOOK:

• Fungi Grow by Maria Gianferrari; illustrated by Diana Sudyka (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division)

Read the Horn Book's review.

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The awards are chosen by an independent panel of three judges appointed by the Horn Book Editor in Chief. The 2024 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards judges are: chair Cathryn Mercier, Director, Children’s Literature, Simmons University in Boston, MA; Katrina Hedeen Eftekhari, former editor at the Horn Book, Inc., and a children's librarian at the Medfield (MA) Public Library; and Rodney Fierce, a Humanities teacher at Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa, CA.

Winners and honorees will be celebrated during the month of October.

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About Boston Globe Media

Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC ("BGMP") is a 152-year-old modern multimedia organization that provides award-winning news, entertainment, and commentary across multiple brands and platforms. BGMP offers leading integrated advertising solutions that connect communities, ideas, and causes through powerful storytelling and multimedia experiences. BGMP properties include The Boston Globe, Globe.com, Boston.com, STAT, Globe Publishing Services, Globe Events, and Studio/B.

About The Horn Book, Inc.

First published in 1924, The Horn Book Magazine provides its readership with in-depth reviews of the best new books for children and young adults as well as articles, interviews, and editorials. The Horn Book website, hbook.com, provides digital access to the Magazine and additional content including commentary, more reviews, and recommended reading lists. The Horn Book Magazine is a publication of Media Source, Inc., which is also the parent company of Library Journal, School Library Journal, Junior Library Guild, and AKJ Education. For more information, visit hbook.com.

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For reviews of the winning titles and more, click on the tag BGHB24.