Booklists & Suggestions

Award	Description
ALA Notable lists	Books that are of especially commendable quality for youth through age 14.
Alex Awards	Books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults age 12-18.
ALSC Awards	Our network of members share knowledge, evaluate books & media for young people, and advocate for better library service to children.
Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults	Notable audio recordings.
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature	Honors and recognizes individual works about Asian/Pacific Americans and their heritage, based on literary and artistic merit.
Best Fiction for Young Adults	For readers ages 12 to 18.
Boston Globe-Hornbook Award	Authors and illustrators of children’s and young adult books.
Caldecott Award	The most distinguished American picture books for children.
Capitol Choices	Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (Every year the top 100 books are selected by Washington, DC metropolitan area librarians).
Cardinal Cup Award	To celebrate titles that honor the diverse history of the United States.
Children’s Literature Legacy Award	Honors an author or illustrator whose books have made a lasting contribution to literature for children; awarded every 2 years.
Coretta Scott King Book Awards	Outstanding African-American authors and illustrators.
Great Graphic Novels for Teens	Excellent quality and appealing reading for teens ages 12 to 18.
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Outstanding Literature for Young Adults	Honors an author’s specific body of work that has been popular over a period of time.
Michael L. Printz Award	Literary excellence in young adult literature.
Mildred L. Batchelder Award	Most outstanding children’s book originally published in a language other than English.
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children	Excellence in writing nonfiction for children.
Newbery Award	The most distinguished contribution to American literature for youth up to age 14.
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production	Awarded to the producer of the best audiobook for youth available in English.
Pura Belpre Award	Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work celebrates the Latino cultural experience for youth.
Reading Makes Cents	Reading Makes Cents is a financial literacy reading program, available to K-8 students and librarians across the state of Virginia.
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal	Is awarded annually to the author(s) and illustrator(s) of the most distinguished informational book published in the United States in English during the preceding year.
Schneider Family Book Award	Honors an author or illustrator whose book embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for youth.
Scott O’Dell Award	Author of a distinguished work of historical fiction set in America for young people.
Stonewall Book Award	Awarded for exceptional merit relating to the GLBT experience.
Sydney Taylor Book Award	Recognizes the best in children’s literature of Jewish.
Teens Top Ten	Teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year.
Theodore Seuss Geisel Award	Awards authors and illustrators of the most distinguished American book for beginning readers.
Virginia Readers’ Choice	Noteworthy titles, grouped in four levels, chosen by the Virginia Assoc. of School Librarians, Va. Library Assoc., and the Library of Va. Youth Services.
Virginia Reads	VA READS is the official book award and a program of the Virginia Association of School Librarians.
William C. Morris Young Adult Debut Award	Honors a debut book by a first time author writing for teens.
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults	Honors the best nonfiction book for ages 12 to 18.
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults	Selected for teens age 12 to 18.
YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers	Titles to encourage reading among teens ages who dislike reading.

GOODREADS REVIEWS

PWPL Read Bookshelf

Bombshell

by Sarah MacLean

*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. This spicy historical romance features an independent, true-to-herself woman, Sesily Talbot, and her friends, the Hell’s Belles. Together, they use their unique skills to take on those who abuse their po...

tagged: adult, historical-fiction, and romance

The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

"The Lightning Thief" is a hero tale. It takes a lot of great themes and uses them to tell a fun story that hooks readers from the first line. The story revolves around a 12-year-old boy named Percy Jackson. Percy finds out that the Gree...

tagged: young-adult, adventure, fantasy, and fiction

The Perfumist of Paris

by Alka Joshi

In the third installment of the Jaipur Trilogy, we discover how Radha's adult life choices have carried her from India to France, where the series began. Radha is trying to balance marriage, motherhood, and her desire to become a master...

tagged: fiction and historical-fiction

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" was the third Taylor Jenkins Reid book I read, and it's a toss-up for me if I liked this or "Daisy Jones and the Six" better, as they're both so good. "Malibu Rising" was a miss for me, so I was happy ...

tagged: fiction, lgbtq, romance, and historical-fiction

The Cat Who Saved Books

by Sōsuke Natsukawa

Confession: I know this is an unpopular opinion amongst library workers and many readers, but I don’t generally like cats. In fact, I generally dislike them. I’m sorry (but I’m also not sorry). I am the unapologetic library worker who is...

tagged: fantasy and fiction

book reviewsbook club

Prince William Public Libraries