Award Winners LibGuide: Children's/Young Adult Winners

Children's/Young Adult Winner 28th Annual
When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte, but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all. George is a children's novel about a young transgender girl written by American author Alex Gino. The novel tells the story of Melissa, a fourth-grade girl who is struggling to be herself to the rest of the world. The rest of the world sees Melissa as George, a boy. Melissa uses the class to play Charlotte's Web to show her mom that she is a girl by switching roles with her best friend and playing the part of Charlotte. The novel has been subject to much literary analysis, including articles from the Journal of Children's Literature and the Lambda Literary Review. The articles discuss how Alex Gino uses their novel, George, to fill the void of transgender middle-grade literature. Additionally, Gino has a positive impact on both transgender and youth literature.

Children's/Young Adult Winner 25th Annual
A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is a coming-of-age young adult novel by American author Benjamin Alire Sáenz which was first published February 21, 2012. Set in El Paso, Texas in 1987, the novel follows two Mexican-American teenagers, Aristotle "Ari" Mendoza and Dante Quintana, their friendship, and their struggles with racial and ethnic identity, sexuality, and family relationships. Since its publication, the novel has received near-universal critical acclaim and numerous accolades. Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship, the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.