Bulletin Blue Ribbons 2022

Abstract

Bulletin Blue Ribbons 2022 Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor We were lucky this year to see a sizeable increase in the diverse identities and ideas represented in literature for youth, and with that in mind, we couldn’t help but expand our own award list—there were just too many stellar examples of our field’s growing inclusivity. In nonfiction, you’ll find a healthy variety of formats and subjects, from a picture book walk through the Mexihcah’s process of creating amoxtin to a biography of Octavia Butler in evocative concrete poems. Fiction spans genres and settings, featuring separately a grim, post-apocalyptic world as the backdrop for exploring trans identity; an amusement park as the spark for a romance from multiple perspectives; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium as the aquatic background for a heartwarming animal tale. Community is the backbone of this year’s picture book list, with family and friends coming together to plant gardens and a neighborhood of animals overcoming their first impressions to make a warm, welcoming place for everyone. We conclude this year with a bonus of short story collections, a format we are always thrilled to see thrive. Happy reading! FICTION Albert, Melissa. Our Crooked Hearts. Flatiron. Gr. 9-12 This searing exploration of a toxic mother/daughter relationship and its connection to magic is haunting and beautiful, full of messy girls drunk on messier magic and told with electric prose brimming with sharp metaphors. (June) Applegate, Katherine. Odder; illus. by Charles Santoso. Feiwel. Gr. 2-4 Inspired by true events, Applegate’s third-person narrative in verse delivers the playful but heartfelt story of Odder, a sea otter cared for at the Monterrey Bay Aquarium. (October) Callender, Kacen. Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution. Amulet/Abrams. Gr. 8-12 Lark must contend with the accidental revelation of Kasim’s love after he posts on their Twitter account; this rich world is peopled with loving and lovable characters, many of whom are Black and LGBTQIA+, and their voices respect the intensity with which teens consider racism, ableism, and transphobia. (September) Eagar, Lindsay. The Patron Thief of Bread. Candlewick. Gr. 5-8 To help her street gang survive on the streets of medieval France, chronically underestimated Duck apprentices to a blind baker to steal money but ends up warily reciprocating the baker’s care; this story of family and acceptance reaches a hopeful conclusion that is balanced by wry, but not bitter, complexity. (April) [End Page 171] Forest, Kristina. Zyla & Kai. Kokila. Gr 8-12 Zyla and Kai meet, date, and break up in this romance, which is elevated by Forest’s mastery of the narrative structure; she utilizes different tenses, points of view, and styles to demonstrate the unexpected ways human lives are interconnected. (June) Keller, Tae. Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone. Random House. Gr. 5-8 In this nuanced and compassionate book, seventh grader Mallory falls under the sway of queen bees and joins in their torment of Jennifer; a compelling author’s note illuminates the complicated motivations and devastating results of bullying. (April) Lamb, Sacha. When the Angels Left the Old Country. Levine Querido. Gr. 9-12 Steeped in both Jewish folklore and the Eastern European immigrant experience, this immersive story is carried equally by the propulsive plot and the winning trio at its center, as the demon Little Ash, the angel Uriel, and the firecracker of a human Rose leave Warsaw for the U.S. in the early twentieth century. (November) McCall, Guadalupe García. Echoes of Grace. Tu/Lee & Low. Gr. 10-12 Grace can experience “echoes” of past events, and a tragedy tips her into memories of a horrific sexual assault in this contemplative, haunting examination of internalized misogyny, victim-blaming, and the paralyzing ripples of trauma through generations. (June) Skinner, Nicola. Storm. HarperCollins. Gr. 5-8 This poignant story tackles grand themes of love, forgiveness, friendship, and even the meaning of life as readers meet twelve-year-old Frankie, who was killed in a tsunami and wakes up as a ghost to find her home has become a tourist spot. (February) Strong, Karen. Eden’s Everdark. Simon. Gr. 5-8 Grieving her mother’s death, Eden steps into a...