The National Book Awards longlists are being announced over at The New Yorker, and the Young People’s Literature category includes quite a few comics – no surprise, as graphic novels have been making themselves felt in these awards for a while. But half of the category this year are illustrated books, marking quite an accomplishment. Different publishers are also well represented, including, First Second, Random House Graphic and Scholastic.
All in all, it’s a pretty stunning proof of the impact that comics have had on children’s books over the last decade – in the face of continuing book banning and censorship, it’s also an important statement that graphic novels are complicated, nuanced literature.
The longlists will eventually be shortened to finalists and winners in each category.
Erin Bow, “Simon Sort of Says”
Disney-Hyperion Books / Disney Publishing Worldwide
Kenneth M. Cadow, “Gather”
Candlewick Press
Alyson Derrick, “Forget Me Not”
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers / Simon & Schuster
Huda Fahmy, “Huda F Cares?”
Dial Books for Young Readers / Penguin Random House
Vashti Harrison, “Big”
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers / Hachette Book Group
Roaring Brook Press / Macmillan Publishers
Dan Nott, “Hidden Systems: Water, Electricity, the Internet, and the Secrets Behind the Systems We Use Every Day”
Random House Graphic / Penguin Random House
Dan Santat, “A First Time for Everything”
First Second / Macmillan Publishers
Betty C. Tang, “Parachute Kids”
Graphix / Scholastic, Inc.
Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long, “More Than a Dream: The Radical March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers / Macmillan Publishers
The judges for the category this year are Sarah Park Dahlen, Kyle Lukoff, justin a. reynolds, and Sabaa Tahir.
Finalists will be announced on October 3, and the awards ceremony will be held November 15th (minus Drew Barrymore, but that’s a whole nother thing.)
