Add to Your Young Reader’s Summer Book List with the Coretta Scott King Award Winners
One of the greatest things we can do as geeks is to provide quality material to our younger counterparts—whether that’s our children, younger friends, relatives, or other young geeks—to help shape their worldview into one that involves a desire for positive social change. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m a huge proponent of making a wide menu of books available to your kid, and part of accomplishing that goal means looking for interesting and relevant books year-round, not only in the month in which they might be highlighted.
As you’re looking for summer reading material, I strongly suggest, as a starting place, taking a look at the winners and honorees of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, which just celebrated their 50th year. These awards were established after a discussion between librarians Glyndon Flynt Greer and Mabel McKissick and publisher John M. Carroll at a 1969 American Librarian Association (ALA) meeting.
Per the ALA website:
The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
Over the years, the number of awards given out has grown. As of the most recent batch of honorees (the 2020 awards), there are five: an overall author winner, an overall illustrator winner, the John Steptoe Awards for New Talent (one each to an author and an illustrator), and the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement (author and/or illustrator). Additionally, a number of Honor Books are named under the main author and illustrator categories.
You can find the full list of all of the Coretta Scott King Book Award Winners on the ALA Coretta Scott King Book Award website, but here are some of the honorees of the author and illustrator awards for the past few years. (Watch for the next batch of winners in early 2021.)
2020 Award Winners
HarperCollins Children’s Books/Versity
Author Award: Jerry Craft
New Kid
Published by HarperCollins Children’s Books
New Kid covers the experience of navigating a new situation while simultaneously dealing with being one of the few people of color in a mainly white environment. In addition to the Coretta Scott King Award, this book has also been awarded the Newbery Medal (the first graphic novel to be honored), and I enthusiastically reviewed it for Twin Cities Geek last year.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 8 to 12.
Illustrator Award: Kadir Nelson
The Undefeated
Written by Kwame Alexander
Published by Versity
This picture book illustrates a poem originally commissioned for the launch of ESPN’s website of the same name. In addition to the poem and accompanying illustrations, the book provides context and additional detail about the history and experiences of Black Americans. This book has also been awarded the Caldcott Medal and a Newbery Honor.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 6 to 9.
Author Honor Books
- Look Both Ways, Jason Reynolds, Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- The Stars and the Blackness Between Them, Junauda Petrus, Dutton Books
- Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, Kwame Mbalia, Disney-Hyperion
Illustrator Author Honor Books
- The Bell Rang, James E. Ransome, Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Infinite Hope: A Black Artist’s Journey from World War II to Peace, Ashley Bryan, Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Sulwe, Vashti Harrison (written by Lupita Nyong’o), Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
2019 Award Winners
Clarion Books/Candlewick Press
Author Award: Claire Hartfield
A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919
Published by Clarion Books
A Few Red Drops is a look at the Chicago Race Riot of 1919, taking contemporary accounts of the event to examine the roots causes.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 12 and up.
Illustrator Award: Ekua Holmes
The Stuff of Stars
Written by Marion Dane Bauer
Published by Candlewick Press
This book combines science and art to provide a gorgeous look at how we are the stuff of stars.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 4 to 8.
Author Honor Books
- Finding Langston, Lesa Cline-Ransome, Holiday House
- The Parker Inheritance, Varian Johnson, Arthur A. Levine Books
- The Season of Styx Malone, Kekla Magoon, Wendy Lamb Books
Illustrator Honor Books
- Hidden Figures, Laura Freeman (written by Margot Lee Shetterly), HarperCollins Children’s Books
- Let the Children March, Frank Morrison (written by Monica Clark-Robinson), Houghton Mifflin Harcort Publishing Company
- Memphis, Martin, and Mountaintop, R. Gregory Christie (written by Alice Faye Duncan), Calkins Creek
2018 Award Winners
Bloomsbury Children’s Books/Candlewick Press
Author Award: Renee Watson
Piecing Me Together
Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books
Piecing Me Together is a coming-of-age story about a Black girl’s experience with a mostly white private school and her desire for specific opportunities. It is also a Newbery Honor Book.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 12 and up.
Illustrator Award: Ekua Holmes
Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets
Written by Kwame Alexander with Chris Colderly and Marjory Wentworth
Published by Candlewick Press
In this collection, three writers—Kwame Alexander, Chris Colderly, and Marjory Wentworth—celebrate 20 poets who have provided sparks of inspiration and wonder.
Recommended by the publisher for ages 8 to 12.
Author Honor Books
- Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, Derrick Barnes (illustrated by Gordon C. James), Bolden
- Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds, Atheneum
- The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas, Balzer + Bray
Illustrator Honor Books
- Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, Gordon C. James (written by Derrick Barnes), Bolden
- Before She Was Harriet: The Story of Harriet Tubman, James E. Ransome (written by Lesa Cline-Ransome), Holiday House
While the current situation may limit access to physical books through your local library, there are plenty of local bookstores who would love the business and are currently offering online ordering. Or, search out a nonlocal Black-owned bookstore from anywhere around the country, such as Mahogany Books.
If you enjoy these books, try looking up other works by the same authors and illustrators. And if none of the books listed here look interesting, comb the full list of award winners for something that does!
If you have a suggestion for a book that we should highlight or review, let us know.
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About the Author
Rae Black
As an impressionable middle schooler, Rae was led to the geek side through family traditions and Science Olympiad team members. It spiraled from there. In addition to Twin Cities Geek, she writes about life, passions, geekdom, parenting, and more at Starship Suburbia.
