Now into its ninth year, We Need Diverse Books has announced this year’s slate of winners for their Walter Awards. Named after legendary author of books for children and young adults, Walter Dean Myers, the Walter Awards honor diverse authors who have published outstanding works with diverse characters and stories.
There are two categories for the Walter Awards: best book for teens and best book for younger readers. This year, one winner and one honoree were selected in each category:
2024 Walter Award, Younger Readers Category
Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson
2024 Walter Honors, Younger Readers Category
Grounded by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, and S.K. Ali
2024 Walter Award, Teen Category
Saints of the Household by Ari Tison
2024 Walter Honors, Teen Category
All the Fighting Parts by Hannah V. Sawyerr
There will be an awards ceremony in Washington D.C. on March 13. Details about the event are coming soon. The event’s moderator is Elizabeth Acevedo, National Book Award winner and Youth Poet Laureate.
The 2024 Walter Award committee included chair Jeremiah Henderson, Sarah DeMicheli, Jamila Felton, Siân Gaetano, Jamie Kurumaji, Hanna Lee, Sara Martinez, Jenell Penn, and Hadeal Salamah. The Walter Award Co-directors are Kathie Weinberg and Yukari Matsuyama
You can learn more about the Walter Awards at the We Need Diverse Books website.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.