Kirkus Best Books of the Year - Middle-Grade Novels About Growing Up (Awarded by Kirkus)

Awards List

2023

Starboard
(*)
Nicola Skinner

Sisters of the Lost Marsh
(*)
Lucy Strange

Simon Sort of Says
(*)
Erin Bow

Not an Easy Win
(*)
Chrystal D. Giles

Ellie Engle Saves Herself
(*)
Leah Johnson

Heroes of the Water Monster
(*)
Brian Young

The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry
(*)
Chad Morris

Something Like Home
(*)
Andrea Beatriz Arango

Hidden Truths
(*)
Elly Swartz

2021

The Sea in Winter
(*)
Christine Day

Take Back the Block
(*)
Chrystal D. Giles

The Year I Flew Away
(*)
Marie Arnold

Boy, Everywhere
(*)
A.M. Dassu

It Doesn't Take a Genius
(*)
Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich

Too Bright to See
(*)
Kyle Lukoff

Not All Heroes
(*)
Josephine Cameron

Kaleidoscope
(*)
Brian Selznick

Room to Dream
(*)
Kelly Yang

Award Categories

Affirming Picture Books

Bedtime Books

Beginning Readers

Board Books

Book Club Fiction

Books for Beginning Readers

Debut Fiction

Empowering Picture Books

Environmental Fiction

Fiction

Fiction in Translation

Fictional Families

Fictional Voices

Funniest Picture Books

Historical Fiction

Informational Picture Books

Joyous Picture Books

Middle-Grade About Speaking Up

Middle-Grade Activist

Middle-Grade Adventures

Middle-Grade Family Stories

Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

Middle-Grade Fiction

Middle-Grade Friendship Stories

Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019