2021 School Library Journal Best Books (Awarded by School Library Journal)

Awards List

Chapter Books

Too Small Tola
(*)
Atinuke

Sona Sharma, Very Best Big Sister
(*)
Chitra Soundar

J.D. and the Great Barber Battle
(*)
J. Dillard

The Used-to-Be Best Friend
(*)
Dawn Quigley

Graphic Novels

Nubia: Real One
(*)
L.L. McKinney

Allergic
(*)
Megan Wagner Lloyd

The Crossroads at Midnight
(*)
Abby Howard

The Hazards of Love Vol. 1: Bright World
(*)
Stan Stanley

Wildflowers
(*)
Liniers

The Legend of Auntie Po
(*)
Shing Yin Khor

Monster Friends
(*)
Kaeti Vandorn

Shell Quest
(*)
Steph Waldo

Borders
(*)
Thomas King

Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story
(*)
Lilliam Rivera

The Golden Hour
(*)
Niki Smith

Himawari House
(*)
Harmony Becker

Tidesong
(*)
Wendy Xu

Living With Viola
(*)
Rosena Fung

Middle Grade

Amari and the Night Brothers
(*)
B.B. Alston

Root Magic
(*)
Eden Royce

The Sea in Winter
(*)
Christine Day

The Ash House
(*)
Angharad Walker

One Jar of Magic
(*)
Corey Ann Haydu

Red, White, and Whole
(*)
Rajani LaRocca

Take Back the Block
(*)
Chrystal D. Giles

Soul Lanterns
(*)
Shaw Kuzki

Starfish
(*)
Lisa Fipps

Summer of Brave
(*)
Amy Noelle Parks

Too Bright to See
(*)
Kyle Lukoff

The Shape of Thunder
(*)
Jasmine Warga

Thanks a Lot, Universe
(*)
Chad Lucas

The Magical Imperfect
(*)
Chris Baron

Rez Dogs
(*)
Joseph Bruchac

Josephine Against the Sea
(*)
Shakirah Bourne

Maya and the Robot
(*)
Eve L. Ewing

Black Boy Joy
(*)
Kwame Mbalia

The Many Meanings of Meilan
(*)
Andrea Wang

Born Behind Bars
(*)
Padma Venkatraman

What Lives in the Woods
(*)
Lindsay Currie

Yusuf Azeem Is Not a Hero
(*)
Saadia Faruqi

Barakah Beats
(*)
Maleeha Siddiqui

The Beatryce Prophecy
(*)
Kate DiCamillo

The Last Cuentista
(*)
Donna Barba Higuera

Violets Are Blue
(*)
Barbara Dee

Picture Books

Eyes That Kiss in the Corners
(*)
Joanna Ho

Over the Shop
(*)
JonArno Lawson

Osnat and Her Dove
(*)
Sigal Samuel

The Big Bad Wolf in My House
(*)
Valerie Fontaine

My Day with the Panye
(*)
Tami Charles

Peace Miranda and
(*)
Baptiste Paul

Grandad's Camper
(*)
Harry Woodgate

In My Mosque
(*)
M.O. Yuksel

Watercress
(*)
Andrea Wang

Your Mama
(*)
Nonieqa Ramos

Clovis Keeps His Cool
(*)
Katelyn Aronson

What I Am
(*)
Divya Srinivasan

Looking for a Jumbie
(*)
Tracey Baptiste

My Two Border Towns
(*)
David Bowles

This Magical, Musical Night
(*)
Rhonda Gowler Greene

A Walk in the Words
(*)
Hudson Talbott

Time for Bed, Old House
(*)
Janet Costa Bates

Dear Little One
(*)
Nina Laden

Dream Street
(*)
Tricia Elam Walker

Young Adult

Concrete Rose
(*)
Angie Thomas

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
(*)
Malinda Lo

The Gilded Ones
(*)
Namina Forna

The Girls I've Been
(*)
Tess Sharpe

Love Is a Revolution
(*)
Renee Watson

Firekeeper's Daughter
(*)
Angeline Boulley

The Mirror Season
(*)
Anna-Marie McLemore

Prepped
(*)
Bethany Mangle

Counting Down with You
(*)
Tashie Bhuiyan

The Ones We're Meant to Find
(*)
Joan He

A Sitting in St. James
(*)
Rita Williams-Garcia

Tokyo Ever After
(*)
Emiko Jean

Ace of Spades
(*)
Faridah Abike-Iyimide

All Our Hidden Gifts
(*)
Caroline O'Donoghue

Blackout
(*)
Dhonielle Clayton

An Emotion of Great Delight
(*)
Tahereh Mafi

Instructions for Dancing
(*)
Nicola Yoon

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
(*)
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

A Lesson in Vengeance
(*)
Victoria Lee

Me (Moth)
(*)
Amber McBride

Kaleidoscope
(*)
Brian Selznick

Take Me With You When You Go
(*)
David Levithan

When We Make It
(*)
Elisabet Velasquez

White Smoke
(*)
Tiffany D. Jackson

Beasts of Prey
(*)
Ayana Gray

Award Categories

Chapter Books

Graphic Novels

Middle Grade

Picture Books

Young Adult

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019