This was the first year I waited with true excitement to find out who won the Newbery Medal. Sure, I’ve read a TON of Newbery and Caldecott books over the years, but this was the first year I felt a personal connection to the awards. Because I’m writing these kind of books now (MG, not Newbery winners. Puh-leaze.).

And I can imagine everything it took for these books to make it onto the page, into print, onto the shelves, and into readers’ hands. Wow. What an astounding accomplishment. I offer my sincere congratulations to all of the winners today, and to every writer out there walking the path, putting words to paper every day.

• Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
• Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
• Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

• Creepy Carrots! illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds
• Extra Yarn illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett
• Green illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
• One Cool Friend illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo
• Sleep Like a Tiger illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue

• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
• Dodger by Terry Pratchett
• The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

• Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman
• Girlchild by Tupelo Hassman
• Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross
• Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
• My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
• One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard
• Pure by Julianna Baggott
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich
• Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
• Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple

The Fault in Our Stars produced by Brilliance Audio.  The book is written by John Green and narrated by Kate Rudd.

• Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian produced by Listening Library, written by Eoin Colfer and narrated by Nathaniel Parker;
• Ghost Knight produced by Listening Library, written by Cornelia Funke and narrated by Elliot Hill; and
• Monstrous Beauty produced by Macmillian Audio, written by Elizabeth Fama and narrated by Katherine Kellgren.

• Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin written and illustrated by Robert Byrd
• Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip M. Hoose
• Titanic: Voices from the Disaster written by Deborah Hopkinson

• Let’s Go for a Drive! written and illustrated by Mo Willems
• Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin, created and illustrated by James Dean
• Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover written and illustrated by Cece Bell