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2026 American Indian Youth Literature Awards

Book covers of the winners of the 2026 American Indian Youth Literature Awards.

For Immediate Release
January 26, 2026
Contact:
Communications, Marketing & Media Relations Office
American Library Association
cmomedia@ala.org

CHICAGO — The American Indian Youth Literature Award-winning titles were announced today during the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards Announcements in Chicago.

Awarded biennially by the American Indian Library Association (AILA), the award identifies and honors the best writings and illustrations for youth, by and about Native American and Indigenous peoples of North America. Works selected to receive the award, in picture book, middle grade, and young adult categories, present Native American and Indigenous North American peoples in the fullness of their humanity in present, past and future contexts.

Picture Book Award

The winner for best Picture Book is “Chooch Helped” written by Andrea L. Rogers (Cherokee Nation) illustrated by Rebecca Lee Kunz (Cherokee Nation) and published by Arthur A. Levine, an imprint of Levine Querido.

Sissy’s younger brother, Chooch, isn’t a baby anymore. They just celebrated his second birthday, after all. But no matter what Chooch does — even if he’s messing something up! Which is basically all the time! — their parents say he’s just “helping.” Sissy feels that Chooch can get away with anything!

Five Picture Book Honor titles were selected:

  • “Braided Roots,” written by Pasha Westbrook (Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Freedman), illustrated by Madelyn Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation), and published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
  • “Fierce Aunties!” written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tshimshian), illustrated by Steph Littlebird (Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederate Tribes) and published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.
  • “For a Girl Becoming,” written by Joy Harjo (Mvskoke Nation), illustrated by Adriana Garcia and published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company.
  • “Raven’s Ribbons,” written by Tasha Spillett (Cree and Trinidadian), illustrated by Daniel Ramirez (Saginaw Chippewa Tribe of Michigan) and published by Little, Brown and Company.
  • “We Weave,” written by Daniel W. Vandever (Navajo and Irish), illustrated by Deonoveigh Mitchell (Navajo and Black American) and published by South of Sunrise Creative.

Middle Grade Award

The winner for best Middle Grade book is “Buffalo Dreamer” written by Violet Duncan (Plains Cree and Taino from Kehewin Cree Nation) and published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

Summer and her family always spend relaxed summers in Alberta, Canada, on the reservation where her mom’s family lives. But this year is turning out to be an eye-opening one. First, Summer has begun to have vivid dreams in which she’s running away from one of the many real- life residential schools that tore Native children from their families and tried to erase their Native identities. Not long after that, she learns that unmarked children’s graves have been discovered at the school her grandpa attended as a child. Now more folks are speaking up about their harrowing experiences at these places, including her grandfather. Summer cherishes her heritage and is heartbroken about all her grandfather was forced to give up and miss out on. When the town holds a rally, she’s proud to take part to acknowledge the painful past and speak of her hopes for the future, and anxious to find someone who can fill her in on the source of her unsettling dreams.

Six Middle Grade Honor titles were selected:

  • “Jo Jo Makoons: The Super-Scary Sleepover,” written by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), illustrated by Tara Audibert (Wolastoquey and French), and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
  • “Lost at Windy River: A True Story of Survival,” written by Trina Rathgeber (Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation), illustrated by Alina Pete (Little Pine First Nation), and published by Orca Book Publishers.
  • “Outfoxed,” written by Elise McMullen-Ciotti (Cherokee Nation), and published by Scholastic Inc.
  • “The Ribbon Skirt” written and illustrated by Cameron Mukwa (Anishinaabe) and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
  • “Red Bird Danced” written by Dawn Quigley (Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe), and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
  • “The Summer of the Bone Horses,” written by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve (Rosebud Sioux Tribe), illustrated by Steph Littlebird (Oregon’s Grand Ronde Confederate Tribes), and published by Amulet Books, an imprint of Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.

Young Adult Award

The winner for best Young Adult book is “Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories,” edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith (Muscogee Nation), and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

The road to Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In slips through every rez and alongside every urban Native hangout. The menu offers a rotating feast, including traditional eats and tasty snacks. But Sandy June’s serves up more than food: it hosts live music, movie nights, unexpected family reunions, love long lost, and love found again. That big green-and-gold neon sign beckons to teens of every tribal Nation, often when they need it most.

Five Young Adult Honor titles were selected:

  • “Sheine Lende: A Prequel to Elatsoe,” written by Darcie Little Badger (Lipan Apache), illustrated by Rovina Cai, and published by Levine Querido.
  • “Sisters in the Wind,” written by Angeline Boulley (Sault St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians) and published by Henry Holt and Company.
  • “Super Indian, Volume 3,” written and illustrated by Arigon Starr (Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma) and published by Wacky Productions Unlimited.
  • “The Unfinished,” written by Cheryl Isaacs (Kanyen’keha) and published by Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins.
  • “Where Wolves Don’t Die,” written by Anton Treuer (Ojibwe) and published by Levine Querido

Members of the American Indian Youth Literature Award jury are Chair Joy Bridwell, Chippewa Cree, Box Elder, Montana; Co-Chair Cassandra Osterloh, Cherokee Nation, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Naomi Bishop, Akimel O’otham/Pima, Gila River Indian Community, Maricopa, Arizona; Sena Crow, Yup'ik, Athabascan, Seattle, Washington; Leslie Falcon, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Black River Falls, Wisconsin; Aaron LaFromboise, Blackfeet, Browning, Montana; Cassy Leeport, Direct Descendant of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Madison, Wisconsin; Stephanie Levin, Navajo, Camarillo, California; Aliza Peryea, Onondaga Nation, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Morgan Reardon, Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, Duluth, Minnesota; and Melissa Stoner, Navajo, Hayward, California.

About the American Indian Library Association

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For nearly 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.