The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were revealed Thursday, with Jacqueline Woodson and Sydney Smith among those taking home the prestigious prizes for children’s and young adult literature.
Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson received the fiction award. Woodson’s middle-grade novel, in which a Black tween deals with the fallout of deadly fires in her community, was based on Woodson’s own experiences growing up in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. According to a starred Kirkus review, “Woodson has crafted a beautifully lyrical narrative of change, healing, and growth. Her ability to evoke time and place is masterful; every word feels perfectly chosen.”
Woodson is the author of a slew of award-winning titles for children and teens (Brown Girl Dreaming, Miracle’s Boys) as well as several adult novels (Another Brooklyn, Red at the Bone). She has served as Young People’s Poet Laureate and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2020.
The picture book award went to writer and illustrator Sydney Smith for Do You Remember?. A starred Kirkus review called it “an immensely satisfying glimpse of a family’s ability to navigate challenges through honest conversation and mutual support.”
The nonfiction/poetry winner was The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, a Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity, written by Nicholas Day and illustrated by Brett Helquist. In a starred review of this account of the 1911 heist, a Kirkus reviewer wrote, “Readers will love the brouhaha and will be tempted to take closer looks at the art too.”
The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented in 1967. Past winners include All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and the Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. A complete list of winners and honors is found in the official announcement.
Marion Winik hosts NPR’s The Weekly Reader podcast.
