Announcing the Barnes & Noble Children’s & YA Book Awards Shortlist 2022

This fantastic new picture book is all rhythm and rhymes as Musa and his family ride in a bus where they’re having to constantly scootch and squish to make room for every person in need. This picture book is full of stunning illustrations and fun prose that will create a delightful read aloud for any family or classroom. Naaz Khan currently works for a literacy organization and has a deep love for picture books, so it only makes sense that we’d get such a fantastic one from her and her excellent illustrator, Mercè López. 

Dragonboy (9780316462167) 

This precious picture book about a boy with a HUGE imagination was created with so much love and intentionality. Inspired by Fabio’s own son, Dragonboy follows a young boy who loves to spend his days dressed in a dragon suit and to go on adventures with his imaginary friends. Fabio has been a long-time artist, utilizing his art in his work with troubled and abused children, and we are so excited to get to talk about his fantastic debut picture book full of whimsy and personality! 

Long-time illustrator Christopher Denise has his writer-illustrator debut in Knight Owl! This picture book is full of hilarious wordplay and optimism as Owl, who’s dreamed of being a knight since the day he hatched, steps in to use his nocturnal nature to help defend the castle. When he faces his biggest challenge yet, a fearsome intruder, Owl must utilize bravery, wit, and friendship to win over brawn.  

Wutaryoo is an adorable story simultaneously perfect for young kids as well as graduates as they prepare to step out and pave their own path in the world. It follows a creature named Wutaryoo who is trying to figure out where it came from and what its story is. Not only is this picture book fantastic, but Nilah Magruder is known for her graphic novels and her previous picture book, How to Find a Fox, and has won awards for diversity in comics as well as being credited as one of the first Black women to write for Marvel comics.  

A delightful twist on the bull in a China shop stereotype, Clovis Keeps His Cool is all about a bull with a gentle spirit trying his best to control his anger. Over the years, he’s developed strategies to keep his anger in check, but when some old football rivals come to his shop to heckle him, they might be too much of a challenge for his strategies. Katelyn Aronson is a former bookseller who adores children’s books and found her own stories to tell, and Eve Farb is both an illustrator and a psychologist. We are so grateful these two came together to bring us Clovis’s wonderful story! 

For a wonderful book about a young mouse who worries, her relationship with her father, and loyalty, then you won’t want to miss Matthew Forscythe’s newest book, Mina. This book follows the unflappable Mina, well, unflappable until her father brings a suspicious surprise from the forest. That’s when she starts to worry. If you recognize the art, that might be because Matthew has done the animation illustrations for Adventure Time and his first book, Pokko and the Drum, won honors and was a Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year! 

The first of a series, Hooky is graphic novel about witches, twins, a prophecy, and a whole lot of hijinks. This book is quirky and full of magic, and it’s a wonderful read for anyone who likes adventure and friendship! Míriam Bonastre Tur’s artistry and imagination is unmatched, and the book, originally written in installments, is certain to keep you on the edge of your seat! 

Jasmine Warga’s newest book, The Shape of Thunder, is a must read. A tough exploration of friendship in the face of grief and trauma, this book uncovers the way we hold onto burdens and the magic friendship brings after one girl’s older brother changed both of her life and her best friend’s life forever. Jasmine’s won the Newberry Honor Award for previous books, and her newest release is just as moving and full of grace as all her other releases are.  

Barakah Beats is an affirming and empowering story about a Muslim girl who joins a boy band at school in order to try to win back a friendship even though she’s been told that music and Islam don’t mix. All about middle school friendships and finding your voice, this book is perfect for fans of Julie and the Phantoms, The First Rule of Punk, and Amina’s Voice. We love that Maleeha Siddiqui has infused pieces of herself into this debut, and it’s certain to resonate with readers! 

This fantastical debut is perfect for fans of King Arthur, and it is full of magic, adventure, and teamwork. Alexandria Rogers has written a book for the outcasts, for the grieving, and for anyone with big dreams with the odds stacked up against them, and it’s for this reason that we can’t wait for readers to fall in love with The Witch, The Sword, and the Cursed Knights.  

Jake Maia Arlow wrote an incredibly heartfelt and beautiful debut in Almost Flying. This story is an exploration of family, identity, and first crushes, and its refreshing honesty will absolutely steal your heart. You’ll get to go on a road trip with soon-to-be stepsisters while embarking on the roller coasters of amusement parks, first crushes, and changing family dynamics.   

Elle McNicoll’s debut young reader, A Kind of Spark, is an important and emotional story about the witch trials (only the ones in Scotland rather than Salem) and one autistic girl’s fight to bring recognition to her small town for those who died unjustly. Elle McNicoll is also autistic, like her protagonist, has won awards for her books in the UK, and is an advocate for disability rights and representation.  

Ace of Spades is a contemporary thriller with anonymous blackmail and lots of secrets, and it’s sure to keep you flipping through. Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé utilizes mystery and an anonymous texter spilling the secrets of two students to comment on social issues relevant to teens and adults alike, and this brilliant debut is compulsively readable. You simply won’t be able to put it down!  

This feminist sci-fi inspired by Chinese history is action-packed and riveting. This novel has been instantly popular with transforming robots, a trio of persevering main characters, and a futuristic world. If you like high fantasy with inspiration from the real world, then you need to pick up this astounding debut by Xiran Jay Zhao! 

Robbie Couch’s debut, The Sky Blues, is full of heart, wit, and found family in the midst of uncertainty and homophobia. When Sky’s promposal plans are leaked to his entire school in a homophobic email, his countdown to making a big splash in his small town becomes a school-wide hunt to figure out who sent the anonymous email. Ultimately hopeful, you won’t want to miss this read.  

For a spooky read that will send chills down your spine, Ann Fraistat’s What We Harvest is a compelling debut about the cost of miracles and the impact previous generations’ wrongs have on the present generation. Hollow’s End had been a destination for tourists with its miracle crops, but when a strange disease begins to claim everyone in the town, and two exes must work together to figure out what’s causing it to save their town. 

Lizz Huerta produced a fantastical debut novel in The Lost Dreamer that draws inspiration from Mesoamerica. This enthralling story of two seers both fighting for survival and paving their way in a world against set them celebrates feminine strength and holds a mirror up to our modern world in its reflection of patriarchal power and the fight to be bold against odds. 

This graphic novel is a sweet tale of love and self-acceptance. The Girl from the Sea is a soft story of a girl who feels stifled by her small island, the secrets she stuffs down, and selkie folklore. Full of notes of summer, hints of environmentalism, and stunning illustrations throughout, this newest release from Molly Knox Ostertag is one that will sweep you off your feet and is an absolute must read.