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The season of book awards is fast approaching, and among the first honors to announce their top contenders is the National Book Award. The award honors the best of American literature across five categories in hopes of not only designating excellence in writing achievement but also to encourage readers to engage with contemporary literature. Only United States authors publishing in the United States are eligible and only publishers may submit titles for consideration.
The National Book Awards began in 1936, with a pause during the World War II era, and they were reestablished in 1950. This year marks the 75th anniversary. Each of the categories honored by the National Book Awards has five judges whose expertise includes book critics, librarians, authors, and literary experts.
In September, long lists of up to 10 titles are announced, followed by a short list of up to five titles in October. The winners are announced at an annual celebration, which takes place this year on November 20, 2024.
The first long list for the 2024 awards are for the Young People’s Literature award. This year’s Young People’s Literature judges include Rose Brock, Huda Fahmy, Leah Johnson, Mike Jung, and Brein Lopez.
Here are the ten longlist titles, selected from the over 330 submitted for consideration:
The slate of long listed titles includes Randy Ribay, whose Patron Saints of Nothing was a finalist in the category in 2019.
Three of the novels this year are written in verse, including Wil Dreamers, Kareem Between, and Ariel Crashes a Train. There are also two debut novels on the list, Free Period and The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky.
Learn more about the books on this year’s longlist for the the Young People’s Literature category here.