Blue Ribbons – Fiction | Christchurch City Libraries Ngā Kete Wānanga o Ōtautahi

Christchurch City Libraries lists literary prize winners and links to catalogue searches, but we may not hold copies of all titles mentioned. See more kids literary prize winners.

Blue Ribbons are chosen annually by the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books staff and represent what they believe to be the best of the previous year’s literature for youth.

Winners in other Blue Ribbons categories

2023

Simon Sort of Says Erin Bow
The Family Fortuna Lindsay Eagar
My Good Man Eric Gansworth
Unraveller Frances Hardinge
The Order of Things Kaija Langley
The Death and Life of Benny Brooks: Sort of a Memoir; written and illus. by Ethan Long
Enter the Body Joy McCullough
Only This Beautiful Moment Abdi Nazemian
Vivian Lantz’s Second Chances Kathryn Ormsbee
A Warning About Swans R. M. Romero
No Boy Summer Amy Spalding
Saints of the Household Ari Tison
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth Andrew Joseph White

2022

Our Crooked Hearts Melissa Albert
Odder Katherine Applegate
Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution Kacen Callender
The Patron Thief of Bread Lindsay Eager
Zyla & Kai Kristina Forest
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone Tae Keller
When the Angels Left the Old Country Sacha Lamb
Echoes of Grace Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Ain’t Burned All the Bright Jason Reynolds
Storm Nicole Skinner
Eden’s Everdark Karen Strong
Ironhead, or, Once a Young Lady Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem
Hell Followed with Us Andrew Joseph White
The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin Kip Wilson

2021

Himawari House Harmony Becker
City of the Uncommon Thief Lynne Bertrand
Being Clem Lesa Cline-Ransome
The Beatryce Prophecy Kate DiCamillo; illus. by Sophie Blackall
The Ones We’re Meant to Find Joan He
Ophie’s Ghosts Justina Ireland
Last Night at the Telegraph Club Malinda Lo
The Lost Language Claudia Mills
The Darkness Outside Us Eliot Schrefer
What Big Teeth Rose Szabo
A Sitting in St. James Rita Williams-Garcia

2020

The Girl Who Speaks Bear Sophie Anderson
Black Girl Unlimited: The Remarkable True Story of a Teenage Wizard Echo Brown
We Are Not Free Traci Chee, illus. by Julia Kuo
Leaving Lymon Lesa Cline-Ransome
All He Knew Helen Frost
When Life Gives You Mangos Kereen Getten
They Went Left Monica Hesse
Raybearer Jordan Ifueko
Thorn Khanani Intisar
Tigers, Not Daughters Samantha Mabry
Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore
The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen
Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel Jason Reynolds, illus. by Danica Novgorodoff
The Way Back Gavriel Savit
Thieves of Weirdwood; by William Shivering and Christian McKay Heidicker; illus. by Anna Earley
Donut Feed the Squirrels by Mika Song
Cat Ears on Elizabeth Rachel Vail, illus. by Paige Keiser
Ways to Make Sunshine Renee Watson, illus. by Nina Mata

2019

The Line Tender Kate Allen
Lovely War Julie Berry
Other Words for Smoke Sarah Maria Griffin illus. by Magdalena Valcarcel Reyes
Lalani of the Distant Sea Erin Entrada Kelly illus. by Lian Cho
The Year We Fell From Space Amy Sarig King illus. by Nina Goffi
Butterfly Yellow Thanhhà Lại
What Every Girl Should Know: Margaret Sanger’s Journey J. Albert Mann
The Fountains of Silence Ruta Sepetys
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me Mariko Tamaki illus. by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
On the Come Up Angie Thomas
How We Became Wicked Alexander Yates

2018

The Book of Pearl Timothée de Fombelle, tr. from the French by Sarah Ardizzone and Sam Gordon
The Wicked Deep Shea Earnshaw
Dream Country Shannon Gibney
The War Outside Monica Hesse
Dread Nation Justina Ireland
Monday’s Not Coming Tiffany D Jackson
Love to Everyone (alternate title The Skylarks' War) Hilary McKay
Astrid the Unstoppable Maria Parr, tr. from the Norwegian by Guy Puzey
Secret Sisters of the Salty Sea Lynne Rae
Baby Monkey, Private Eye Brian Selznick and David Serlin; illus. by Brian Selznick
When Light Left Us Leah Thomas

2017

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic Leigh Bardugo; illus. by Sara Kipin
Sam the Man & the Rutabaga Plan Frances O’Roark Dowell; illus. by Amy June Bates
Bull David Elliott
When My Sister Started Kissing Helen Frost
The Big Bad Fox Benjamin Renner
Kids Like Us Hilary Reyl
Long Way Down Jason Reynolds
Strange the Dreamer Laini Taylor
The Hate U Give Angie Thomas
The Memory Trees Kali Wallace
A Season of Daring Greatly Ellen Emerson White

2016

Kelly Barnhill
My Sister Rosa Justine Larbalestier
The Door by the Staircase Katherine Marsh
Afterward Jennifer Mathieu
The Call Peadar O’Guilin
Anna and the Swallow Man Gavriel Savit
Riverkeep Martin Stewart
Ghosts Raina Telgemeier
Weekends With Max and His Dad Linda Urban
The Sun Is Also a Star Nicola Yoon

2015

The Witch’s Boy Kelly Barnhill
The Game of Love and Death Martha Brockenbrough
Audacity Melanie Crowder
Skateboard Party Karen English; illustrated by Laura Freeman
Cuckoo Song Frances Hardinge
Listen, Slowly Thanhhà La˙i
Razorhurst Justine Larbalestier
The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me Sara Nickerson
The Boy in the Black Suit Jason Reynolds
The Wolf Wilder Katherine Rundell
This Side of Home Renée Watson
Gone Crazy in Alabama Rita Williams-Garcia

2014

The Night Gardener Jonathan Auxier
Prince of Shadows Rachel Caine
The Kingdom of Little Wounds written by Susann Cokal; illustrated by Pier Gustafson
Fake ID L.R. Giles
The Glass Sentence S.E. Grove
The Prince of Venice Beach Blake Nelson
Steering Toward Normal Rebecca Petruck
The War Within These Walls written by Aline Sax; illustrated by Caryl Strzelecki
Grasshopper Jungle Andrew Smith
This One Summer written by Mariko Tamaki; illustrated by Jillian Tamaki
The Shadow Hero written by Gene Luen Yang; illustrated by Sonny Liew