LibGuides: Hugo Awards: Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Title Box

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book
(2018-present)

2020s

WINNER

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

Catfishing on CatNet (Catnet novel #1) by Kritzer, Naomi
Call Number: YA F KIR-N C1 (Young Adult Fiction)

ISBN: 9781250165084

Publication Date: 2019-11-19

Because her mother is always on the move, sixteen-year-old Steph hasn't lived anywhere longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet, a social media site where users upload cat pictures and the admin is CheshireCat, a sentient AI who loves cat pictures. When a threat from Steph's past catches up to her and CheshireCat's existence is discovered, it's up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save them. A near-future thriller about online privacy and out-of-control technology and the importance of making connections in an increasingly fragmented society.

FINALISTS:

Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee
Riverland by Fran Wilde
Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
The Wicked King by Holly Black

Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher
Call Number: YA F KIN-T (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781614505006

Publication Date: 2019-07-30

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Dragon Pearl by Yoon Lee
Call Number: Juv F LEE (Juvenile fiction)

ISBN: 9781368013352

Publication Date: 2019-01-15

Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces.
Dragon Pearl [CD] by Yoon Ha Lee; Kim Mai Guest (Read by)
Call Number: J-CD Fiction LEE (Juvenile CD Audiobooks)

ISBN: 9780525587583

Publication Date: 2019-01-15

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Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
Call Number: YA F HAR-F (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781419743207

Publication Date: 2020-04-14

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The Wicked King (Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black
Call Number: YA F GLA-H F2 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780316310352

Publication Date: 2019-01-08

As seneschal to High King Cardan, Jude must fight to keep control of the Faerie throne while her younger brother, Oak, enjoys the childhood she never knew.
The Wicked King [E-Book] (Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black
Call Number: YA F BLA-H F2 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780316310345

Publication Date: 2019
The Wicked King [streaming audiobook] (Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black
Call Number: YA F BLA-H F2 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781549177750

Publication Date: 2019

WINNER

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Call Number: YA F KIN-T (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781614505242

Publication Date: 2020-07-21

Fourteen-year-old Mona isn't like the wizards charged with defending the city. She can't control lightning or speak to water. Her familiar is a sourdough starter and her magic only works on bread. She has a comfortable life in her aunt's bakery making gingerbread men dance. But Mona's life is turned upside down when she finds a dead body on the bakery floor. An assassin is stalking the streets of Mona's city, preying on magic folk, and it appears that Mona is his next target. And in an embattled city suddenly bereft of wizards, the assassin may be the least of Mona's worries

FINALISTS:

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

A Deadly Education (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
Call Number: YA F NOV-N S1 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780593128503

Publication Date: 2021-05-04

Enter a school of magic unlike any you have ever encountered: There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won't allow its students to leave until they graduate . . . or die. The rules are deceptively simple: Don't walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere. El is uniquely prepared for the school's dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out untold millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students. So El is trying her hardest not to use her power . . . at least not until she has no other option. Meanwhile, her fellow student, the insufferable Orion Lake, is making heroism look like a breeze. He's saved hundreds of lives--including El's - with his flashy combat magic. But in the spring of their junior year, after Orion rescues El for the second time and makes her look like more of an outcast than she already is, she reaches an impulsive conclusion: Orion Lake must die. But El is about to learn some lessons she never could in the classroom: About the school. About Orion Lake. And about who she really is.
A Deadly Education [E-Book] (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
Call Number: YA F NOV-N S1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780593128497

Publication Date: 2020-09-29
A Deadly Education [streaming audiobook] (Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik
Call Number: YA F NOV-N S1 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780593287422

Publication Date: 2020

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Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger; Rovina Cai (Illustrator)
Call Number: YA F LIT-D (Juvenile fiction)

ISBN: 9781646140053

Publication Date: 2020-08-25

Imagine an America very similar to our own. It's got homework, best friends, and pistachio ice cream. There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day. Seventeen-year-old Elatsoe ("Ellie" for short) lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered, in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect faðcade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family

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Legendborn (Legendborn #1) by Deonn, Tracy
Call Number: YA F DEO-T L1 (Young Adult Fiction)

ISBN: 9781534441606

Publication Date: 2020-09-15

After her mother dies in an accident, Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC-Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape-- until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A young mage who calls himself a 'Merlin' attempts-- and fails-- to wipe Bree's memory of everything she saw. His failure unlocks Bree's own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now she'll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
Legendborn [E-Book] (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn
Call Number: YA F DEO-T L1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781534441620

Publication Date: 2020-09-15
Legendborn [streaming audiobook] (Legendborn #1) by Tracy Deonn
Call Number: YA F DEO-T L1 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781534441620

Publication Date: 2020-09-15

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Cemetery Boys by Thomas, Aiden
Call Number: YA F THO-A (Young Adult Fiction)

ISBN: 9781250250469

Publication Date: 2020-09-01

When his traditional Latinx family has problems accepting his gender, Yadriel becomes determined to prove himself a real brujo. With the help of his cousin and best friend Maritza, he performs the ritual himself, and then sets out to find the ghost of his murdered cousin and set it free. But the ghost he summons is actually Julian Diaz, the school's resident bad boy, and Julian is determined to find out what happened-- and tie up some loose ends before he leaves. Left with no choice, Yadriel agrees to help Julian. But the longer Yadriel spends with Julian, the less he wants to let him leave.

WINNER

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

The Last Graduate (Scholomance #2) by Naomi Novik
Call Number: FIC NOVIK NAO S2 (Adult fiction) / YA F NOV-N S2 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780593128862

Publication Date: 2021-09-28

FINALISTS:

Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
Redemption by Jordan Ifueko
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

Iron Widow (Iron widow #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao
Call Number: YA F ZHA-XJ I1 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780735269934

Publication Date: 2021-09-21
Iron Widow [streaming audiobook] (Iron Widow #1) by Xiran Jay Zhao
Call Number: YA F ZHA-XJ I1 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780735269972

Publication Date: 2021

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A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
Call Number: YA F LIT-D (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781646140923

Publication Date: 2021-11-23

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Victories Greater Than Death [E-Book]] (Unstoppable #1) by Charlie Jane Anders
Call Number: YA F AND-CJ U1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781250317308

Publication Date: 2021-04-13

Tina never worries about being 'ordinary'--she doesn't have to, since she's known practically forever that she's not just Tina Mains, average teenager and beloved daughter. She's also the keeper of an interplanetary rescue beacon, and one day soon, it's going to activate, and then her dreams of saving all the worlds and adventuring among the stars will finally be possible. Tina's legacy, after all, is intergalactic--she is the hidden clone of a famed alien hero, left on Earth disguised as a human to give the universe another chance to defeat a terrible evil. But when the beacon activates, it turns out that Tina's destiny isn't quite what she expected.

WINNER

Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor

Akata Woman (Nsibidi scripts #3) by Nnedi Okorafor
Call Number: YA F OKO-N N3

ISBN: 9780451480583

Publication Date: 2022-01-18

With the help of her friends, fifteen-year-old Sunny embarks on a mission to find a precious object and return it to the spider deity Udide, but defeating the guardians of Udide's ghazal will put all of Sunny's hard lessons and abilities to the test.

NOMINEES:

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn
Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders
The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik
In the Serpents WAke by Rachel Hartman
Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods by Catherynne M. Valente

WINNER

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

To Shape a Dragon's Breath (Nampeshiweisit #1) by Moniquill Blackgoose
Call Number: FIC BLACK MON N1 (Adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780593498286

Publication Date: 2023-05-09

A young, Indigenous woman enters a colonizer-run dragon academy after bonding with a hatchling-and quickly finds herself at odds with the "approved" way of doing things-in the first book of a brilliant new fantasy series. The remote island of Masquapaug has not seen a dragon in many generations-until fifteen-year-old Anequs finds a dragon's egg and bonds with its hatchling. Her people are delighted, for all remember the tales of the days when dragons lived among them and danced away the storms of autumn, enabling the people to thrive. To them, Anequs is revered: a Person Who Belongs to a Dragon. Unfortunately for Anequs, the Anglish conquerors of her land have a quite different opinion. They have a very specific idea on how a dragon should be raised-and who should be doing the raising-and Anequs does not meet any of their requirements. Only with great reluctance do they allow Anequs to enroll in a proper Anglish dragon school on the mainland. If she cannot succeed there, then her dragon will be destroyed. For a girl with no formal schooling, a non-Anglish upbringing, and a very different understanding of the history of her land challenges abound-both socially and academically. But Anequs is smart and determined, and resolved to learn what she needs to help her dragon, even if it means teaching herself. The one thing she refuses to do, however, is become the meek Anglish miss that everyone expects. For the world needs changing-and Anequs and her dragon are less coming of age in this bold new world than coming to power

FINALISTS

Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark
Liberty's Daughter by Naomi Kritzer
Promises Stronger than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix
Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

Abeni's Song (Abeni's song #1) by P. Djeli Clark
Call Number: JUV F CLA A1

ISBN: 9781250825827

Publication Date: 2023-07-25

Abeni, a reluctant magical apprentice, and a team of spirit kids set out to save their village from the evil Witch Priest who captured and marched off everyone toward ghost ships bound for distant lands.
The Sinister Booksellers of Bath (Left-handed booksellers of London #2) by Garth Nix
Call Number: YA F NIX-G L2 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780063236332

Publication Date: 2023-03-21

There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring. This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage. The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.
Unraveller by Frances Hardinge
Call Number: YA F HAR-F (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9781419759314

Publication Date: 2023-01-10

In Raddith, you must beware of cursers. Only those consumed by hatred are able to curse: set someone on fire, steal their shadow, or even turn them into another form. Only one person has the power to unravel curses: Kellen does not fully understand his talent, but helps those transformed maliciously. He helped Nettle recover from entrapment in bird form,?and she is now his constant companion and closest ally. But Kellen has also been cursed. Unless he and Nettle can discover who cursed him-- and why-- Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything and everyone around him.

THE NOMINEES

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke
Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao
The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko
Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee
Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger
So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

2018-2019

WINNER

Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

FINALISTS:

Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge
The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller
La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

La Belle Sauvage (Book of Dust #1) by Philip Pullman
Call Number: YA F PUL-P B1 (Young adult fiction)

ISBN: 9780375815300

Publication Date: 2017-10-19

When Malcolm finds a secret message inquiring about a dangerous substance called Dust, he finds himself embroiled in a tale of intrigue featuring enforcement agents from the Magisterium, a woman with an evil monkey daemon, and a baby named Lyra.
La Belle Sauvage [E-Book] (Book of Dust #1) by Philip Pullman
Call Number: YA F PUL-P B1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780553510737

Publication Date: 2017

WINNER

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Call Number: Juv F ADE (Juvenile Fiction)

ISBN: 9781250170972

Publication Date: 2018-03-06

Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to the land and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.
Children of Blood and Bone [E-Book] by Tomi Adeyemi
Call Number: YA F ADE-T L1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781250170989

Publication Date: 2018-03-06
Children of Blood and Bone [Streaming audio] by Tomi Adeyemi
Call Number: YA F ADE-T L1 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781427295507

Publication Date: 2018

FINALISTS:

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
The Invasion by Peadar O'Guilin
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

The Cruel Prince [E-Book] (Folk of the Air Series, Book 1) by Holly Black
Call Number: YA F BLA-H F1 Ebook (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9780316310307

Publication Date: 2018

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.To win a place at the Court, she must defy him—and face the consequences.In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
The Cruel Prince [streaming audiobook] (Folk of the Air #1) by Holly Black
Call Number: YA F BLAH- F1 Audiobk (OverDrive)

ISBN: 9781549140082

Publication Date: 2018

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The Belles [E-Book] (The Belles #1) by Dhonielle Clayton
Call Number: OverDrive E-Book

ISBN: 9781484732496

Publication Date: 2018-02-01

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orleans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orleans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful. But it's not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orleans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision. With the future of Orleans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Hugo Awards

Title Box

2020s

WINNER

Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

FINALISTS:

Minor Mage by T. Kingfisher

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee

Riverland by Fran Wilde

Deeplight by Frances Hardinge

The Wicked King by Holly Black

WINNER

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

FINALISTS:

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

WINNER

The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik

FINALISTS:

Chaos on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Redemption by Jordan Ifueko

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders

WINNER

Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor

NOMINEES:

Bloodmarked by Tracy Deonn

Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders

The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

In the Serpents WAke by Rachel Hartman

Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods by Catherynne M. Valente

WINNER

To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose

FINALISTS

Abeni's Song by P. Djèlí Clark

Liberty's Daughter by Naomi Kritzer

Promises Stronger than Darkness by Charlie Jane Anders

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

THE NOMINEES

The Feast Makers by H. A. Clarke

Heavenly Tyrant by Xiran Jay Zhao

The Maid and the Crocodile by Jordan Ifueko

Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger

So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole

2018-2019

WINNER

Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor

FINALISTS:

Summer in Orcus by T. Kingfisher

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

A Skinful of Shadows by Frances Hardinge

The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller

La Belle Sauvage by Philip Pullman

WINNER

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

FINALISTS:

Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Invasion by Peadar O'Guilin

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton