The Coretta Scott King Award
The Coretta Scott King Award
Embedded Files
The Coretta Scott King Book Award, established in 1969 and officially recognized by the American Library Association (ALA) in 1982, honors outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults. Named after Coretta Scott King, the civil rights leader and wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the award celebrates works that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. Its purpose is to recognize literary and artistic excellence while promoting the visibility of Black creators in youth literature. The award is given annually, typically during the ALA's Youth Media Awards ceremony, and includes categories for both author and illustrator, along with occasional recognition through the John Steptoe New Talent Award and the Virginia Hamilton Lifetime Achievement Award.
Reading List
Please read:
If you choose to explore this award, please select three books from the list below. You will be responsbile for sharing these books with your classmates as part of our module discussion.
Don't forget, you can learn a bit more about each book by checkout out our course inclusivity audit. Please also see my note about content warnings for specific titles.
⭐️ Jennifer Recommends: I've added stars to books that represent some of my favorites. You should feel no pressure to select titles that resonated with me.
⭐️ Ruin Road
Lamar Giles
2024
Black Girl You Are Atlas
Renée Watson & Ekua Holmes
2024
(S)kin
Ibi Zoboi
2025
24 Seconds From Now
Jason Reynolds
2024
⭐️ The Maid & The Crocodile
Jordan Ifueko
2024
⭐️ Kucklehead Poems
Tony Keith Jr
2025
The Unboxing of a Black Girl
Angela Shanté
2024
The Summer I Ate the Rich
Maika Moulite & Maritza Moulite
2025
The Bird In The Air Means We Can Still Breathe
Mahogany L. Browne
2025
⭐️ The Black Girl Survives in This One
(Edited by) Desiree S. Evans & Saraciea J. Fennell
2024
Needy Little Things
Channelle Desamours
2025
Big Jim
David F. Walker & Marcus Kwame Anderson
2024
The Corruption of Hollis Brown
K. Ancrum
2025
Messy Perfect
Tanya Boteju
2025
⭐️ This Thing of Ours
Frederick Joseph
2025
The Swans of Harlem (YA Edition)
Karen Valby
2025
The Family I'm In
Sharon G Flake
2025
⭐️ Kin: Rooted in Hope
Carole Boston Weatherford & Jeffery Boston Weatherford
2024
Want to read something that is not on this list?
If you would like to swap a book from this list for one of your own choosing, you must:
Contact Jennifer (via Canvas) at least a week in advance with your suggested swap. Remember! In order to qualify for substitution, the book you select must:
qualify for the given award
have been published in the previous 24 months
be written for a YA audience
Keep in mind that some books appear on multiple award lists.
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