One event dominated the news in our corner of the world: the 2024 Youth Media Awards. See where categories landed in our most viewed stories of the past week.

2024 Youth Media Awards Winners
The entire list of winners of the 2024 YMAs, announced January 22 at LibLearnX in Baltimore, updated as the winners were revealed.

A ‘Big’ Moment for the Caldecott: Vashti Harrison is First Black Woman to Win Medal
Vashti Harrison earns a place in history with her 2024 Caldecott win for Big, the first book she both wrote and illustrated. On the social feeds, librarians praised Big for its capacity as a conversation starter. "I've been reading this to my library kiddos all week and we've had some amazing discussions," wrote Amy Pruhs, on Instagram. "Thanks for creating such a beautiful and important book." 

The 2024 Newbery Medal Goes to…THE EYES AND THE IMPOSSIBLE
"Heavy Medal" bloggers Emily Mroczek-Bayci and Steven Engelfried live-blogged the 2024 awards. Herewith, some cheers, some surprises, and a bit of snark, all about the "most exciting PowerPoint of the year!" 

‘The Eyes and the Impossible’ Wins the Newbery, ‘Big’ Earns Caldecott, and ‘The Collectors: Stories’ Takes the Printz Award at 2024 Youth Media Awards
SLJ's main news story covering this year's winners and honorees and what it all means.

SLJ Reviews of the 2024 Caldecott Medal Winner & Honor Books
Our editors rounded up SLJ reviews of the titles honored at the 2024 Youth Media Awards. Reviews of the Caldecott Medal and Honor books particularly resonated with readers.

SLJ Reviews of the 2024 Newbery Medal Winner & Honor Books
The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers garnered an SLJ star as did three of the five Honor books. "Almost proselike, the voices and personalities of Johannes and his comrades are endearing," wrote reviewer Michele Shaw. "Their unique story will enchant readers and encourage them to focus on what is most important in life."

Best Middle Grade Books 2023 | SLJ Best Books
SLJ named 26 titles as Best Books in 2023. The list has driven consistent high interest since Best Books was announced in late November, notable as among the most viewed stories and during YMAs week, to boot. 

“We definitely tried to make sure that there was a range,” says school librarian Kristyn Dorfman, who served on SLJ's middle grade committee. “In middle grade, their reading skills or interests are also varied. That makes it difficult, but it also makes it so interesting and fun, because you’re thinking about the interests of anyone from a fourth grader to seventh.” 

Looking for more? Visit the dedicated page for "Everything YMAs."