Here are the 2016 awards of genre interest announced at the American Library Association’s midwinter conference in Boston this past week.

Caldecott Medal

2016 Caldecott Medal: The Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book was awarded to Sophie Blackall for Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear, written by Lindsay Mattick.

“Finding Winnie” is an incredible account of the friendship and love shared between a soldier and the real bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh. Blackall beautifully interprets this multi-dimensional family story through her distinctive Chinese ink and watercolor art, capturing intimate and historical details perfect for a child’s eye.

“Children will be enchanted by Winnie’s journey from the forests of Canada to the pages of the Hundred Acre Wood. Blackall offers a tour-de-force of visual storytelling,” said Caldecott Medal Committee Chair Rachel G. Payne.

Blackall is an Australian-born illustrator based in New York. Saying she first learned to draw in the sand with a stick at the beach, Blackall has illustrated over thirty books. A keen observer of human and animal behavior, Blackall’s illustrations illuminate moments and emotions in fine detail.

2016 Alex Award Winners: The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. Three of this year’s winners are of genre interest.

• Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis, published by St. Martin’s Press (ISBN: 9781250046505). Sixteen-year-old Maren literally eats the ones who love her, bones and all. When her mother abandons her, Maren sets out to find the father she has never met, hoping he can help her understand why she is a monster.
• Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by David Wong, published by Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press (ISBN: 9781250040190). Zoey never had much ambition beyond being a barista, but when her father leaves her in control of the lawless city of Tabla Ra$a, she goes from steaming milk to slaying supervillains.
• Half the World by Joe Abercrombie, published by Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company (ISBN: 9780804178426). A bloodthirsty girl and a reluctant warrior are recruited by a cunning minister for a mission that will either save or doom their kingdom.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

• Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award honors an author or illustrator whose books, published in the United States, have made, over a period of years, a substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children.

• Jerry Pinkney

His award-winning works include The Lion and the Mouse, recipient of the Caldecott Award in 2010. In addition, Pinkney has received five Caldecott Honor Awards, five Coretta Scott King Illustrator Awards, and four Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honors.

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of the American Library Association announced the following “Best of” lists.

2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults

In addition to the full list, the selection committee chose a top ten, including these three of genre interest.

• Bardugo, Leigh. Six of Crows. Holt. 2015.
• Older, Daniel José. Shadowshaper. Scholastic/Arthur A. Levine Books. 2015.
• Ruby, Laura. Bone Gap. Harper/Balzer and Bray. 2015.

2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Click here for the full list. Works of genre interest in its top ten are —

• Lumberjanes.
  • vol. 1. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen. Boom! Box, paper, $14.99, (9781608866878).
  • vol. 2. By Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Shannon Watters. Illus. by Brooke Allen. Boom! Box, paper, $14.99, (9781608867370).
• Ms. Marvel.
  • vol. 2: Generation Why. By G. Willow Wilson. Illus. by Jacob Wyatt and Adrian Alphona. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785190226).
  • vol. 3: Crushed. By G. Willow Wilson. Illus. by Takeshi Miyazawa and Elmo Bondoc. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785192275).
• Nimona. By Noelle Stevenson. Illus. by the author. Harper Teen, hardcover, $17.99, (9780062278234).
• The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl.
  • vol. 1: Squirrel Power. By Ryan North. Illus. by Erica Henderson. Marvel Comics, paper, $15.99, (9780785197027).
  • vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It’s True. By Ryan North. Illus. by Erica Henderson. Marvel Comics, paper, $14.99, (9780785197034).

2016 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

Click for the full list. Works of genre interest in its top ten are —

• Bracken, Alexandra. The Darkest Minds. Disney Press, 2013.
• Hale, Shannon. Book of a Thousand Days. Bloomsbury USA, 2009.
• Kuehn, Stephanie. Charm & Strange. Griffin, 2014.
• Maberry, Jonathan. Rot & Ruin. Simon & Schuster, 2011.
• Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. Square Fish, 2013.
• Mullin, Mike. Ashfall. Tanglewood Press, 2012.
• Yolen, Jane. Briar Rose. Tor Teen, 2002.

2016 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

Click for the full list. All works in its top ten are of genre interest:

• The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich, read by Charlotte Parry and Christian Coulson. Hachette Audio, 2015.
• Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, read Mark Bramhall, David De Vries, Macleod Andrews, and Rebecca Soler. Scholastic, 2014.
• Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, read by Kyla Garcia. Listening Library, 2015.
• Half Wild by Sally Green, read by Carl Prekopp. Listening Library, 2015.
• Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01 by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, read by Olivia Taylor Dudley, Lincoln Hoppe, Jonathan McClain. Listening Library, 2015.
• Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray, read by January LaVoy. Listening Library, 2015.
• Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs, read by Kirby Heyborne. Blackstone Audio, 2015.
• Trollhunters by Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus, read by Kirby Heyborne. Recorded Books, 2015.
• Waistcoats & Weaponry by Gail Carriger, read by Moira Quick. Hachette Audio, 2015.
• What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by Randall Munroe, read by Wil Wheaton. Blackstone Audio, 2014.