Yesterday’s Stonewall Book Awards ceremony at #alaac25 was a Pride parade in and of itself. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 20 creators took to the stage—or the screen*—to accept honors and awards for works with “exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.”
Jes and Cin Wibowo flew halfway around the world to accept the Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for their middle grades graphic novel Lunar Boy. In addition to Lunar Boy, the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) honored the following works for children.
2025 Stonewall Award Picture Books
- Marley’s Pride, written by Joëlle Retener, illustrated by DeAnn Wiley, published by Barefoot Books
- What I Must Tell the World: How Lorraine Hansberry Found Her Voice, written by Jay Leslie, illustrated by Loveis Wise, published by Hillman Grad Books, an imprint of Zando
2025 Stonewall Middle Grades Books
- Murray Out of Water by Taylor Tracy, published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
- The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon, published by Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group LLC
After the ceremony, attendees were invited to form a queue for free copies of nearly every winning and honored title. The creators present graciously signed them. With a flight to catch, I questioned whether I had time (or space in my luggage) for this. So I called upon my fairy godparents (i.e., Whitney and Billy) to grant my wish. That is: all 40+ books would make it back to Florida in my carry on.
Three flight delays later, at nearly midnight, I unpacked at my sister’s house. I called my nibling to the guest room to see the stack of books. Mostly to marvel at its sheer size. But instead of “Wow, you’re like the nonbinary Mary Poppins,” they said, “That’s my flag!” referring to the cover of Marley’s Pride.
And that was the real magic of today. Magic that—like Pride—doesn’t end just because the clock strikes midnight on June 30.
Have you read a magical children’s book about the LGBTQIA+ experience published in 2025? You can submit the title for the Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award committee’s consideration using this form.
*Honorees and winners unable to attend were invited to share pre-recorded remarks.
Kelley Taksier (they/them/theirs) is a former classroom teacher pursuing a Ph.D in special education at the University of Florida. Currently their research focuses on students’ access to texts in public schools. As a part of this work, they collaborate with school and public librarians. They are proud to be a part of Diverse BookFinder’s third Community of Practice cohort and enjoy reading science fiction outside of the reading they do as a part of their work. As for #alaac25, they are most looking forward to learning about how to be a better advocate for libraries.
The post Conjuring Magic at the #alaac25 Stonewall Book Awards Ceremony appeared first on ALSC Blog.
Yesterday’s Stonewall Book Awards ceremony at #alaac25 was a Pride parade in and of itself. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., 20 creators took to the stage—or the screen*—to accept honors and awards for works with “exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.” Jes and Cin Wibowo flew halfway around the world to accept the Mike Morgan & Larry Romans Children’s & Young Adult Literature Award for their middle grades graphic novel Lunar Boy. In addition to Lunar Boy, the Rainbow Round Table (RRT) honored the following works for children. 2025 Stonewall Award Picture Books 2025 Stonewall Middle Grades Books After the ceremony, attendees were invited to form a queue for free copies of nearly every winning and honored title. The creators present graciously signed them. With a flight to catch, I questioned whether I had time (or space in my luggage) for this. So I called upon my fairy…
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