Bloomsbury Children’s Books is pleased to share two accolades announced at the 2026 American Library Association (ALA) Youth Media Awards ceremony, held in Chicago.

Renée Watson has received the 2026 John Newbery Medal for All the Blues in the Sky. The Newbery Medal is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. This is the first Newbery Medal in the US company’s 28-year history.
 
L.T. Thompson has received a Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature Honor for Devils Like Us. The Stonewall Book Awards are presented to English language books that have exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQIA+ experience.
 
“Each member of the children’s team played a part in this incredible achievement and history-making ‘first’ for the Bloomsbury US Children’s list,” said Mary Kate Castellani, Publishing Director of Bloomsbury Children’s Trade division. “This moment for Renée has been many years in the making, beginning with Renée’s debut novel on our list in 2010, and including her Newbery Honor for Piecing Me Together in 2018. Now, All the Blues in the Sky will forever be in the highest echelon of books that will shape young readers for generations to come.”

Of Devils Like Us, Castellani praised, “Especially in this time, we are enormously proud to see this adventurous, joyful historical fantasy about a group of queer and trans teens recognized.”

All the Blues in the Sky, edited by Editorial Director Sarah Shumway, is a novel told in verse and prose vignette featuring a thirteen-year-old girl navigating grief following the sudden death of her best friend. Called “an achingly beautiful deep dive into grief, healing, and the uncertainty and promise of tomorrow” (Shelf Awareness), it was a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, received five starred reviews, and was featured in The Today Show and Romper. It was also recognized as a best book of the year by The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. 

Renée Watson is a #1 New York Times bestselling author. Her novel Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love is a Revolution, a poetry anthology, Black Girl You Are Atlas, as well as acclaimed picture books: Summer is Here, Maya’s Song, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, written with Nikole Hannah-Jones, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen, and Harlem’s Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City.

Devils Like Us, edited by Senior Editor Cameron Kellogg and Editor Meghan McCullough, is a historical young adult fantasy set in 19th century New England, featuring a trio of swashbuckling teens who set sail on a mission to stop deadly prophetic visions from coming true. It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and was featured in WBUR.

L.T. Thompson writes stories about queer kids and teens discovering themselves and having adventures. They’re a proud library worker and the author of two books for middle-grade readers: The Best Liars in Riverview and The House That Whispers. L.T. grew up in Kentucky, spent a decade in Boston, and now lives in Iowa with their wife and cat. When they’re not writing, they enjoy picking up new hobbies and letting their interests cycle like the tides.

Bloomsbury Children’s Books publishes books for readers of all ages, including Renée Watson’s Piecing Me Together (Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award), Salina Yoon’s My Kite Is Stuck! And Other Stories (Theodor Seuss Geisel Award), Martin W. Sandler’s 1919 (National Book Award), Nick Lake’s In Darkness (Michael L. Printz Award), and Lilliam Rivera’s Never Look Back (Pura Belpré Honor), as well as works by New York Times bestselling authors Brigid Kemmerer, Kate Messner, Kalynn Bayron, and Trang Thanh Tran.

CONTACT:
Faye Bi, Sr. Director of Publicity
faye.bi@bloomsbury.com
212-419-5340