Congratulations to PNW authors Renée Watson and Idris Goodwin on their Walter Dean Meyers Honors from We Need Diverse Books!

Announcing the​ ​2026 ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​and​ ​Honor​ ​Books

The​ ​We​ ​Need​ ​Diverse​ ​Books​ ​Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee​ ​has​ ​selected​ ​the​ ​Winners​ ​and Honorees​ ​for​ ​the​ eleventh ​annual​ ​Walter​ ​Dean​ ​Myers​ ​Awards​ ​for​ ​Outstanding​ ​Children’s​ ​Literature. The ​Awards​ ​comprise two​ ​categories:​ ​Teen​ ​(​ages​ ​13-18​)​ ​and​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​(​ages 9-13​).​ ​One​ Winner​ and one Honor Book ​have​ ​been​ ​named ​in​ each ​category​.

 

2026​ ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

By Derrick Barnes

(Viking Books for Young Readers; Penguin Random House)

2026 ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Younger​ ​Readers​ ​Category

All the Blues in the Sky

By Renée Watson

(Bloomsbury)

2026 ​Walter​ ​Award,​ ​Teen​ ​Category

Champion

A Graphic Novel

By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld

Illustrated by Ed Laroche

(Ten Speed Graphic; Penguin Random House)

2026​ ​Walter​ ​Honors,​ ​Teen​ ​Category

King of the Neuro Verse

By Idris Goodwin

(Atheneum Books for Young Readers; Simon & Schuster)

The​ ​2026 Walter​ ​Awards ​​will​ ​be​ ​held​ on Monday,​ March ​23,​ ​2026, in Washington, DC, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library. The​ event ​will​ include a panel discussion with the winners and honorees, centered around the theme, “Writing is Resistance,” followed by a Q&A. The event is free and attendees can register for a seat. Student groups are welcome and should reach out to We Need Diverse Books to reserve space at info@diversebooks.org.

 

The​ ​2026 Walter​ ​Awards​ ​Judging​ ​Committee:​ Chair Shanetia Clark, Co-Chair Kit Ballenger, Courtney Johnson, Erica Jones, Jabari Sellars, Jenice Mateo-Toledo, Jolynn Asato, Rodney Fierce, Yasmeen Shorish

Walter Award Co-directors: Kathie Weinberg and Yukari Matsuyama