The 2024 New England Book Award winners were announced on September 12, 2024 at the NEIBA Fall Conference. See the full list of finalists and winners below!
Titles submitted for the awards must be either about New England, set in New England, or written by an author residing in New England. Submissions can be hardcovers, paperback
originals, or reissues.
Submissions must publish between September 1, 2023 and August 31, 2024. The award categories are Children's, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, and Poetry. Any bookseller employed
by active NEIBA members may submit their own ballot. Only one ballot may be submitted per person.
2024 Finalists
Voting for these titles has closed. Winners will be announced on Sept 12 at our New England Book Awards Banquet, part of the 2024 NEIBA Fall Conference.
Fiction
WINNER! North Woods by Daniel Mason (Random House)
Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash (Harper Perennial)
Fire Exit by Morgan Talty (Tin House)
Sandwich by Catherine Newman (HarperCollins)
Swift River by Essie Chambers (Simon & Schuster)
Nonfiction
Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery (Mariner Books)
WINNER! Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson (Penguin)
A House Restored by Lee McColgan (Countryman Press)
Wild Girls by Tiya Miles (W.W. Norton & Co)
God Save Benedict Arnold by Jack Kelly (St. Martin’s Press)
Poetry
WINNER! The Wonder of Small Things by James Crews (Storey Publishing)
In the Cathedral of My Undoing by Kellam Ayres (Gunpowder Press)
Have You Been Long Enough at Table by Leslie Sainz (Tin House)
Auguries and Divinations by Heather Treseler (Bauhan Publishing)
Glitter Road by January Gill O'Neil (CavanKerry Press)
Picture Book
WINNER! Small Things Mended by Casey W Robinson; illustrated by Nancy Whitesides (Rocky Pond Books)
An Encyclopedia of Gardening for Colored Children by Jamaica Kincaid; illustrated by Kara Walker (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Cranky by Phuc Tran; illustrated by Pete Oswald (HarperCollins)
Life After Whale by Lynn Brunelle; illustrated by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books)
Night Song by Mk Smith Despres; illustrated by Hyewon Yum (Enchanted Lion)
Middle Grade
WINNER! Chinese Menu by Grace Lin (Little, Brown)
Colonization and the Wampanoag Story by Linda Coombs (Crown Books)
How It All Ends by Emma Hunsinger (Greenwillow Books)
WINNER! Timid by Jonathan Todd (Graphix)
The Secret Library by Kekla Magoon (Candlewick)
Young Adult
The Fall of Whit Rivera by Crystal Maldonado (Holiday House)
WINNER! Gather by Kenneth Cadow (Candlewick)
Practical Rules for Cursed Witches by Kayla Cottingham (Delacorte Press)
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar (Feiwel & Friends)
Mysterious Ways: A Novel by Wendy Wunder (Wednesday Books)
2023 Finalists
To view an Edelweiss collection of these titles, click here.
To download assets for social media, click here.
Fiction
When We Were Sisters by Fatimah Asghar (One World)
Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy (Gillian Flynn Books)
WINNER! Yellowface by RF Kuang (William Morrow)
Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (Anchor)
Confessions of Matthew Strong by Ousmane K. Power-Greene (Other Press)
Nonfiction
Stamped from the Beginning written by Ibram X. Kendi and
adapted/illustrated by Joel Christian Gill (Ten Speed Graphic)
You or Someone You Love by Hannah Matthews (Atria Books)
WINNER! Fen, Bog & Swamp written by Annie Proulx (Scribner)
The Revolutionary by Stacy Schiff (Little, Brown and Company)
Master Slave Husband Wife by
Ilyon Woo (Simon & Schuster)
Poetry
The Study of Human Life by Joshua Bennett (Penguin Books)
Negative Money by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram (Soft Skull)
Console by Colin Channer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
WINNER! The Diaspora Sonnets by Oliver de la Paz (Liveright)
Judas & Suicide by Maya Williams (Game Over Books)
Children's
The Tree and the River written and illustrated by Aaron Becker (Candlewick)
The Universe in You written and illustrated by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books)
The Lobster Lady written
by Alexandra D. Hinrichs and
illustrated by Jamie Hogan (Charlesbridge)
The Truth About Dragons written by Julie Leung and
illustrated by Hanna Cha (Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers)
WINNER! Homeland written by Hannah Moushabeck and
illustrated by Reem Madooh (Chronicle Books)
Middle Grade
Elf Dog and Owl Head written by M.T. Anderson and
illustrated by Junyi Wu (Candlewick)
Opinions and Opossums by Ann Braden (Nancy Paulsen Books)
Freestyle
written and illustrated by Gale Galligan (Graphix)
The Flag Never Touched the Ground written written by Kekla Magoon and
illustrated by Thy Bui (Pushkin Children's Books)
WINNER! Hoops written and illustrated by Matt Tavares (Candlewick)
Young Adult
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham (Sourcebooks Fire)
WINNER! When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb (Levine Querido)
The Memory Eater by
Rebecca Mahoney (Razorbill)
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis (Dial Books)
The Wicked Bargain by Gabe Cole Novoa (Random House Books for Young Readers)
2022 Finalists
To view an Edelweiss collection of these titles, click here.
To download assets for social media, click here.
Fiction
Babel by R.F. Kuang (Harper Voyager)
WINNER! Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty (Tin House)
Ben and Beatriz by Katalina Gamarra (Graydon House)
Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel (Redhook)
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon (Gallery/Scout Press)
Nonfiction
Another Appalachia by Neema Avashia (West Virginia University Press)
Black Ghost of Empire by Kris Manjapra (Scribner)
Breaking Bread edited by Debra Spark and Deborah Joy Corey (Beacon Press)
Civil
Rights Queen by Tomiko Brown-Nagin (Pantheon)
WINNER! Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald (Bloomsbury)
Poetry
Cutlish by Rajiv Mohabir (Four Way Books)
Dream of the Divided Field by Yanyi (One World)
WINNER! Such Color by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press)
The Curious Thing by Sandra Lim (W.W. Norton)
What is Otherwise Infinite by Bianca Stone (Tin House)
Children's
Big Truck Little Island written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen (Candlewick)
Firsts and Lasts written by Leda Schubert and illustrated by Clover Robin (Candlewick)
WINNER! Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story written by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten and illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (Charlesbridge)
What Isabella Wanted written by Candace Fleming and illustrated by Matthew Cordell (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House)
When Langston Dances written by Kaija Langley and illustrated by Keith Mallett (Denene Millner Books)
Middle Grade
Anybody Here Seen Frenchie? by Leslie Connor (Katherine Tegen Books)
A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow (Quill Tree Books)
Maizy Chen's Last Chance by Lisa Yee (Random House Books for Young Readers)
Wingbearer written by
Marjorie Liu and illustrated by Teny Issakhanian (Quill Tree Books)
WINNER! Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Young Adult
Briar Girls by Rebecca Kim Wells (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Deep in Providence
by Riss M. Neilson (Henry Holt & Co. Book for Young Readers)
Slip written by Marika McCoola and illustrated by Aatmaja Pandya (Algonquin Young Readers)
WINNER! Squire written by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh and illustrated by Sara Alfageeh (Quill Tree Books)
The Name She Gave Me by Betty Culley (HarperTeen)
2021 Finalists
Fiction
Hour of the Witch written by Chris Bohjalian (Doubleday)
A Master of Djinn written by P. Djèlí Clark (Tordotcom)
Plain Bad Heroines written by Emily M. Danforth (William Morrow)
The Hare written by Melanie Finn
(Two Dollar Radio)
WINNER! Libertie written by Kaitlyn Greenidge (Algonquin Books)
Nonfiction
Mill Town written by Kerri Arsenault (St. Martin's Press)
WINNER! The Secret to Superhuman Strength written and illustrated by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books)
We Keep the Dead Close written by Becky Cooper (Grand Central Publishing)
The Gatherings by Shirley N. Hager and Mawopiyane (Aevo UTP)
The Disordered Cosmos by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (Bold Type Books)
Poetry
Owed written by Joshua Bennett (Penguin Books)
Even Shorn written by Isabel Duarte-Gray (Sarabande Books)
Red Kite, Blue Sky written by Madeleine Kunin (Green Writers Press)
American Wake written by Kerrin McCadden
(Black Sparrow Press)
WINNER! Just Us written by Claudia Rankine (Graywolf Press)
Children's
Your Place In the Universe written and illustrated by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House)
Bubbles...Up! written by Jacqueline Davies and illustrated by Sonia Sánchez (Katherine Tegen Books)
Becoming a
Good Creature written by Sy Montgomery and illustrated by Rebecca Green (Clarion Books)
Imagine a Wolf written and illustrated by Lucky Platt (Page Street Kids)
WINNER! Watercress written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin (Neal Porter Books/Holiday House)
Middle Grade
Twig and Turtle 1: Big Move to a Tiny House written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson (Pixel+Ink)
WINNER! Red, White, and Whole written by Rajani LaRocca (Quill Tree Books)
Of a Feather written by Dayna Lorentz (Clarion Books)
Middletown written by Sarah Moon (Levine Querido)
Unsolved Case Files: Escape at 10,000 Feet written and illustrated by Tom Sullivan (Balzer + Bray)
Young Adult
This Poison Heart written by Kalynn Bayron (Bloomsbury YA)
Flamer written and illustrated by Mike Curato (Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers)
Your Corner Dark written by Desmond Hall (Atheneum/Caitlyn
Dlouhy Books)
Last Night at the Telegraph Club written by Malinda Lo (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
WINNER! Fat Chance, Charlie Vega written by Crystal Maldonado (Holiday House)
2020 Winners
Fiction - Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (Tordotcom)
Nonfiction - Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran (Flatiron Books)
Poetry - The Absurd Man: Poems by Major Jackson (W. W. Norton & Company)
Children's - Saturday written and illustrated by Oge Mora (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Middle Grade - Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Young Adult - The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
(Click here to view and Edelweiss collection of all 2020 finalists.)
2019 Winners
Fiction - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong (Penguin)
Nonfiction - Frederick Douglass by David W. Blight (Simon & Schuster)
Children's - New Kid by Jerry Craft (HarperCollins)
Young Adult - Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Graphix)
(Click here to view and Edelweiss collection of all 2019 finalists.)
2018 Winners
Fiction - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste
Ng (Penguin)
Nonfiction - Vacationland by John Hodgman (Penguin)
Children's - Rescue And Jessica by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, illust. Scott Magoon, (Candlewick)
Young Adult - The Cruel Prince by Holly
Black (Little, Brown for Young Readers)
2017 Winners
Fiction - Women In The Castle by Jessica Shattuck (William Morrow)
Nonfiction - Stranger In The Woods by Michael Finkel (Knopf)
Children's - Some Writer by Melissa
Sweet (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Young Adult - The Gentleman's Guide To Vice And Virtue by Mackenzi Lee (Katherine Tegen Books)
2016 Winners
Fiction - Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (Grand Central Publishing)
Nonfiction - Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (Simon & Schuster)
Children's - Wolf Hallow by Lauren Wolk (Dutton/Penguin
Young Readers)
2015 Winners
Fiction - Blue Horses: Poems by Mary Oliver (Penguin)
Nonfiction - Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (Metropolitan)
Children's - Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McColla, illust. Emily Carroll (Candlewick)
2014 Winners
Fiction - Euphoria by Lily King (Grove Atlantic)
Nonfiction - Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (Bloomsbury)
Children's - Firefly July by Paul Janeczko, illust. Melissa
Sweet (Candlewick)
2013 Winners
Fiction - The Art Forger by Barbara A. Shapiro (Algonquin)
Nonfiction - Bunker Hill by Nathaniel Philbrick (Penguin)
Children's - If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen (Dial)
2012 Winners
Fiction - The Flight Of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey (HarperCollins)
Nonfiction -Remembering the Music by Kate Whouley (Beacon Press)
Children's - More by I. C. Springman & illustrated
by Brian Lies (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
2011 Winners
Fiction - Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (Viking)
Nonfiction - Warmth Of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson ( Random House)
Children's - Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall
(Knopf)
2010 Winners
Fiction - Father of the Rain by Lily King (Grove Atlantic)
Nonfiction - Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (Random House)
Children's - City Dog, Country Frog written by Mo Willems,
illust. Jon J Muth (Hyperion)
For 20 years, NEIBA recognized New England authors’ body of work with the New England Book Awards. In 2010 we chose the focus on titles in specific categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Children’s. In 2017, the Young Adult award was added.
Fiction
2009 Geraldine Brooks
2008 Alice Hoffman
2007 Gregory Maguire
2006 Richard
Ford
2005 William Martin
2004 Archer Mayor
2003 Jodi Picoult
2002 Chris Bohjalian
2001 Elinor Lipman
2000 Suzanne Strempek Shea
1999 Wally Lamb
1998 Anita Shreve
1997 Elizabeth
Berg
1996 Jamaica Kincaid
1995 Howard Norman
1994 Richard Russo
1993 Jill McCorkle
1992 Cathie Pelletier
1991 Howard Frank Mosher
1990 May Sarton |
Nonfiction
2009 Sy Montgomery
2008 Nathaniel Philbrick
2007 Roy Blount, Jr.
2006 Kevin
Phillips
2005 Jane Brox
2004 Linda Greenlaw
2003 Simon Winchester
2002 Howard Zinn
2001 Robert Finch
2000 John Hanson Mitchell
1999 Bill Bryson
1998 Bernd Heinrich
1997 James Carroll
1996 David Herbert Donald
1995 Doris Kearns Goodwin
1994 Tracy Kidder
1993 Donald Hall
1992 Jonathan Kozol
1991 Geoffrey Ward, Ric Burns,
and Ken Burns
|
Children's Books
2009 Andrew Clements
2008 Tomie dePaola
2007 Julius Lester
2006 Jane
Yolen
2005 Marc Simont
2004 Molly Bang
2003 Lois Lowry
2002 Leonard Everett Fisher
2001 Joan Bauer
2000 Marcia Sewall
1999 Karen Hesse
1998 Susan Meddaugh
1997 Natalie
Kinsey-Warnock
1996 Steven Kellogg
1995 Natalie Babbitt
1994 Ashley Bryan
1993 William
Steig
1992 Katherine Paterson
1991 Barbara Cooney
1990 Jan Brett |
Other distinctions previously awarded by NEIBA include Editorial Excellence and Literary Excellence, as well as an award for exemplary New England Publishing.
New England Publishing
2009 Tilbury House
2008 Down East Books
2007 Shambhala Publications
2006 Commonwealth Editions
2005 Chelsea Green
2004 Storey Publishing
2003 Candlewick Press
2002 University Press of
New England
2000 Steerforth Publishing
1998 Houghton Mifflin
1996 Curbstone
Press
1994 South End Press
1993 Alyson Publications
1992 Beacon Press
1991 University
of
Massachusetts Press |
Literary Excellence
2001 John Edgar Wideman
1999 Mary Oliver
1995 Peter Davison |
Editorial Excellence
1997 Henry Louis Gates, Jr. |
One of the longest-running New England Book Awards is the President's Award, given by the NEIBA Board President for lifetime achievement in arts and letters.
2021 Julia Alvarez
2020 Eric Carle
2019 Stephen King
2018 Elizabeth McCracken
2017 John Irving
2016 Elizabeth
Strout
2015 Lois Lowry
2014 Sy Montgomery
2013 Wendell & Florence Minor
2012 Wally Lamb
2011 Howard Frank Mosher
2010 Dahlov Ipcar
2009 Ward Just
2008 David Macaulay
2007 Richard
Russo
2006 Richard Ford
2005 Tracy Kidder
2004 James Carroll
2003 Doris Kearns Goodwin
2002 Donald Hall
2001 David McCullough
2000 Seamus Heaney
1999 Arthur Miller
1998 Saul
Bellow
1997 Cornel West
1996 Grace Paley
1995 Seymour Lawrence
1994 Dr. Robert Coles
1993 Doris
Grumbach
1992 John Kenneth Galbraith
1991 Robert McCloskey
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