By American Library Association
NAP Contributor
The Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA), an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), announced the 2026 winners of its Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature youth categories in January during the ALA’s Youth Media Awards announcements in Chicago, Illinois.
The Asian Pacific American Award for Literature honors and recognizes individual works by Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pasifika authors that highlight its cultures and experiences.
To help fulfill those goals, APALA announced new sub-categories highlighting Pasifika creators and cultures this year. Please note that not all categories featured Pasifika winner and honor titles, often due to lack of access to eligible titles.
Kaho’olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People was selected for the best Pasifika picture book. Many Things at Once was selected for best Asian American picture book. Hungry Bones was chosen as the winner for Children’s Literature. The Red Car to Hollywood won in the Young Adult Literature category.
Best Pasifika Picture Book: Kaho’olawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People was written by Kamalani Hurley, illustrated by Harinani Orme, and published by Millbrook Press, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group.
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its fight for reclamation, Kahoʻolawe: The True Story of an Island and Her People tells the story of Kaho’olawe’s importance in historical Pasifika migration to Hawaiʻi, her near devastation by American militarism, and her position as the inspiration for the Hawaiian sovereignty movement and renaissance.
The committee selected two Pasifika Picture Book Honor title(s): Filo’s Butterflies written by Litea Fuata, illustrated by Myo Yim, and published by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing.
White Sunday written by Litea Fuata, illustrated by Myo Yim, and published by Hardie Grant Children’s Publishing, an imprint of Hardie Grant Publishing.
Best Asian American Picture Book: Many Things at Once was written by Veera Hiranandani, illustrated by Nadia Alam, and published by Random House Studio, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Drawing on her own family background, Hiranandani beautifully conveys the complex experience of being biracial and an interfaith family. Pencil and digital illustrations show the narrator’s evolving sense of self while evoking the feel of a scrapbook in scenes depicting her grandparents’ history in India and Poland.
The committee selected two Asian American Picture Book Honor title(s): Every Peach Is a Story written by David Mas Masumoto and Nikiko Masumoto, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki, and published by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS.
A Vaisakhi to Remember written by Simran Jeet Singh, illustrated by Japneet Kaur, and published by Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Children’s Literature Award: Hungry Bones was written by Louise Hung and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Jade is a ghost trapped in a house unable to move on until Molly and her mother move in. This haunting tale blends culture and mystery, resulting in a powerful story of family, history, and remembering and honoring the pain of the past, as we move toward a brighter future.
The committee selected two Children’s Literature Honor titles: The Queen Bees of Tybee County written by Kyle Casey Chu and published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Fresh Start written and illustrated by Gale Galligan, and published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.
Young Adult Literature Award: The Red Car to Hollywood written by Jennie Liu and published by Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group.
With a meticulously researched and tightly paced plot set in 1924, Los Angeles’ Chinatown comes to life around the friendship of 16-year-old Ruby Chan and rising star Anna May Wong. This novel blends suspense with emotional depth while navigating intricate themes of self-determination, familial expectations, and assimilation amidst systemic racism and sexism.
The committee selected one Young Adult Literature Honor title: Tall Water written by SJ Sindu, illustrated by Dion MBD and published by HarperAlley, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Winner and honor titles chosen from titles by and about Asian American and Pasifika creators published between September 2024 through August 2025 will be given the award seal during the annual APALA Literature Award ceremony during the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition in Chicago in June.
For a complete list of Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature including adult fiction and nonfiction titles, please visit www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards.
The 2026 Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature committee members include:
Co-Chairs: Jamie Kurumaji, Fresno County Public Library, California; Candice Mack, Los Angeles Public Library, California and Zoë McLaughlin, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
About the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.
About the Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association (APALA) was founded in 1980 by librarians of diverse Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pasifika (AAHHPI) ancestries committed to working together toward a common goal: to create an organization that would address the needs of AANHPI staff and those who serve AANHPI communities.
