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Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The Lambda Literary Awards, often called the "Lammys," are special prizes given out every year in the United States. They celebrate books that feature or explore themes about people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer. The group that gives these awards, the Lambda Literary Foundation, is known for helping new and exciting LGBTQ+ writers share their stories.

The Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature is one of the 25 different Lammys. It was first given out at the 2nd Lambda Literary Awards in 1990. Back then, it was called the "Young Adult/Children’s Book Award." After a short break, it came back in 1992 as "Children's/Young Adult Literature." Since 2007, it has been known as the "LGBTQ Children's/Young Adult" award.

In 2013, the 25th Lambda Literary Awards received a record number of books. Because so many books were submitted, the judges were asked to pick more finalists. Since the 26th awards, if many books are submitted, the Children's/Young Adult category can be split into two smaller groups: "Children's/Middle Grade" and "Young Adult." This happened in 2020 and 2021.

Award-Winning Authors

Some authors have won this award multiple times. David Levithan has won three times (in 2004, 2007, and 2014) and was nominated three other times. Jacqueline Woodson won two Lammys in this category, in 1996 and 1998. As of 2020, Kacen Callender is the only author to have two books nominated in the same year. His book Hurricane Child won the award that year.

Recent Winners

Here are some of the recent winners of the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature:

  • 2021 Winners:
    • King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender (Children's/Middle Grade)
    • Flamer by Mike Curato (Young Adult)
  • 2022 Winners:
    • Calvin by JR Ford and Vanessa Ford (Children's/Middle Grade)
    • The Heartbreak Bakery by A. R. Capetta (Young Adult)
  • 2023 Winners:
    • Mighty Red Riding Hood by Wallace West (Children's/Middle Grade)
    • Nikhil Out Loud by Maulik Pancholy (Middle Grade)
    • The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes (Young Adult)
  • 2024 Winners:
    • The Apartment House on Poppy Hill by Nina LaCour (Children's/Middle Grade)
    • Dear Mothman by Robin Gow (Middle Grade)
    • Only This Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian (Young Adult)
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