Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Annual awards for science fiction or fantasy

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Awarded for| Best young adult science fiction or fantasy book
Presented by| World Science Fiction Society
First award| 2018
Most recent winner| Moniquill Blackgoose (To Shape a Dragon's Breath)

The Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book is an award given annually to a book published for young adult readers in the field of science fiction or fantasy.[1] The name of the award was chosen because a lodestar is "a star that guides or leads, especially in navigation, where it is the sole reliable source of light—the star that leads those in uncharted waters to safety".[2] The nomination and selection process is administered by the World Science Fiction Society (WSFS), and the award is presented at the Hugo Award ceremony at the annual World Science Fiction Convention, or Worldcon, although it is not itself a Hugo Award.[1]

Lodestar Award nominees and winners, using the same procedures as the Hugo Awards, are chosen by supporting or attending members of the Worldcon, and the presentation evening constitutes its central event. The final selection process is defined in the WSFS Constitution as instant-runoff voting with six finalists, except in the case of a tie. The books on the ballot are the six most-nominated by members that year, with no limit on the number of books that can be nominated. Initial nominations are made by members from January through March, while voting on the ballot of six finalists is performed roughly from April through July, depending on the dates of that year's Worldcon.[3] Worldcons are generally held in August or early September, and are held in a different city around the world each year.[4][5]

Prior to the creation of the award, unsuccessful attempts had been made to add a Best Young Adult Book or similar category to the Hugo Awards, leading to the creation of a WSFS committee in 2014 to make recommendations on the issue. The committee concluded in 2017 that opposition to the category was largely due to its nature as a type of story rather than a format, like the other categories, and proposed making it a named non-Hugo award instead.[2] This proposal was agreed upon by the WSFS members. The award was created and named in separate amendments to the WSFS constitution, in 2017[6] and 2018[1] respectively, so it did not have a formal name in its inaugural year, and was referred to as the World Science Fiction Society Award for Best Young Adult Book.[7]

In the 8 years the award has been given, 28 authors have had works as finalists. Nnedi Okorafor has won twice, in 2018 and 2023. Each other year has seen a different winner: the 2019 award by Tomi Adeyemi, the 2020 award by Naomi Kritzer, the 2021 award by Ursula Vernon under the alias T. Kingfisher, the 2022 award by Naomi Novik, and the 2024 award by Moniquill Blackgoose. Charlie Jane Anders, Frances Hardinge, Kritzer, Novik, Darcie Little Badger, and Vernon (as Kingfisher) have had works on the final ballot three times, and six other authors have been finalists twice.

## Winners and finalists

[edit]

In the following table, the years correspond to the date of the ceremony, rather than when the novel was first published. Each year links to the corresponding "year in literature". Entries with a yellow background have won the award; those with a gray background are the finalists.

*   Winners

Winners and finalists Year  | Author(s)  | Title  | Publisher  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

2018 | Nnedi Okorafor* | Akata Warrior | Viking Press | [8]
Ursula Vernon (as T. Kingfisher) | Summer in Orcus | Sofawolf Press  | [8]
Sarah Rees Brennan | In Other Lands | Big Mouth House | [8]
Frances Hardinge | A Skinful of Shadows | Macmillan Publishers / Harry N. Abrams | [8]
Sam J. Miller | The Art of Starving | HarperTeen | [8]
Philip Pullman | The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage | Alfred A. Knopf | [8]
2019 | Tomi Adeyemi* | Children of Blood and Bone | Henry Holt and Company / Macmillan Publishers | [9]
Holly Black | The Cruel Prince | Little, Brown and Company / Hot Key Books | [9]
Dhonielle Clayton | The Belles | Freeform / Gollancz | [9]
Rachel Hartman | Tess of the Road | Random House / Penguin Teen | [9]
Justina Ireland | Dread Nation | Balzer + Bray | [9]
Peadar Ó Guilín | The Invasion | David Fickling Books / Scholastic | [9]
2020 | Naomi Kritzer* | Catfishing on CatNet | Tor Teen | [10]
Frances Hardinge | Deeplight | Macmillan Publishers | [10]
Yoon Ha Lee | Dragon Pearl | Disney/Hyperion | [10]
Ursula Vernon (as T. Kingfisher) | Minor Mage | Argyll Productions  | [10]
Fran Wilde | Riverland | Amulet Books | [10]
Holly Black | The Wicked King | Little, Brown and Company / Hot Key Books | [10]
2021 | Ursula Vernon (as T. Kingfisher)* | A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking | Argyll Productions  | [11]
Aiden Thomas | Cemetery Boys | Swoon Reads | [11]
Naomi Novik | A Deadly Education | Del Rey Books | [11]
Darcie Little Badger | Elatsoe | Levine Querido  | [11]
Tracy Deonn | Legendborn | Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing | [11]
Jordan Ifueko | Raybearer | Amulet Books / Hot Key Books | [11]
2022 | Naomi Novik* | The Last Graduate | Del Rey Books | [12]
Naomi Kritzer | Chaos on CatNet | Tor Teen | [12]
Xiran Jay Zhao | Iron Widow | Penguin Teen / Rock the Boat  | [12]
Jordan Ifueko | Redemptor | Amulet Books / Hot Key Books | [12]
Darcie Little Badger | A Snake Falls to Earth | Levine Querido  | [12]
Charlie Jane Anders | Victories Greater Than Death | Tor Teen / Titan Books | [12]
2023 | Nnedi Okorafor* | Akata Woman | Viking Books for Young Readers | [13]
Tracy Deonn | Bloodmarked | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers | [13]
Charlie Jane Anders | Dreams Bigger Than Heartbreak | Tor Teen / Titan Books | [13]
Naomi Novik | The Golden Enclaves | Del Rey Books | [13]
Rachel Hartman | In the Serpent's Wake | Random House Books for Young Readers | [13]
Catherynne M. Valente | Osmo Unknown and the Eightpenny Woods | Margaret K. McElderry Books | [13]
2024 | Moniquill Blackgoose* | To Shape a Dragon's Breath | Del Rey Books | [14]
P. Djèlí Clark | Abeni's Song | Starscape | [14]
Naomi Kritzer | Liberty's Daughter | Fairwood Press | [14]
Charlie Jane Anders | Promises Stronger than Darkness | Tor Teen | [14]
Garth Nix | The Sinister Booksellers of Bath | Katherine Tegen Books / Victor Gollancz Ltd / Allen & Unwin | [14]
Frances Hardinge | Unraveller | Macmillan Children's Books | [14]
2025 | H. A. Clarke | The Feast Makers | Erewhon | [15]
Xiran Jay Zhao | Heavenly Tyrant | Tundra Books | [15]
Jordan Ifueko | The Maid and the Crocodile | Amulet | [15]
Darcie Little Badger | Sheine Lende | Levine Querido  | [15]
Kamilah Cole | So Let Them Burn | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | [15]
Yoon Ha Lee | Moonstorm (nomination withdrawn)[a] | Delacorte Press | [15]

## See also

[edit]

* Andre Norton Award

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Moonstorm was a finalist for the 2025 awards, but was withdrawn from consideration by the author in protest of the Worldcon's use of generative AI tools to vet potential program participants at the convention.[16]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society, as of August 21, 2018" (PDF). World Science Fiction Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
2. ^ a b "The Complete YA Award Study Committee Report" (PDF). Worldcon 75. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-12-07. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
3. ^ "The Hugo Awards: Introduction". World Science Fiction Society. 2007-07-18. Archived from the original on 2011-05-07. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
4. ^ "The Locus index to SF Awards: About the Hugo Awards". Locus. Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2010-04-21.
5. ^ "World Science Fiction Society / Worldcon". World Science Fiction Society. Archived from the original on 2009-04-14. Retrieved 2010-04-20.
6. ^ "Constitution of the World Science Fiction Society, as of August 22, 2017" (PDF). World Science Fiction Society. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-08-23. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
7. ^ "2018 Hugo Winners Announced". Worldcon 76. Archived from the original on 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
8. ^ a b c d e f "2018 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2018-03-15. Archived from the original on 2018-04-02. Retrieved 2018-04-02.
9. ^ a b c d e f "2019 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2019-09-18. Archived from the original on 2019-07-29. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
10. ^ a b c d e f "2020 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2020-04-07. Archived from the original on 2021-11-19. Retrieved 2020-04-08.
11. ^ a b c d e f "2021 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2021-12-18. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-01-03.
12. ^ a b c d e f "2022 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2022-09-04. Archived from the original on 2022-09-05. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
13. ^ a b c d e f "2023 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2023-07-06. Archived from the original on 2023-07-06. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
14. ^ a b c d e f "2024 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2024-03-29. Archived from the original on 2024-08-12. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
15. ^ a b c d e f "2025 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
16. ^ "Seattle Worldcon 2025 Controversy". Locus. 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-06-09.

* v
* t
* e

Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

* Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor (2018)
* Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (2019)
* Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer (2020)
* A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (2021)
* The Last Graduate by Naomi Novik (2022)
* Akata Woman by Nnedi Okorafor (2023)
* To Shape a Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose (2024)

* v
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* e

Hugo Awards

Written fiction|

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Other works|

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* Discontinued awards

Magazines/Periodicals|

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People|

* Professional Editor
* Professional Artist
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Other WSFS awards|

* Astounding Award for Best New Writer
* Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book

Related|

* Hugo Gernsback (namesake)

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