Poetic Touch Seen in National Book Award Long List for Young People’s Literature

The National Book Foundation recently announced the long list for the National Book Awards in the young people’s literature category. Of the 10 nominees, five novels were written in verse, showcasing a poetic theme. Some of the titles include Olivia A. Coles’ “Ariel Crashing a Train,” Shifa Saltagi Safadi’s “Kareem Between,” Margarita Engle’s “Wild Dreamers,” Alicia D. Williams’ “Mid-Air,” and Angela Shanté’s “The Unboxing of a Black Girl.” In addition to works in verse, two debut novels were also selected, including Josh Galarza’s “The Great Cool Ranch Dorito in the Sky” and Ali Terese’s “Free Period,” among others such as Violet Duncan’s “Buffalo Dreamer,” Randy Ribay’s “Everything We Never Had” and Erin Entrada Kelly’s “The First State of Being.”
The National Book Awards will release long lists in different categories such as poetry, nonfiction, and fiction throughout the week. These lists will be narrowed down to five finalists on Oct. 1, and the winners will be announced at a dinner ceremony on Nov. 20.
In addition to the young people’s literature category, nominees for books in translation were also revealed, transporting readers to various settings from Scandinavia to the Middle East to Taiwan. Notably, three Arabic books were selected: Nasser Abu Srour’s “The Tale of a Wall,” Bothayna Al-Essa’s “The Book Censor’s Library,” and Samar Yazbek’s “Where the Wind Calls Home.” Three Spanish translations were also recognized, including works by Layla Martínez, Fernando Vallejo, and Fernanda Trías. Other translation nominees came from languages such as Swedish, Danish, French, and Mandarin Chinese.