Happy new semester, everyone! For those of you who don't know, and in case it wasn't obvious, I love YA literature. It has come a long way in recent years as far as the variety and sheer amount of what's available, as well as its sophistication. So, it should come as no surprise that I always get excited when it's time for the Youth Media Awards. What are the Youth Media Awards? Basically, they're the Oscars for books, audiobooks, and videos that are aimed at children and young adult audiences. The Youth Media Awards are a big deal in library-land. Librarians sit on the committees that choose the winners and "honor" books (being on one of these committees involves a lot of reading), and the winners are revealed at the American Library Association's (ALA) annual mid-winter conference. The announcements happened on Monday, January 23rd - and for future reference, are live-streamed in case you ever feel like you might want to watch them with your ...