Schneider Family Book Award

About the Schneider Family Book Award The Schneider Family Book Awards honor an author or illustrator for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences.
Click here for the Schneider Family Book Award Manual (PDF)
Bibliography of Children's Books about the Disability Experience (pdf)
  

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Teen Winner

2024 Winner(s)

Forever Is Now

Forever is Now, written by Mariama J. Lockington and published by Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC

Sadie is an Oakland, California activist who shares her passion for social justice online. After witnessing a violent incident of police brutality, her chronic anxiety deepens into agoraphobia. Distinctive poetry and lyrical narrative convey Sadie’s emotional journey of self-advocacy that inspires the change she imagines for her world.


Teen Honor

2024 Honor(s)

Tilly in Technicolor

Tilly in Technicolor, written by Mazey Eddings and published by Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press

Tilly Twomley is desperate for change. She feels like she's white-knuckling her way through high school as flawed executive functioning has left her burnt out. Things quickly change as she meets the neurodivergent, Oliver Clark. As the duo’s neurodiverse connection grows, they learn that some of the best parts of life can’t be planned. 


Where You See Yourself

Where You See Yourself, written by Claire Forrest and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Where You See Yourself combines an unforgettable coming-of-age tale, a riveting romance, and much-needed disability representation in this story about Effie, a girl who's determined to follow her dreams. By the time Effie Galanos starts her senior year, it feels like she’s already been thinking about college applications for an eternity—after all, finding a college that will be the perfect fit and be accessible enough to navigate in her wheelchair presents a ton of considerations that her friends don’t have to worry about.


Middle Grade Winner

2024 Winner(s)

The Fire the Water and Maudie McGinn

The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn, written by Sally J Pa and published by Quill Tree Books, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers

Maudie, a neurodivergent young woman, loves spending summers with her dad in California. When a wildfire forces an evacuation, they move to a trailer on the beach. Burdened by secrets and her mother’s expectations, Maudie seeks affirmation by learning to surf. Her bravery broadens and transforms her sense of self-worth.


Honor Middle Grade

2024 Honor(s)

Good Different

Good Different, written by Meg Eden Kuyatt and published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

A extraordinary novel-in-verse about a neurodivergent girl who comes to understand and celebrate her difference. In this dynamic novel, Selah navigates the challenges of day-to-day life as a person who faces the unique obstacles of neurodivergenceBut as she soon starts to figure out more about who she is, she comes to understand that different doesn’t mean damaged. 


Simon Sort of Says

Simon Sort of Says, written by Erin Bow and published by Disney Hyperion

Simon O’Keeffe’s biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he’d do anything to forget: the story in which he’s the only kid in his class who survived a school shooting. Simon Sort of Says is a testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.


Young Children Winner

2024 Winner(s)

Henry Like Always

Henry, Like Always, written by Jenn Bailey, illustrated by Mika Song and published by Chronicle Books LLC

Share Time happens on Fridays in Ms. Tanaka’s class.  When it is displaced by a special parade and moved to Thursday, Henry, who is autistic, starts to unravel. With the gentle and understanding support of his teachers and classmates, Henry works with the change to find his own way.


Young Children Honor

2024 Honor(s)

Dancing Hands

Dancing Hands, written by Joanna Que and Charina Marquez, illustrated by Fran Alvarez and translated by Karen Llagas and Published by Chronicle Books in partnership with Room to Read and Adarna House

This picture book about friendship and sign language, originally published in the Philippines in concert with nonprofit Room to Read, is revised for this global edition. In this story, the new neighbors’ hands are dancing. Their hands move as if conducting a symphony. What does the symphony of motion mean?
 


What Happened to You?

What Happened to You?, written by James Catchpole, illustrated by Karen George and published by Little, Brown, and Company, a division of Hatchette Book Group, Inc.

Every time Joe goes out the questions are the same . . . what happened to his leg? But is this even a question Joe has to answer? A ground-breaking, funny story that helps children understand what it might feel like to be seen as different and how these children navigate these questions.