2026 Odyssey Awards for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children and Young Adults announced

CHICAGO — Live Oak Media, producer of the audiobook “Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story,” has won the 2026 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children. Listening Library, an imprint of the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, producer of the audiobook “Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day,” has won the 2026 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Young Adults. The awards were announced today during the American Library Association’s (ALA) Youth Media Awards Announcements in Chicago.

The Odyssey Awards are given to the producer of the best audiobooks produced for children (0-14) and young adults (12-18) available in English in the United States during the preceding eligibility year. One winner may be selected for each age category with a single honor list comprised of titles for both age categories. The award is jointly administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), divisions of the ALA, and is sponsored by Booklist magazine.

“Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story,” produced by Arnie Cardillo with Traci Sorell for Live Oak Media, written by Traci Sorell, illustrated by Joseph Erb and narrated by the author and a full cast, is a beautiful creation and an act of gadugi (gah-dew-ghee)--the Cherokee value of collaboration. Young stickball players learn to cooperate, and all production elements unite by centering the voices of elders and children in English and Tsalagi (jah-long-ghee) layering in a culturally resonant soundscape, and narration of a game.

“This entertaining read-along book about the Cherokee Nation invites listeners to experience the excitement and tradition of a stickball game,” said Odyssey Award Committee Chair Eva Thaler-Sroussi.

“Trans History: From Ancient Times to the Present Day,” produced by Juan García Ticoulat and Iris McElroy for Listening Library, an imprint of the Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, written and illustrated Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett, narrated by the authors and a full cast, incorporates a full cast of global historians and multifaceted voices. It represents an exceptional translation of the graphic format to a clear and cohesive audiobook. Sprinkled with humor, the intimate nonfiction narration from the authors poses thoughtful questions about the treatment and agency of transgender individuals throughout history.

“The audiobook format opens space for a deeper connection that is both powerful and profound, elevating the information and the community it honors,” said Thaler-Sroussi.

Four Honor Audiobooks also were named:

"The Dead of Summer,” produced by Zane Birdwell and Paul Gagne for Scholastic Audio, written by Ryan La Sala and narrated by Pete Cross and A’rese Emokpae.

“Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories,” produced by Sydney Mathieu for Heartdrum, an imprint of HarperCollins, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith and narrated by a full cast. 

“Soundtrack,” produced by Dan Zitt and Brian Ramcharan for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, written by Jason Reynolds and narrated by a full cast.

“Whale Eyes: A Memoir About Seeing and Being Seen,” produced by Iris McElroy and Olivia Langen for Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, written and narrated by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea.

Audiobooks constitute a fast-growing area of usage in libraries. The Odyssey Award is named after the epic poem titled, “The Odyssey,” which was told and retold in the oral tradition and eventually ascribed by the poet Homer on the tales of Ulysses as he returns to his kingdom after the Trojan War. The Odyssey Award allows us to return to the ancient roots of storytelling, while living in our modern world.

Members of the 2026 Odyssey Award Committee are: Chair Eva Thaler-Sroussi, Adrienne Almeida, Kate Brunner, Madelaine Formica, Amy Hailey, Jeremiah Henderson, Heidi Knuth, Wendy MacArthur, Allison Staley, Sarah Wilson, and Award Administrative Assistant Annie Jaffe.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the largest non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to America’s libraries. The ALA mission is to empower and advocate for all libraries and library workers to ensure equitable access to information for all. For 150 years, ALA has provided resources for information professionals to transform their communities through essential programs and services. For more information, visit www.ala.org.

About the Association for Library Service to Children

ALSC, a division of the American Library Association, is the world’s largest organization dedicated to the support and enhancement of library service to children. With a network of more than 3,300 children’s and youth librarians, literature experts, publishers and educational faculty, ALSC is committed to creating a better future for all children through libraries. Visit www.ala.org/alsc.

About the Young Adult Library Services Association

The mission of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) is to support library staff in alleviating the challenges teens face, and in putting all teens ‒ especially those with the greatest needs ‒ on the path to successful and fulfilling lives. For more information about YALSA or to access national guidelines and other resources go to www.ala.org/yalsa or e-mail: yalsa@ala.org.

For information on the Odyssey Award and other ALA Youth Media Awards, please visit www.ala.org/yma.