Imagine opening a book and discovering that reading can transport you not just to different places, but to different times entirely. This year’s Newbery Medal winner does exactly that, proving once again that the finest children’s literature combines compelling storytelling with profound themes that resonate across generations. The American Library Association’s announcement of the 2025 Youth Media Awards brought exciting recognition to books that will inspire young readers and become treasured additions to classroom and home libraries everywhere.
The Prestigious Medal Recognizes Literary Excellence
The Newbery Medal stands as American children’s literature’s highest honor, awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children since 1922. Named for eighteenth-century British publisher John Newbery, this distinguished award recognizes the author of the most outstanding contribution to American literature for children published in the previous year.
The significance of winning a Newbery Medal extends far beyond recognition—it transforms careers, influences curriculum decisions, and shapes reading lists in schools and libraries across the nation. According to the American Library Association, the medal’s prestige stems from its rigorous selection process involving children’s literature experts, librarians, and educators who evaluate books based on their literary merit, thematic depth, and potential impact on young readers.
The 2025 selection process involved evaluating hundreds of books published in 2024, with committee members considering factors including plot development, character delineation, thematic presentation, and overall literary quality. This meticulous evaluation ensures that winning titles represent the pinnacle of children’s literary achievement, providing young readers with books that both entertain and educate while fostering a lifelong love of reading.
Erin Entrada Kelly Wins with Time-traveling Tale
“The First State of Being” by Erin Entrada Kelly earned the 2025 Newbery Medal, marking Kelly’s second Newbery recognition after winning the 2018 award for “Hello, Universe” and receiving a 2021 Honor for “We Dream of Space.” This remarkable achievement establishes Kelly as one of contemporary children’s literature’s most celebrated authors, consistently creating stories that capture both critical acclaim and young readers’ hearts.
Set in August 1999, the novel follows twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, a Filipino-American boy living with his single mother in Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware. Michael’s ordinary life revolves around preparations for the anticipated Y2K crisis and his crush on sixteen-year-old babysitter Gibby, until he encounters Ridge, a mysterious teenager who reveals himself as the world’s first time traveler from 2199.
Kirkus Reviews praised the book as “a warmhearted blend of nostalgia and futurism,” highlighting Kelly’s masterful character development as anxious and sensitive Michael learns to embrace the present while Ridge’s charming misuse of 1990s slang adds humor to their friendship. The story explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness while examining how technology changes society, but human connections remain constant.
The novel’s central concept of “the first state of being”—living fully in the present moment rather than obsessing over an unknowable future—resonates powerfully with middle-grade readers who often struggle with anxiety about academic performance, social relationships, and future expectations. Kelly’s exploration of these universal themes through the lens of time travel creates an accessible yet profound reading experience that helps children process their own worries while developing emotional intelligence.
Critics have compared the book to Rebecca Stead’s “When You Reach Me,” another time-travel story that won the 2010 Newbery Medal, noting how both authors use science fiction elements to explore deeply human themes. Kelly’s work stands out for its authentic portrayal of late 1990s culture, its sensitive depiction of working-class family life, and its celebration of found family relationships that provide support and guidance when traditional structures fall short.
Four Distinguished Honor Books Expand Reading Options
The 2025 Newbery Honor Books offer diverse storytelling approaches and themes, ensuring that educators and parents have multiple exceptional options for engaging young readers. These four titles—selected from hundreds of submissions—represent the finest achievements in children’s literature beyond the medal winner.
“Across So Many Seas” by Ruth Behar tells an intergenerational story spanning centuries, following four girls from different time periods whose lives connect across history through shared Jewish heritage and experiences of displacement. The novel weaves together stories from medieval Spain, Ottoman Turkey, Cuba, and modern-day Miami, demonstrating how families preserve traditions and identities despite geographic and temporal distances.
Chanel Miller’s “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” presents a beautifully illustrated middle-grade novel exploring themes of identity, friendship, and finding one’s voice. Miller, known for her powerful memoir “Know My Name,” brings her artistic talents to children’s literature with a story that addresses serious topics through age-appropriate storytelling that empowers young readers to understand their own worth and potential.
“One Big Open Sky” by Lesa Cline-Ransome offers readers a moving historical fiction narrative that explores family relationships and community connections during challenging times. Cline-Ransome’s expertise in crafting emotionally resonant stories about African-American experiences shines through in this latest contribution to children’s literature, providing representation that helps all readers understand diverse perspectives and shared human experiences.
Kate O’Shaughnessy’s “The Wrong Way Home” rounds out the honor books with a contemporary story that examines family dynamics and personal growth through a young protagonist’s challenging circumstances. The novel’s exploration of resilience and hope in difficult situations provides readers with characters they can relate to while learning valuable lessons about perseverance and self-acceptance.
Reading Benefits Extend Beyond Entertainment
These award-winning books offer numerous educational and developmental benefits that extend far beyond simple entertainment. Reading complex, well-crafted narratives improves children’s language processing abilities, expanding vocabulary, sentence structure understanding, and comprehension skills. The sophisticated themes present in Newbery Medal books challenge young readers to think critically about character motivations, plot development, and thematic meanings, developing analytical skills essential for academic success across all subject areas.
Moreover, exposure to diverse characters and settings through quality literature builds empathy and cultural awareness, helping children understand perspectives different from their own experiences. The Newbery Honor books particularly excel in this area, presenting protagonists from various backgrounds facing universal challenges that help readers recognize shared humanity while appreciating cultural differences.
These books also provide excellent opportunities for family reading and classroom discussions that strengthen comprehension skills and encourage critical thinking. When parents and teachers engage children in conversations about book themes, character choices, and story outcomes, they reinforce learning while modeling thoughtful analysis and respectful dialogue about complex topics.
Practical Applications for Educators and Families
Teachers can incorporate these Newbery winners into classroom instruction across multiple subjects, using “The First State of Being” to explore historical contexts of the late 1990s, discuss scientific concepts related to time travel, and examine social issues affecting working-class families. The book’s authentic dialogue and cultural references offer opportunities for vocabulary development and discussions on cultural literacy.
The honor books offer similarly rich teaching opportunities, with “Across So Many Seas” supporting social studies units on immigration, cultural preservation, and historical connections, while “Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All” can enhance art and creative writing instruction through its multimedia storytelling approach. These titles work excellently for literature circles, independent reading assignments, and read-aloud sessions that build classroom communities around shared reading experiences.
Parents seeking quality literature for home reading will find these books ideal for family reading time, offering stories sophisticated enough to engage adult readers while remaining accessible to children. The themes present in all five books create natural opportunities for meaningful conversations about values, decision-making, and personal growth that strengthen family relationships while supporting children’s emotional development.
Libraries and reading specialists can use these award-winning titles to create engaging programming around themes of friendship, family, cultural identity, and personal growth, designing activities that extend reading experiences through art, writing, and discussion opportunities that serve diverse community needs.
Build Lifelong Readers Through Quality Literature
The 2025 Newbery Medal and Honor Books represent the pinnacle of children’s literary achievement, offering young readers access to stories that combine entertainment with meaningful themes that support personal growth and academic development. These carefully selected titles demonstrate how quality children’s literature can address complex topics while remaining age-appropriate and engaging for their intended audiences.
When children encounter books of this caliber, they develop higher expectations for reading material and a stronger appreciation for skillful storytelling, character development, and thematic depth. This exposure to literary excellence creates foundation skills and preferences that influence reading choices throughout their academic careers and into adulthood, fostering lifelong learning habits essential for success in our knowledge-based society.
The diversity of stories and perspectives represented in this year’s selections ensures that various readers can find characters and situations they connect with personally while exploring experiences beyond their own backgrounds. This combination of personal relevance and expanded horizons characterizes the finest children’s literature and explains why Newbery Award winners continue influencing young readers decades after publication.
Discover quality reading programs that support literary development
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