WinnerVincent and Theo: The Van Gogh BrothersDeborah HeiligmanThis biography follows the intertwined lives of Vincent and Theo van Gogh through their letters, shared ambitions, disappointments, and personal struggles. Before dedicating himself to drawing and painting at age 27, Vincent works in an art auction house and ministers to poor people. Theo, a younger brother and successful art dealer, offers both financial and emotional support while encouraging Vincent to use more color in his work. The account also addresses both brothers’ experiences of despair and Vincent’s periods of sadness, withdrawal, and instability.NonfictionView book detailsBoston Globe–Horn Book Awards 2017
The 2017 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards honor nine books in nonfiction, picture books, and fiction and poetry. The winners are Vincent and Theo by Deborah Heiligman, Freedom Over Me by Ashley Bryan, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Two Honor Books join each winner, including works by Melissa Sweet, Matthew Cordell, Nikki Grimes, and Richard Peck.
2017 Boston Globe–Horn Book AwardsSee the original list
Selections9
Published byThe Horn Book
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Nonfiction
3 selections
WinnerVincent and Theo: The Van Gogh BrothersDeborah HeiligmanThis biography follows the intertwined lives of Vincent and Theo van Gogh through their letters, shared ambitions, disappointments, and personal struggles. Before dedicating himself to drawing and painting at age 27, Vincent works in an art auction house and ministers to poor people. Theo, a younger brother and successful art dealer, offers both financial and emotional support while encouraging Vincent to use more color in his work. The account also addresses both brothers’ experiences of despair and Vincent’s periods of sadness, withdrawal, and instability.NonfictionView book details
HonorUndefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football TeamSteve SheinkinThis nonfiction book connects Jim Thorpe’s life, the Carlisle Indian School football team, and the development of American football. Thorpe, born in Oklahoma with Fox and Sauk heritage, was sent to Indian boarding schools as a child and later played at Carlisle under Coach Pop Warner. It also examines U.S. persecution of Native Americans and schools intended to erase Native cultures, alongside the team’s influence on football plays and techniques.NonfictionView book details
HonorSome Writer!: The Story of E. B. WhiteMelissa SweetMelissa Sweet’s illustrated biography examines the life and work of E. B. White, called Andy by family and friends. It draws on his letters, photographs, family mementos, and passages from his writing, alongside Sweet’s collage and watercolor art. The book includes stories about White’s three books, among them The Trumpet of the Swan, Stuart Little, and Charlotte’s Web, as well as White’s experiences as a young adventurer, amateur naturalist, journalist, essayist, farmer, and humorist. It describes White as shy and often anxious, while also tracing the eloquence and clarity of his writing.NonfictionView book detailsPicture Book
3 selections
WinnerFreedom Over Me: Eleven Slaves, Their Lives and Dreams Brought to LifeAshley BryanAshley Bryan draws on an 1828 estate appraisal that lists eleven enslaved people for sale. Historical documents, poetry, paintings, and collage imagine their histories, daily lives, hopes, and dreams while confronting the brutality of assigning a price to human beings. For each person, Bryan creates paired poems and paintings: one portrays aspects of life and history, while another presents a dream. The book centers the individuality of people reduced by the document to names and values.Picture BookLexile Text Measure 730LView book details
HonorWolf in the SnowMatthew CordellIn this nearly wordless picture book, a girl and a wolf cub are each separated from home during a snowstorm. Their paths meet as they navigate the winter weather, and they help one another find their way back. Matthew Cordell tells the story through illustrations, following the child and young wolf through the same dangerous conditions.Picture BookWord Count 41View book details
HonorTown Is by the SeaJoanne SchwartzOn a summer day in a town by the sea, a boy looks toward the water while thinking about his father, who digs coal beneath the sea. He visits a friend, runs an errand for his mother, and stops at his grandfather’s grave. The details of lunch, swings, sea air, and the graveyard shape his day, while his father’s underground work remains in his thoughts.Picture BookLexile Text Measure AD550LATOS Book Level 3.6View book detailsFiction and Poetry
3 selections
WinnerThe Hate U GiveAngie ThomasSixteen-year-old Starr Carter lives in a poor neighborhood and attends a wealthy, largely white private school. After a white police officer kills her childhood friend Khalil during a traffic stop, Starr confronts shock, grief, anger, and fear as the incident becomes national news. She must decide whether to testify while worries about a local gang leader, her family, friendships, boyfriend, and police officer uncle complicate what she does next.Fiction and PoetryLexile Text Measure HL590LATOS Book Level 3.9View book details
HonorOne Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem RenaissanceNikki Grimes, OthersThis poetry collection draws on the Harlem Renaissance and pairs Nikki Grimes’s poems with full-color original art by contemporary African American illustrators. It honors the era’s spirit while reshaping familiar poems into new work connected to present-day African American life. The book brings poetry, visual art, and cultural history together through a modern reflection on the Harlem Renaissance and its continuing influence.Fiction and PoetryView book details
HonorThe Best ManRichard PeckArcher moves through his sixth-grade year with four important adults in his life: his father, grandfather, Uncle Paul, and favorite teacher, Mr. McLeod. As he navigates middle school, he learns about love, friendship, and change while looking to these men as examples. When Uncle Paul and Mr. McLeod marry, the wedding becomes a defining event in Archer’s year and reshapes what he understands about the people close to him.Fiction and PoetryLexile Text Measure 540LATOS Book Level 4.1View book details