Kirkus Best Books of the Year Winners Writers to Discover

Awards List

2021

The Blizzard Party

The Blizzard Party (*)
Jack Livings

Mar-2021
/ Literary

The Life of the Mind

The Life of the Mind (*)
Christine Smallwood

Mar-2021
/ Psychological Suspense

What's Mine and Yours

What's Mine and Yours (*)
Naima Coster

Mar-2021
/ Women's Fiction

Early Morning Riser

Early Morning Riser (*)
Katherine Heiny

Apr-2021
/ Women's Fiction

The Blackmailer's Guide to Love

The Blackmailer's Guide to Love (*)
Marian Thurm

May-2021
/ Women's Fiction

The Great Mistake

The Great Mistake (*)
Jonathan Lee

Jun-2021
/ Historical

Intimacies

Intimacies (*)
Katie Kitamura

Jul-2021
/ Thriller

Lean Fall Stand

Lean Fall Stand (*)
Jon McGregor

Sep-2021
/ Thriller

I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness

I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness (*)
Claire Vaye Watkins

Oct-2021
/ General Fiction

2020

Cleanness

Cleanness (*)
Garth Greenwell

Jan-2020
/ Literary

Interior Chinatown

Interior Chinatown (*)
Charles Yu

Feb-2020
/ Literary

Run Me to Earth

Run Me to Earth (*)
Paul Yoon

Feb-2020
/ Literary

We Ride Upon Sticks

We Ride Upon Sticks (*)
Quan Barry

Mar-2020
/ Literary

The Knockout Queen

The Knockout Queen (*)
Rufi Thorpe

May-2020
/ Literary

What Happens at Night

What Happens at Night (*)
Peter Cameron

Aug-2020
/ Literary

Dear Ann

Dear Ann (*)
Bobbie Ann Mason

Sep-2020
/ Literary

Summer

Summer (*)
Ali Smith

Sep-2020
/ General Fiction

Memorial

Memorial (*)
Bryan Washington

Nov-2020
/ General Fiction

Award Categories

Affirming Picture Books

Beginning Readers

Book Club Fiction

Books for Beginning Readers

Empowering Picture Books

Environmental Fiction

Fiction in Translation

Fictional Families

Fictional Voices

Funniest Picture Books

Historical Fiction

Informational Picture Books

Joyous Picture Books

Middle-Grade About Speaking Up

Middle-Grade Activist

Middle-Grade Adventures

Middle-Grade Family Stories

Middle-Grade Fantasy and SF

Middle-Grade Fiction

Middle-Grade Friendship Stories

Middle-Grade Graphic Fiction

Award Years