Three Listening Library Audiobooks Are 2026 Odyssey Award Winners/Honors!
The Youth Media Awards (YMA), in association with the American Library Association (ALA), are an annual set of prestigious honors for children’s and young adult literature and media. The 2026 Youth Media Awards were announced Monday, January 26, 2026, during a live-streamed event from Chicago. American Library Association’s Odyssey Award committee selected three Listening Library titles for their 2026 list!
The Odyssey Award committee named Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett’s TRANS HISTORY the 2026 Odyssey Award winner for young adults. Jason Reynolds’ SOUNDTRACK and James Robinson’s WHALE EYES were recognized as 2026 Odyssey Honor audiobooks. All three audiobooks were recognized during the ALA’s Youth Media Awards livestream are published by Listening Library, an imprint of Penguin Random House Audio.
TRANS HISTORY is an essential introduction to trans history, from ancient times to the present day that is deeply researched, highly readable, and features a broad range of voices. Conversations with modern activists, scholars, and creatives highlight the breadth of current trans experiences and give listeners a deeper sense of the diversity of trans people, a group numbering in the millions. Andrew Eakett skillfully leads the full cast of narrators, carefully crafted soundscapes transport listeners throughout centuries of history, and the breadth of narrators mirrors the diversity of the trans community.
Alex L. Combs and Andrew Eakett are a creative team and a couple who’ve been together for more than twenty years. They have spent much of their time studying and making art about topics relating to feminist and gender studies. Trans History represents the culmination of a decade of journeying into this topic since they both came out as trans. TRANS HISTORY is the first Odyssey win for producers Iris McElroy and Juan Garcia Ticoulat.
Listen to a clip from TRANS HISTORY.
In SOUNDTRACK, acclaimed author Jason Reynolds shows us a found family coming of age in a wonderfully complex city in this novel about New York City teens who form a band that becomes a sensation after they start performing in the subway, as their talent and love of music lift them to unexpected heights. Released first on audio and produced specifically for the medium, SOUNDTRACK is read by a full cast, features an original score by GRAMMY ®-winning composer Justin Ellington, and was recorded by four-time GRAMMY®-winning producer Dan Zitt and 2025 Odyssey Honor-winning producer Brian Ramcharan. The production combines naturalistic dialogue between the band members with a full cityscape of sound effects, including subway cars, a tap dancer, food vendors, and unique sounds for every neighborhood mentioned in the book – down to the knocks on apartment building doors. SOUNDTRACK was named one of the best audiobooks of 2025 by Audible, AudioFile Magazine, Booklist, Barnes & Noble, and Spotify.
Jason Reynolds is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books for children and young adults. A 2024 MacArthur Fellow, Jason is best known for his novels All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), the Track series, and Long Way Down, which received Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Honors. Among his many accolades, Jason was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2020-2022. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program, and lives in Washington, DC. SOUNDTRACK is the second Odyssey Honor for producers Dan Zitt and Brian Ramcharan.
Listen to a clip from SOUNDTRACK.
WHALE EYES is meant to be twisted, turned, and experienced. This audiobook includes a downloadable PDF with illustrations, experiments, photos, and interactive visual components. The PDF helps the listener experience the visual effects while they listen to author James Robinson read from a copy of the text and listen to friends experience the exercises and share their reactions live on mic. This audiobook book immerses readers in James’ point of view, allowing them to experience the world through his disabling eye conditions. WHALE EYES was named one of the best audiobooks of 2025 by AudioFile Magazine and Booklist.
James Robinson is an Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker and video producer for New York Times Opinion. James speaks to audiences across the country, from grade school to grad school, about disability, filmmaking, and getting people to care. WHALE EYES is producer Iris McElroy’s first and producer Olivia Langen’s second Odyssey Honor.
Listen to a clip from WHALE EYES.
The ALA’s Odyssey Award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children or young adults, available in English in the United States. The award’s name is taken from the Greek Odyssey epic, which was originally told and passed down in the oral tradition. The ALA also awards the prestigious Caldecott, Carnegie and Newbery Medals and Printz Award for excellence in children’s literature. Penguin Random House Audio titles have earned 7 Odyssey Awards and 25 Honors, including the 2024 Odyssey Award for El Deafo by Cece Bell and a 2025 Odyssey Honor for Black Girl You Are Atlas by Renée Watson.
The ALA’s Odyssey Award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children or young adults, available in English in the United States. The award’s name is taken from the Greek Odyssey epic, which was originally told and passed down in the oral tradition. The ALA also awards the prestigious Caldecott, Carnegie and Newbery Medals and Printz Award for excellence in children’s literature. Penguin Random House Audio titles have earned seven Odyssey Awards and 25 Honors, including the 2024 Odyssey Award for EL DEAFO by Cece Bell and a 2025 Odyssey Honor for BLACK GIRL YOU ARE ATLAS by Renée Watson.
Congratulations to all on your richly deserved recognition!