Our Indies Choice Book Awards Shortlisters
The American Booksellers Association (ABA) recently released shortlists in seven categories for the 2026 Indies Choice Book Awards. This year, the ABA relaunched the awards program, which had been on hiatus since 2019.
These awards celebrate the best Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Children’s Picture Books, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Debut Adult and Debut Children’s voted by indie booksellers. The shortlist recognizes five titles from each category, and we’re thrilled to share that Penguin Random House titles were recognized in every category!
Indie booksellers from ABA member independent bookstores will be voting until March 25, and winners will be announced on April 8. Winning titles from each category will receive $2,000.
A warm congratulations to our teams and authors who were recognized on the shortlist! Our fingers are crossed for the winners announcement on April 8.
OUR INDIES CHOICE BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTERS
Adult Fiction
THE CORRESPONDENT: A Novel by Virginia Evans (Crown)
ATMOSPHERE: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine Books)
Adult Nonfiction
ONE DAY, EVERYONE WILL HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AGAINST THIS by Omar El Akkad (Knopf)
Children’s Picture Books
DON’T TRUST FISH by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat (Dial Books)
BUFFALO FLUFFALO AND PUFFALO by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan (Random House Studio)
THE BAKERY DRAGON AND THE FAIRY CAKE by Devin Elle Kurtz (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Middle Grade
DRAGONBORN by Straun Murray (Dutton Books for Young Readers)
Young Adult
THE LAST BOOKSTORE ON EARTH by Lily Braun-Arnold (Delacorte Press)
ANGELICA AND THE BEAR PRINCE (A Graphic Novel) by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)
Debut Adult
A MARRIAGE AT SEA by Sophie Elmhirst (Riverhead Books)
BLACK-OWNED: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams (Tiny Reparations Books)
WE SURVIVED THE NIGHT by Julian Brave NoiseCat (Knopf)
Debut Children’s
WHALE EYES by James Robinson, illustrated by Brian Rea (Penguin Workshop)