The winners of the 2024 Golden Poppy Awards, sponsored by the California Independent Booksellers Alliance and honoring "the most distinguished books written and illustrated by creators who have made California their home," were announced in a virtual ceremony last Thursday. The books were chosen by committees made up of CALIBA bookstore members and voted on by California independent booksellers.
The winners:
Fiction: James by Percival Everett
Nonfiction: Rebel Girl: My Life As a Feminist Punk by Kathleen Hanna
Mystery: Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Poetry: Woke Up No Light by Leila Mottley
Octavia E. Butler Award: Sci Fi/Fantasy/Horror: The Palace of Eros by Caro de Robertis
Romance: How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Martin Cruz Smith Award: Emerging Diverse Voices: All Friends Are Necessary by Tomas Moniz
Glenn Goldman Award: California Lifestyle: Portal: San Francisco's Ferry Building and the Reinvention of American Cities by John King
Glenn Goldman Award: Cooking: Nosh: Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine by Micah Siva
Picture Book: The Man Who Didn't Like Animals by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by LeUyen Pham
Middle Grade: The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Young Adult: Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
Children's Nonfiction: My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War History by George Takei, illustrated by Michelle Lee
Children's Nonfiction: Road Home by Rex Ogle
Mirrors and Windows: Excellence in Children's Literature: Juneteenth Is by Natasha Tripplett and Daniel J. O'Brien
This year's Golden Poppy Awards were marked by the devastating fires in Southern California. Originally scheduled for January 31st, the award ceremony was pushed back to March 6 in order to give space for the booksellers, authors, illustrators, and publishers reeling from the life-changing event. In response, CALIBA partnered with the Book Industry Charitable (Binc) Foundation to create the Golden Poppy Wildfire Fundraiser for Binc to raise funds that will directly assist booksellers affected by the fires. More than $1,000 was raised during the event, kicked off by a generous offer by bookseller Sharon Levin from Reach and Teach in San Carlos to match the first $250. CALIBA thanks everyone who donated.