We are pleased to announce the 2024 Association for Mormon Letters Awards finalists in Comics, Middle Grade Literature, Picture Book, and Young Adult Literature. The final awards will be announced and presented on May 30, as part of the 2025 Association for Mormon Letters/Mormon Scholars in the Humanities Conference, held at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah. The finalists and winners are chosen by juries of authors, academics, and critics. The announcements include blurbs and creator biographies, usually adapted from the author and publisher websites.
Comics
Corey Egbert. Visitations. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Corey’s mom has always made him feel safe. Especially after his parents’ divorce, and the dreaded visitations with his dad begin. But as Corey grows older, he can’t ignore his mother’s increasingly wild accusations. Her insistence that God has appointed Corey as his sister’s protector. Her declaration that Corey’s father is the devil. Soon, she whisks Corey and his sister away from their home and into the boiling Nevada desert. There, they struggle to survive with little food and the police on the trail. Meanwhile, under the night sky, Corey is visited by a flickering ghost, a girl who urges him to fight for a different world―one outside of his mother’s spoon-fed tales, one Corey must find before it’s too late. Drawing inspiration from his own upbringing as a Latter-day Saint, Egbert welcomes readers on an emotionally stirring, nuanced journey into the liminal spaces between imagination and memory, faith and truth.
Corey Egbert is an author and illustrator based in Virginia. He believes in creating imaginative and hopeful art that empowers young people to make their world better. He has illustrated several books, and Visitations is the second book that he both wrote and illustrated, after If Dinosaurs Could Talk for Me.
Brittany Long Olsen. The Happy Shop. Oni Press
Eleven-year-old Darcy just moved to a new country. She’s feeling lost and misses her friends back home. That’s when she stumbles upon a shop full of mysterious glowing jars labeled with things like “Picking up the last sweater on the rack and it’s on sale” and “Having the perfect weather on your wedding day.” Much to Darcy’s surprise–this store sells happy feelings. After Darcy accidentally breaks one of the irreplaceable jars, she must make it up to the shopkeepers, Frida and Flora, by doing chores around the store, and is soon tasked with collecting happy feelings. But she learns that the magical business is anything but magical. Can Darcy think of
an idea to save the Happy Shop? What if they sold more than just happy feelings?
Brittany Long Olsen is a cartoonist and illustrator who’s been making autobiographical comics for more than 10 years. Her debut graphic novel, DENDO: One Year and One Half in Tokyo won the 2015 AML Comics Award. More of her daily journal comics can be found at comicdiaries.com where she posts cartoons about adventures.
Jake Parker. Ryder’s Intergalactic Guide to Robots. Independent
Part comic. Part art book. ALL ROBOTS! Follow Rux Ryder, private detective for robot crimes, as he races through the underworld to find the killer of a star engine magnate. Along the way you’ll learn everything you need to know about the universe of ROBOTS!
Jake Parker is an illustrator, animator, and children’s book author, who has worked on feature films such as Epic, Rio, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and Horton Hears a Who! and has published picture books and comic books such as The Little Snowplow, Rocket Raccoon, The Tooth Fairy Wars (an AML Award finalist), The Girl Who Wouldn’t Brush Her Hair, The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man, and Little Bot and the Sparrow. He is also the founder of Inktober, a popular celebration of ink drawing.
Patrick Scullin. Stray: Toaster Trouble. Independent
Stray, the coyote with a wild imagination, leads a group of oddball house pets as they try to recover the family toaster from the thieving raccoons. If only the raccoons knew the power of electricity.
Patrick Scullin is an award winning illustrator, writer and artist of his creator-owned series Super Siblings.
Middle Grade Literature
Josh Allen. Once They See You: 13 Stories to Shiver and Shock. Holiday House
Once you open this book, you’re doomed . . . Cursed to stay up late, savoring every line of these terrifying stories. Go ahead and try to resist. The Night Things won’t let you get far. Master storyteller Josh Allen, hailed as the “heir-apparent to Alvin Schwartz,” brings thirteen nightmare scenarios to life in this page-turning collection. From a shiny abandoned bike, to an innocent classroom icebreaker, to a piano recital that requires unusual sacrifices, there’s no end to the shocking twists on everyday reality. In Allen’s wondrous world, which looks an awful like our own, danger waits behind every doorway . . . even in the most ordinary places. Kids eager for age-appropriate horror will relish every thrill and chill.
Josh Allen teaches creative writing and literature at Brigham Young University-Idaho. His debut book for young readers, Out to Get You, received two starred reviews and was a Junior Library Guild selection, as well as an AML Award finalist. He lives in Idaho with his family.
Sarah Allen. Monster Tree. Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Linus used to be an artist, like his dad. Now his father is gone, and Linus’s mom has moved them to the other side of the city, hoping for a fresh start. Maybe, for the first time in months, Linus will even draw again. But there’s something unusual about their neighbor Maude and something wrong with the grotesque tree in her backyard. At night Linus sees it moving, changing, growing. When increasingly bizarre events plague the neighborhood―massive claw marks appearing on doors and cars, pets going missing, sightings of a red-eyed creature―he suspects Maude and her tree are to blame. With his home under threat, Linus teams up with his goofy best friend, Spencer, and no-nonsense new girl Abby to unearth whatever sinister seeds have been planted next door . . . where something truly monstrous is just taking root.
Sarah Allen is the author of What Stars Are Made Of, Breathing Underwater, and The Nightmare House, and has also been published in The Evansville Review, Cicada, and on WritersDigest. She received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now lives in Orlando. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and blasting show-tunes.
Yamile Saied Méndez. The Beautiful Game. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
At twelve years old, Valeria “Magic” Salomón is already the best soccer player her town has ever seen. She has talent in spades and an abuelo whose tough-love coaching and lessons about “strength and honor” have made her the star of the Overlords, the top boys’ team in the state. Then everything changes at the State Cup semifinal. After an embarrassing moment on the field, Valeria’s team is unexpectedly eliminated and everyone who used to treat her as their secret weapon now sees her as their weakest link. Soon, she doesn’t have a team at all anymore. She’s not sure she has a relationship with her grandfather either. Valeria’s a fighter, however. With the help of her grandmother and support of her cheerleader BFF, she finds herself on a girls’ team for the first time. With the next tournament looming on the horizon, Valeria has a month to figure out her place on her new team and learn how to play like a girl.
Yamile Saied Méndez is the author of many books for young readers, including Furia, a Reese’s YA Book Club selection and the 2020 AML Young Adult Literature Award winner. She was born and raised in Rosario, Argentina and currently lives in Utah. An Inaugural Walter Dean Myers Grant recipient, she is also a graduate of the Vermont College of Fine Arts. She’s a founding member of Las Musas, a marketing collective of Latine authors.
Jennifer A. Nielsen. Uprising. Scholastic
Twelve-year-old Lidia is outside her grandfather’s house when planes fly overhead, bearing the Nazi cross on each wing. Poland falls under German occupation, and her father makes the brave decision to join the Polish army to fight against the Nazis. Lidia wants to follow him into war, but she’s far too young, and she’s needed by her mother and brother. After her family returns to Warsaw, where life has changed irrevocably, Lidia continues to play the piano, finding comfort in Chopin, Bach, and Beethoven. But she also wants to aid the Jewish people held captive in the Warsaw Ghetto. With the help of a friend, Lidia begins to smuggle wheat and food into the ghetto. Soon, she begins to work as a courier, smuggling weapons and messages for the resistance throughout the city. When the Warsaw city uprising begins―one year after the more well-known Warsaw Ghetto uprising by Polish Jews―with gunfire and bombs echoing throughout the streets, Lidia joins the Polish nationalists’ fight, too, and she and her peers fight with everything they’ve got.
Jennifer A. Nielsen is the acclaimed author of the bestselling fantasy Ascendance Series, starting with The False Prince (AML Middle Grade Award, 2012). She also wrote the New York Times bestseller The Traitor’s Game and its sequels; and a series of critically acclaimed historical thrillers, including Words on Fire (AML Middle Grade Award, 2019). Jennifer collects old books, loves good theater, and thinks that a quiet afternoon in the mountains makes for a nearly perfect moment. She lives in northern Utah with her family, and is probably sneaking in a bite of dark chocolate right now.
Jason F. Wright. Scar Dakota. InkVeins
Shane Dakota’s world is falling to pieces. He’s just moved over Christmas break from North Carolina to the very strange mountain land of Utah. Suddenly Shane’s grandparents are raising him and he’s spending way too much time teaching his grandpa about Netflix while learning more than any seventh grader ever should about pickleball. But even Shane knows those aren’t his biggest problems. His mother, a member of the National Guard, has just passed away and Shane is struggling with the truth. Plus when the holiday break ends, Shane has to walk into a huge new school with a story, a secret, and a fresh scar on his right cheek. Shane tries to fit in, but he can’t stop thinking about his mother, wondering about a father he’s never even met, and remembering the bizarre accident in North Carolina that sent his world spinning. Just when it all feels upside down, Shane makes friends with his new neighbors, a crew of almost-famous YouTubers. But just as Scar finally finds his place, he betrays a friend and receives a mysterious text message that threatens to expose his secret. Can Scar face the truth about friendship and his family in front of the entire seventh grade on the biggest stage he’s ever seen? Will he learn lessons about the power of religious and cultural diversity in time?
Jason F. Wright is a New York Times bestselling author of Christmas Jars, The Wednesday Letters, and many others. Jason is also a popular speaker and consultant who speaks and trains on kindness habits, the miracle of opening doors, faith, failure, and his Kindness Card movement. He has also spoken to thousands of students in hundreds of school assemblies and writing workshops. He’s currently serving as Writer-in-Residence at Southern Virginia University.
Picture Book
Nicole Clark, Illustrated by Alyssa Stevenson. Welcome to the Temple. Popcorn Tree
Emphasizing the temple’s focus on Jesus Christ and on the relational nature of covenants and ordinances, this hardcover picture book is a thoughtful way to bring the house of the Lord into more frequent conversations with kids and to help them joyfully prepare to worship there. Welcome to the Temple is designed to be a “temple open house in a book” with beautiful, full-spread illustrations and descriptions of the various rooms.
Nicole Clark and her husband Jake found themselves wishing for more beautiful picture books about Jesus Christ and other gospel topics. They started Popcorn Tree Books to write the books they want to read to their kids.
Amber Corkin, Ashley LeBaron-Black, Aubri Robinson. Jesus Felt It Too. Cedar Fort
The shortest verse in the Bible contains two little words: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), yet, this verse is packed with power. It boldly tells us that Jesus experienced deep emotions. Jesus lived a mortal life, growing in “wisdom and stature” and feeling emotions-just like you. Jesus Felt It Too invites you on a profound journey through 28 Bible stories, each unveiling moments when Jesus experienced the same emotions you do. From joy to sorrow, compassion to anger, Jesus embraced the full spectrum of human feelings, making His divinity more relatable than ever.
Amber Corkin is a passionate writer and speaker. She has co-authored the award-winning book Dear Divine Daughter: Inspiring Stories of Bible Women. Her children’s book Willow Wants a Wart highlights the theme of positive body image and self-acceptance. Aubri Robinson (Amber’s twin sister) is creative, friendly, and resilient. From her local church in Minnesota to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, she has volunteered as an advocate for girls and women. She is the co-author of Dear Divine Daughter: Inspiring Stories of Bible Women. Aubrey has a degree in business strategy, and is pursuing graduate studies in healthcare. Ashley LeBaron-Black is an Assistant Professor of Family Life at Brigham Young University where she teaches family theory and family finance. She received her PhD in Family Studies and Human Development from the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on money management in romantic relationships and how parents teach children about money.
Emily Inouye Huey. Illustrated by Kay Kang. Wat Kept Playing: The Inspiring Story of Wataru Misaka and his Rise to the NBA. Shadow Mountain
As the child of Japanese immigrants, Wataru “Wat” Misaka often felt like he didn’t fully belong in either Japanese or American culture. He was sometimes excluded, treated differently, and bullied, even though he was born in the United States. As he grew up, however, Wat discovered he had a very special talent for playing basketball. Even at just five foot seven, he was unstoppable. Wat played for the Utah Utes and helped the team win the 1944 NCAA championship. Wat kept playing even as Japanese Americans from the West Coast were sent to incarceration camps for the duration of World War II. Then, after two years serving in the United States Army, Wat returned to basketball, leading the University of Utah to Madison Square Garden and winning another national championship. The cheering crowd recognized Wat the way he wanted to be seen–as a person who was both Japanese and American and an amazing basketball player. Talent scouts from the New York Knicks were so impressed, they drafted Wat to their team. Wat’s undeniable talent changed history as he became the first person of color to play in the NBA.
Emily Inouye Huey is an author of historical books for children and teens. Her first novel, Beneath the Wide Silk Sky, has received several awards, including the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Golden Kite Award, the Whitney Award for Youth Novel of the Year, and the 2022 AML Young Adult Novel award. Emily holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University and lives in Salt Lake City.
Yamile Saied Mendez. Illustrated by Sara Palacios. Pockets of Love. HarperCollins
Grandma Monona always made the best empanadas for Mami’s birthday. But this year Monona is in heaven and Mami is sad. Her birthday won’t be the same without Monona. Star and Sebi know they need a special birthday surprise to cheer up Mami. Maybe they can make Mami Monona’s empanadas themselves! But will they be able to capture the same magic as Monona’s empanadas if they don’t know her secret ingredient?
Shawna J. C. Tenney. Anonymoose. Beaming Books
Ana Moose feels most comfortable when she is hiding. Hiding is much more fun than knowing what to say or being picked last for the team. She enjoys being “Anonymoose”! Until one day, when she sees her classmate Peter building a fort. A fort could be a very good place to hide! But also, Ana starts to feel a connection with Peter. Will Anonymoose have enough courage to come out of hiding to make a friend?
Shawna J. C. Tenney was once a shy kid who felt most comfortable hiding in her room, drawing. While she outgrew her shyness (mostly!) she still tucks herself away from time to time to write and illustrate stories she would have loved to read as a kid. Shawna is also the author and illustrator of Pirates Don’t Dance and Brunhilda’s Backwards Day. She lives in Utah with her family.
Young Adult Literature
Lynn Buchanan. The Dollmakers. Harper Voyager
In the country called One, dollmakers are vital members of the community. An artisan’s doll is the height of society’s accomplishments, while a guard’s doll is the only thing standing between the people of One and the Shod: vicious, cobbled monstrosities that will tear apart any structure—living or dead, inanimate or otherwise—to add to their horde. Apprentice Shean of Pearl is a brilliant dollmaker. With her clever dolls, she intends to outsmart and destroy the Shod, once and for all—a destiny she’s worked her whole life toward accomplishing. But when the time comes for her dolls to be licensed, she’s told her work is too beautiful and delicate to fight. A statement that wounds and infuriates her; the Shod killed everyone she loved. How could her fate be anything but fighting them?
Lynn Buchanan is a fantasy writer based in the foothills of some impressive, chilly mountains in Utah. She’s a 2019 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop and holds an MFA in fiction from Brigham Young University, where she taught creative writing. When she isn’t writing about monster-fighting dolls, moody painters, and mummified arms used as dancing props, she enjoys playing the oboe, buying houseplants, and watching Ghibli films.
Emily Cox and Nicole Allen. The Other Side of Together. Monster Ivy
Romance thriller. Marcus is the dream boy with an enviable future. Mei Li is the secretive girl with a dark destiny. All they hold in common is a trolley stop in Chinatown, but they can’t help being drawn to each other. Prevented by family and dark forces from being together, their feelings grow in secret, first with scrawled notes and fortune cookies, and then with hidden meet-ups and tender kisses. Maybe love is possible. Then comes one fateful night. A tangle of dark connections and opposing futures forces a wedge between them that they may never be able to mend. Left longing for Mei Li, Marcus is haunted by one question: Can he ever find his way back to her on the other side of together?
Emily Cox and Nicole Allen saw the sequel to this book, The Other Side of Apart, published in January 2025. They’ve been co-writing “Clean Steam” YA novels for twelve years and have been picked up, dropped, hopeful, and discouraged but always fearless. Emily Cox is a fast-walking cloud watching, big thinker who believes in aliens, has superior hearing, a mostly-titanium face, and a rhyming maiden and married name (Box-Cox). She lives in Utah in a house of all boys and two fluffy writing assistants. Nicole Allen is a crime podcast junkie, travel enthusiast, and Diet Coke addict who not-so-secretly hopes heaven looks exactly like Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. When she’s not writing novels, she loves acting in and watching live theater, is president of a local theater company and runs a youth theater group.
Elizabeth Lowham. Casters and Crowns. Shadow Mountain
When Crown Princess Aria sees her kingdom on the brink of war with the magic-wielding Casters, she takes it upon herself to speak with the Widow Morton, the most dangerous Caster in the realm. If successful, Aria will not only ensure peace but also prove to her father that she is a worthy heir. But when her negotiations fail, Aria is dealt a terrible curse: Over the course of one hundred days, she will be unable to sleep, her body and mind doomed to waste away. And then the curse will pass to her sister, until every member of the king’s line is dead. Aria’s best hope for breaking her curse is to seek help from another Caster—the handsome and charming Baron Reeves. He may be entitled to a place at the court, but as a magic user, can he truly be trusted? She vows not be fooled by his dimpled smiles or his devotion to his brothers, but as she spends more time with him, she discovers that her heart has other ideas.
Elizabeth Lowham dreams of a future house that is seventy-percent library with at least three lavish window seats. Her reality is five bookshelves and a rocking chair, which isn’t so bad. She is the author of Beauty Reborn (2023 AML YA Award finalist). She has a Bachelor of Arts in English and works as an author, editor, and screenwriter. She lives with her husband and son in the Loveland area of Colorado.