PADIBA Awards 2026
The 2026 Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards (PADIBA)
READ YOUR WORLD ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS AND FINALISTS OF THE 2026 PEDRO AND DANIEL INTERSECTIONALITY BOOK AWARDS
Media contact:
Federico Erebia
Read Your World, board member
Newton, MA, April 20, 2026 – Read Your World has announced the winners and the finalists of the 2026 Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards (PADIBA), two awards for children’s books that feature intersectional protagonists.
THE PB/GN WINNER
Olivia Abtahi
Monica Arnaldo
Kokila Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
THE MG/YA WINNER
DeAndra Davis
Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
THE PB/GN FINALISTS
Daniel Miyares
Anne Schwartz Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Paloma Angelina Lopez
Abraham Matias
Charlesbridge
Carlos Aponte
Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
Hyewon Yum
Neal Porter Books, an imprint of Holiday House.
THE MG/YA FINALISTS
Tamika Burgess
HarperCollins
Briana Johnson
Peachtree Teen
The Queen Bees of Tybee County
Kyle Casey Chu
Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollins.
Hannah V. Sawyerr
Amulet Books, and imprint of Abrams.
. . .
The judging committee consisted of advisors and board members of Read Your World. They were joined by Julie Majerčák, a Multilingual Learners Specialist and a Literacy Influencer for the selection of this year’s winners.
Each winner will receive a $1500 prize through a grant funded by board member Federico Erebia and his husband, James J. Jordan.
All of the PADIBA winners, finalists, longlists, and commended books can be viewed and bought on the PADIBA Bookshop page: Bookshop.org/shop/PADIBA
ABOUT READ YOUR WORLD
Read Your World (RYW) is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to raise awareness about children’s books that celebrate diversity, and to get more of these books into the hands of readers. Learn more at ReadYourWorld.org
MORE ABOUT THE PEDRO AND DANIEL INTERSECTIONALITY BOOK AWARDS
Starting in 2027, The Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards (PADIBA) will be four [4] annual prizes of $750 each for a PB, GN, MG, and YA novel that feature intersectional protagonists. We define intersectionality as two or more marginalized or underrepresented identities which may include their:
The submission window for the 2027 PADIBA will be July 1 – August 31, 2026 for books traditionally published in 2026.
Learn more at ReadYourWorld.org/awards.
Judging Committee has announced the longlists and commended books.
To view and purchase all of these books at a discounted price: Bookshop.org/shop/PADIBA
BRAVE
Weshoyot Alvitre
Kokila
EVERYBELLY
Thao Lam
Groundwood Books
HOW TO SAY GOODBY IN CUBAN
Daniel Miyares
Anne Schwartz Books
KIRBYS LESSONS FOR FALLING (IN LOVE)
Laura Gao
HarperCollins
KWESI AND NANA RUBY LEARN TO SWIM
Kobina Conmeh, Barbara Quintino
Barefoot Books
ONE CAN
Lana Button, Eric Walters, Isabelle Malenfant
Groundwood Books
OUR LAKE
Angie Kang
Kokila
POPO THE XOLO
Paloma Angelina Lopez, Abraham Matias
Charlesbridge
PRECIOUS
Carlos Aponte
Nancy Paulsen Books
THE CITY OF JASMINE
Nadine Presley, Heather Brockman Lee
HarperCollins
THE INTERPRETER
Olivia Abtahi, Monica Arnaldo
Kokila
TOTO
Hyewon Yum
Neal Porter Books / Holiday House
A RAKHI FOR RAKESH
Nadia Salomon, Nabi H. Ali
HarperCollins
A SKY THAT SINGS
Anita Sanchez & George Steele, Emily Mendoza
Lee & Low Books
BIRD BROTHERS, A DELHI STORY
Rina Singh, Barkha Lohia
Orca Book Publishers
BROWN GIRL IN THE SNOW
Yolanda T. Marshall, Marianne Ferrer
Greystone Kids
DEAR NEW FRIEND
Taraneh Matloob, Alida Massari
Red Comet Press
EDIE FOR EQUALITY: EDIE WINDSOR STANDS UP FOR LOVE
Michael Genhart, Cheryl Thuesday
Lee & Low Books
LIVING BRIDGES
Sandhya Acharya, Avani Dwivedi
Beach Lane Books / Simon & Shuster
LOST AND FOUND HANUKKAH
Joy Preble, Lisa Anchin
Chronicle Books
MAMIACHI & ME: MY MAMIS MARIACHI BAND
Dakota Gutiérrez and Jolene Gutiérrez, Mirelle Ortega
Abrams
MANY THINGS AT ONCE
Veera Hiranandani, Nadia Alam
Random House Studio
MARIAM’S DREAM: THE STORY OF MARIAM AL-SHAAR AND HER FOOD TRUCK OF HOPE
Leila Boukarim, Sona Avedikian
Chronicle Books
MISTACO: A TALE OF TRAGEDY Y TORTILLAS
Eliza Kinkz
Kokila
REWRITING THE RULES: HOW DR. KATHLEEN FRIEL CREATED NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR BRAIN RESEARCH AND DISABILITY
Danna Zeiger, Josée Bisaillon
Lerner Publishing Group
TOGETHER WE REMEMBER
Jackie Morera, Violeta Encarnación
Make Me a World
WANDA HEARS THE STARS
Amy S. Hansen and Wanda Díaz Merced, Rocio Arreola Mendoza
Charlesbridge
WHEN SCIENCE STOOD STILL: HOW S. CHANDRASEKAR PREDICTED THE EXISTENCE OF BLACK HOLES
Shruthi Rao, Srinidhi Srinivasan
Margaret K. McElderry / Simon and Schuster
A HERO’S GUIDE TO SUMMER VACATION
Pablo Cartaya
Kokila Books
ALL THE NOISE AT ONCE
Deandra Davis
Atheneum / Simon & Schuster
COFFEESHOP IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
C.B. Lee
Feiwel & Friends
DANILO WAS HERE
Tamika Burgess
HarperCollins
FIREBLOOMS
Alexandra Villasante
Nancy Paulsen Books / PRH
IF I COULD GO BACK
Brianna Johnson
Peachtree Teen
SPARK
Chris Baron
Feiwel & Friends / MacMillan
SPLIT THE SKY
MARIE ARNOLD
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
THE REEL WISH
Yamile Saied Méndez
Tu Books / Lee & Low Books
TRUTH IS: A NOVEL IN VERSE
Hannah Sawyerr
Abrams Books
THE INCORRUPTIBLES
Lauren Magaziner
Simon & Schuster
THE QUEEN BEES OF TYBEE COUNTY
Kyle Casey Chu
Quill Tree / HarperCollins
BAD IN THE BLOOD
Matteo Cerulli
Tundra Books
BASHIR BOUTROS AND THE JEWEL OF THE NILE
George Jreje
HarperCollins
CAMILA NUNEZ’S YEAR OF DISASTERS
Miriam Zoila Pérez
Page Street
GAY THE PRAY AWAY
C.B. Lee
Feiwel & Friends / MacMillan
GLITCH GIRL!
Rainie Oet
Kokila Books
IF WE WERE A MOVIE
Zakiya N. Jamal
HarperCollins
MY MOTHER THE MERMAID CHASER
Jamie Jo Hoang
Crown Books for Young Readers
SAFE HARBOR
Padma Venkatraman
Nancy Paulsen Books / PRH
SUNLIGHT PLAYING OF A MOUNTAIN
Selina Li Bi
Soho Teen
THE CLOSEST THING TO A NORMAL LIFE
Michael M. Guevara
Arte Público Press
THE GIRL IN THE WALLS
Meg Eden Kuyatt
Scholastic
THE GOLDEN NECKLACE
Mitali Perkins
Charlesbridge
TOP HEAVY
Rhonda DeChambeau
Holiday House
VOTE FOR THE G.O.A.T.
Ali Terese
Aladdin / Simon & Schuster
WHAT FELL FROM THE SKY
Adrianna Cuevas
FSG/Macmillan
YOU’RE OUT OF LUCK ALINA BUTT
Ambreen Butt-Hussain
Orca Books
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A special thank you to The 2026 PADIBA Judging Committee members who read all the books that were submitted, and helped choose the longlists and commended books.
Book influencer, Julie Majerčák, will join our committee to choose the winners and finalists for each award. They will be announced in April 2026.
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Please Note:
The submission window for The 2027 Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Awards will be July 1 – August 31, 2026.
More information is available at: ReadYourWorld.org/awards/PADIBA-awards-2027
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