Odyssey Award Books

The Odyssey Award is one of the few ALA youth awards not named for a person. It has been given annually since 2008, jointly administered by the Association for Library Service to Children and the Young Adult Library Services Association — both divisions of the American Library Association — and sponsored by Booklist. It goes to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children or young adults available in English in the United States, for works intended for listeners through age 18.

The award judges the recording rather than the book, which makes it unusual. The criteria cover narration — voice quality, diction, distinct and believable characters, correct pronunciation — along with clean engineering free of hum or distortion, and music and sound effects that support the text instead of crowding it. Because the prize goes to the producer, the list functions as a shortlist of specific recordings, which is what matters for a long car trip, or for a child whose listening comprehension has run well ahead of their decoding.

Information from the American Library Association.