Author record · 2006 to 2025
Sy Montgomery: Awards and Best-of Lists
Sy Montgomery has won 2 awards, including the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children (2007) for Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea, with 3 shortlist or finalist places, 1 longlist or nominee place, and 32 year-end list picks in our archive.
Also credited with Nic Bishop, Matt Patterson
Every recognition
| Year | Book | Source | Result | Translator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Picture Books | |
| 2024 | The Book of Turtles | Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Honor · Informational Book | |
| 2024 | Secrets of the Octopus | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Must-Read Books: Nonfiction | |
| 2023 | The Book of Turtles | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Informational Books for Younger Readers | |
| 2023 | The Book of Turtles | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2023 | Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Must-Read Books: Nonfiction | |
| 2023 | Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2023 | The Book of Turtles | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Picture Books | |
| 2023 | Of Time and Turtles | Smithsonian Magazine Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Science | |
| 2020 | Condor Comeback | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2020 | Condor Comeback (Scientists in the Field) | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2019 | The Magnificent Migration: On Safari with Africa’s Last Great Herds | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2019 | The Magnificent Migration | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2018 | The Hyena Scientist | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2018 | The Hyena Scientist | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2016 | The Great White Shark Scientist | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2015 | The Soul of an Octopus | National Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | The Soul of an Octopus | Goodreads Choice Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Nominee · Science & Technology | |
| 2015 | The Soul of an Octopus: A Playful Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Adult Books for Young Adults: Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of A Mollusk | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Informational Books for Older Readers | |
| 2015 | The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of a Mollusk | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2015 | The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness | Library Journal Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Core Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | The Octopus Scientists | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Middle Grade | |
| 2015 | The Soul of an Octopus | Paste Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2015 | Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cats | NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction for Children | |
| 2014 | Chasing Cheetahs | New York Public Library Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books for Kids | |
| 2014 | Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cats | Chicago Public Library Best of the Best source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Informational Books for Older Readers | |
| 2013 | The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America’s Largest Mammal | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2011 | Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot | Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Informational Book | |
| 2011 | Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot | NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction for Children | |
| 2010 | Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Nonfiction, Middle Readers | |
| 2010 | Kakapo Rescue | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Children's | |
| 2010 | Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot | Horn Book Fanfare source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia | School Library Journal Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2007 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Nonfiction for Children | |
| 2007 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Honor · Informational Book | |
| 2006 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | School Library Journal Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2006 | Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea | Booklist Editors' Choice source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Books for Youth: Middle Readers |
Books
- Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot5 sources · 2010 to 2011
- The Soul of an Octopus5 sources · 2015
- Quest for the Tree Kangaroo: An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea4 sources · 2006 to 2007
- The Book of Turtles4 sources · 2023 to 2024
- Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa’s Fastest Cats3 sources · 2014 to 2015
- Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell3 sources · 2023
- The Octopus Scientists: Exploring the Mind of A Mollusk3 sources · 2015
- Condor Comeback2 sources · 2020
- The Hyena Scientist2 sources · 2018
- The Magnificent Migration: On Safari with Africa’s Last Great Herds2 sources · 2019
- Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia1 source · 2009
- Secrets of the Octopus1 source · 2024
- The Great White Shark Scientist1 source · 2016
- The Tapir Scientist: Saving South America’s Largest Mammal1 source · 2013
- The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle1 source · 2025