Illinois Book Awards
The winners of the 2026 Illinois Readers’ Choice Awards are in!
Monarch: Claude: The True Story of a White Alligator by Emma Bland Smith; illustrated by Jennifer Potter
Bluestem: Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money (Unsolved Case Files #1) by Tom Sullivan
Caudill: Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang
Click on the links below to see the current 2027 Illinois Book Award nominees!
- Monarch Award (Grades K-3) (PDF)
- Bluestem Award (Grades 3-5) (PDF)
- Rebecca Caudill Award (Grades 4-8) (PDF)
Reader’s Choice Award Challenge!
Read books from the 2027 Monarch, Bluestem and Caudill Award lists to earn prizes! Monarch readers who read all 20 books from their list and Bluestem and Caudill readers who read 10 books from theirs earn a paperback book of their own to keep. Track the books you read for the challenge using the Beanstack app (iOS/Google Play) or website. Prefer paper? Register and pick up a log at the Youth Services Desk! This program is open to all children in grades K-8. Registration opens in August 2026.
2027 Monarch Award (Grades K-3)
Henna Is… by Marzieh Abbas; illustrated by Anu Chouhan
Description:
A lyrical and charming picture book celebrating henna, a traditional plant-based form of temporary tattooing in South Asian, North African, and Middle Eastern cultures.
Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
Description:
The sensible Secretary Bird wants nothing more than to get on with their job of properly narrating a classic nursery rhyme book. But something is afoot in the orderly land of nursery rhymes…a zippy little Weasel has entered the scene! As the Secretary Bird tries to get through the rhymes–from Little Miss Muffet to Jack and Jill–the Weasel bursts in, throwing everything into a comical tailspin. Can the Secretary Bird put an end to the chaos?
Fix-It Familia by Lucky Diaz; illustrated by Micah Player
Catalog book link Spanish Version
Description:
No job is too big. No task is too small. We’re the Fix-It Familia. We help one; we help all! With a load of creativity and a truck full of love, Chavo and his family have the tools to help anyone and everyone in their community. So when the main parade float crashes at a neighborhood fiesta, the parade can’t go on! Can the Fix-It Familia save the day?
A Llama is Not an Alpaca: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities by Karen Jameson; illustrated by Lorna Scobie
Description:
Do you know the difference between an alpaca and a llama? How about a crocodile and an alligator? A frog and a toad? Test your knowledge and learn exciting facts in this charming book about animal lookalikes!
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb; illustrated by Erin Kraan
Description:
Buffalo Fluffalo tries to bluff and fluff his way into appearing bigger. The other prairie animals just want to be his friend, but Buffalo stomps around trying to look tough. And when he finally has enuffalo, he swaggers off to grumble to himself. Then a rain shower pours down on the fluffy buffalo, and there he stands, a drenched pipsqueak! The other animals, who could see through Buffalo’s bluster from the start, circle around to comfort him. As the prairie dog says with a smile in her eyes, ‘You’re great how you are, no matter your size.’
So Tortoise Dug by Emmy Kastner
Description:
Tortoise loves to dig, but Mouse, Tortoise’s burrowmate and friend, prefers to lounge while sipping tea. After their home floods, they determine that Tortoise will create a new burrow, and then the two will play. When Tortoise is finished, though, Mouse is gone, and more animals appear, asking Tortoise to dig rooms for them. Tortoise obliges–over and over again–while worrying about Mouse’s return.
The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz
Description:
Ember has always been different from the other dragons. His fearsome roar sounds more like a polite sneeze, and when he breathes fire, the villagers just pat his head and say awwww. Ember fears he’ll never collect a respectable hoard of gold until a chance encounter with a baker causes his fortunes to turn (and his stomach to grumble). As the little dragon soon discovers, the gold you make is way better than the gold you steal. And gold that is shared? That’s best of all!
Some of Us: The Story of Citizenship in the United States by Rajani LaRocca; illustrated by Huy Voun Lee
Description:
Equal parts emotional and informative, here is a worthy picture book about citizenship and naturalization. This thoughtfully crafted text precisely breaks down the process by which new residents apply for and acquire US citizenship.
100 Mighty Dragons All Named Broccoli by David LaRochelle; illustrated by Lian Cho
Description:
High on a mountain live 100 mighty dragons all named Broccoli. When a tremendous wind blows half the dragons away, ten others sail off to become professional surfers in Hawaii. The oldest and youngest dragons take a train to New York City to start their own heavy metal band. And a mysterious wizard turns four more into a unicorn, a werewolf, a zombie, and a tiny pink poodle. Now how many dragons are left? Young readers will delight in following each and every dragon as they leave their home for marvelous adventures.
Touch the Sky by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic; illustrated by Chris Park
Description:
Vern longs to be one of the kids who swings so high that their toes touch the sky. Unfortunately, he doesn’t know how to pump. But a chance encounter with Gretchen changes everything. A story for every kid on the cusp of learning something new who just needs an extra push to get there.
I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff; illustrated by Julie Kwon
Description:
Jack wants to apologize for hurting Zoe’s feelings. He just can’t seem to find the right words. Turns out there’s more to an apology than just saying ‘I’m sorry.’ Join Jack on his journey in learning the importance of an apology that goes deeper than just words.
Millie Fleur Saves the Night by Christy Mandin
Description:
Garden Glen was afraid of the dark. Each night when the sun went down, all the lights in town turned on. The houses shone like the noon sun. Every house except for Millie Fleur La Fae’s, of course. Millie Fleur knows there are enchanting things that can only be glimpsed in the dark. But ever since she moved to Garden Glen, her nighttime friends are nowhere to be found. Determined to welcome the dark back to town, Millie Fleur must convince the townspeople to be brave and turn out the lights.
Not a Monster by Claudia Guadalupe Lopez; illustrated by Laura González
Description:
An axolotl egg hatches and matures in the Xochimilco canals in Mexico City, the only natural habitat of these unique salamanders that spend their lives in water.
Home in a Lunchbox by Cherry Mo
Description:
After moving to America from Hong Kong, Jun feels isolated at her new school but discovers a sense of home in the familiar foods and flavors she finds in her lunchbox.
There No Ants in This Book by Rosemary Mosco; illustrated by Anna Pirolli
Description:
This hilarious meta picture book…shows us that ants aren’t so bad. In fact, they’re pretty amazing, and with their humongous families, they might turn your picnic into a party!
All at Once Upon a Time by Mara Rockliff; illustrated by Gladys Jose
Description:
Fairy Tale Land has gotten a shake-up. All the stories are happening at once and . . . not exactly as they used to, once upon a time! Climbing a beanstalk takes an unexpected twist, Little Red Riding Hood’s basket is bursting with an unusual gift for an out-of-the-ordinary grandmother, and Rapunzel’s nose grows longer every time she tells another whopping fib!
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson; illustrated by Dan Santat
Description:
A supposed nature guide humorously warns readers why they should never trust fish, exploring their mysterious and villainous nature.
Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor
Description:
Ursula is a happy catfish, swimming through a shimmering river with weeds waving above and a sky full of scrumptious bugs below. Then one question turns her world upside down. Is left right? Is right wrong? Which way even is up?
To Catch a Ghost by Rachel Michelle Wilson
Description:
Show-and-tell isn’t for the faint of heart, so grab your camera, flashlight, and backpack — it’s time to catch yourself a ghost! Once you find a good one, spend some quality time together. This will provide all the information you need to build the perfect ghost trap. It will also probably complicate things. So, when the moment finally arrives, you may be confident you can catch a ghost…but can you catch a friend?
Little Bird Laila by Kelly Yang; illustrated by Xindi Yan
Description:
Laila knows how clever, kind, and funny her Mama and Baba are–but sometimes they need her help translating things from English. With English classes being too expensive, Laila decides to become her parents’ teacher, even though she’s just learning the language too. There’s lots that Laila knows (like you don’t pronounce the t in ballet) but there’s so much she doesn’t know too. Together, they embrace the joy and struggles of learning a new language.
2027 Bluestem Award (Grades 3-5)
An American Story by Kwame Alexander; illustrated by Dare Coulter
Description:
From the fireside tales in an African village, through the unspeakable passage across the Atlantic, to the backbreaking work in the fields of the South, this is a story of a people’s struggle and strength, horror and hope. This is the story of American slavery, a story that needs to be told and understood by all of us. A testament to the resilience of the African American community, this book honors what has been and envisions what is to be.
Call Me Roberto! Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso; illustrated by Rudy Gutierrez
Catalog book link Spanish Version
Description:
Young Roberto loved baseball so much that he played with a tree branch and tin cans in Carolina, Puerto Rico, practicing until he was chosen to play for a Major League team–in chilly Montreal! Although he showed his talent as part of the Pittsburgh Pirates, he still faced discrimination from people who wouldn’t accept a Black man who demanded to be called Roberto instead of Bob in the middle of the nuclear-family 1950s. Even after becoming an All-Star and winning a World Series, he had to remain segregated in Black hotels during spring training in Florida, but he never stopped speaking Spanish and demanding recognition.
The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el; illustrated by Kelly Pousette
Description:
As Duane, a polar bear, explores his new home he makes friends with the wide variety of creatures he encounters, despite their varied personalities.
Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia; illustrated by Brittney Williams
Description:
Stella knows fifth grade will be the best year ever. Her closest friends, Emiko and Latasha, are in her class and they got the teacher they wanted. Then their favorite television show, Witchlins, announces a new guidebook and an online game! But when the classwork starts piling up, Stella struggles to stay on top of it. Why does it take her so long to read? And how can she keep up with friends in the Witchlins game if she can’t get through the text-heavy guidebook? It takes loving teachers and her family to recognize that Stella has a learning difference, and after a dyslexia diagnosis she gets the support and tools she needs to succeed.
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
Description:
Clare, an undead fox who guides souls to the Afterlife, faces a mystery when Gingersnipes the badger can’t cross over, leading to a shocking revelation that changes everything.
Monkey King and the World of Myths: The Monster and the Maze by Maple Lam
Description:
Follow along as the legendary Monkey King tries to save the world from a mysterious new threat–and smashes his way through the world of ancient Greek mythology in the process!
Right Back at You by Carolyn Mackler
Description:
Mason lives in 2023. His parents have just split up, and there’s a guy at school who won’t get off his case. As part of an assignment, he writes a letter to Albert Einstein and it ends up getting a little too personal. He throws the letter into his closet…and the next day he gets a letter back from a girl named Talia, who lives in 1987. She has problems of her own, including classmates who make jokes because she’s Jewish. She thought her friends would have her back. But it ends up the only person she really has to talk to is…a random boy from the future?
Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All by Chanel Miller
Catalog book link Korean version
Description:
A funny and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on returning all the lonely only socks left behind in her parents’ NYC laundromat.
My Antarctica: True Adventures in the Land of Mummified Seals, Space Robots, and So Much More by Greg Neri; illustrated by Corban Wilkin
Description:
In this enthralling travel memoir, a Coretta Scott King Honor-winning author takes readers to the end of the world to Antarctica, a place of stark beauty, history, and endless scientific research, where he explores this land through the curiosity and wonder of his inner child.
The Girl and the Robot by Claribel A. Ortega and Oz Rodriguez
Catalog book link Spanish Version
Description:
Join a girl and a robot on their life-changing sci-fi adventure in this coming-of-age story that celebrates kids in STEM, first-gen communities, and the power of friendship.
Averil Offline by Amy Noelle Parks
Description:
A fun, fast-paced story about a girl determined to cut the cord with her helicopter parents. Twelve-year-old coder Averil can’t do anything without her parents knowing. That’s because her mom uses the Ruby Slippers surveillance app to check where she is, who she texts, and even what she eats for lunch. Averil wonders how she’s ever going to grow up if she’s not allowed to learn from mistakes. When she learns that Ruby Slippers is about to become even more invasive, she teams up with Max, a new kid at school dealing with overbearing parents of his own. Together they figure out an almost foolproof way to ditch their parents and run away to the college campus that’s home to the quirky Ruby Slippers creator. It’s an extreme challenge just getting to meet with him–but the two kids cleverly figure out a series of puzzles and get their meeting. What they find gives them pause–and gets them thinking about the value of honesty in a new light. After all, isn’t trust at the heart of their parents’ need to know?
Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker; illustrated by Matthew Cordell
Description:
What are people for? That’s the burning question on the mind of Leeva Spayce Thornblossom. Fame! says Leeva’s mom, the mayor of Nutsmore. Money! says her dad, the town treasurer. With the help of an orphaned badger, a risk-averse boy in a hazmat suit, and the town’s librarians, Leeva sets off to discover her own answer–setting off a chain of events that will change Nutsmore forever.
Octopus Moon by Bobbie Pyron
Description:
Recently diagnosed with depression, fifth-grader Pearl struggles with self-care and self-love amidst a sea of changes. Critically acclaimed author Bobbie Pyron draws on her own childhood experience to tell the story of a brave girl learning to love herself, leaving readers with the powerful, hopeful message that the moon is always full, even if we can’t always see that.
Lola Reyes is So Not Worried by Cindy L. Rodriguez
Description:
Lola Reyes doesn’t want to leave Guatemala, a place full of warmth and sun, laughter and music–where her abuela and prima and tíos and tías surround her with love. Back in Sunnyside, it’s cold. There’s schoolwork and chores, and Lola’s mama transforms into her super-serious school principal, Dr. Reyes. Back at home, Lola can see crystal clearly the empty place where Pop used to be. So she decides to bring a little bit of Guatemala–and her pop–back with her. She discovers his childhood worry dolls and sneaks them into her luggage, ignoring the warnings on the box not to use them. Later, when she tells them all her worries, from her friendship woes to the way Mama won’t talk about how sad she is, the worry dolls come to life! Worse–they escape! Lola has to enlist her neighbor and nemesis, Chance Townsend, to recapture the dolls after she discovers they’re cursed to grow bigger and bigger as they absorb worries. If Lola can’t find a way to stop them, they’ll burst and release all the worries they’ve absorbed a hundredfold on everyone in town. But when breaking the curse means confronting her own anxieties and grief, will Lola be able to face her emotions head-on before it’s too late?
Eyes on the Ice by Anna Rosner
Description:
Ten-year-old Lukas and his brother Denys want nothing more than to play hockey, but it’s 1963, and they live in Czechoslovakia, where the secret police (the “Eye”) are constantly on the lookout for anyone committing crimes against the state–whether that be reading a magazine about the NHL or saying anything negative about the Communist regime. Lukas’s father works for a newspaper, and printing the truth is a dangerous activity. The family is poor, but hockey is the one bright light for the boys. They learn to skate on a bumpy outdoor rink in a city park. And when their talent is noticed, they are encouraged to try out for a local youth league, where they are thrilled to play in a real arena for the first time. Then the boys’ father is arrested. No one knows where he has been taken or when he might be coming home. Lukas and Denys soon realize they are being watched, too, and when the secret police promise them information about their father if they help throw a game against a visiting Soviet team, Lukas must make some difficult decisions that may endanger his family and his friends, as he faces some tough questions about what loyalty really means.
The Iguanadon’s Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again and Again by Sean Rubin
Description:
How do we know what dinosaurs looked like? Ever since a set of mysterious bones was unearthed in 1822, scientists and artists have struggled to depict the creature it came from. Whenever they think they’ve figured it out, new information is discovered, and everyone returns to the drawing board. But that’s okay, because science is a process that never ends…But it has to start somewhere. And sometimes, that can be a single bone. With an inviting tone and detail-filled art, Sean Rubin traces the process of defining–and redefining–the dinosaur called Iguanodon. Entertaining, accessible, and beautiful, his tale will delight dinosaur fans, budding artists, and anyone curious about how science really works.
Speechless by Aron Nels Steinke
Description:
Middle school was supposed to be a fresh start for Mira, who struggles to speak in class even though she can speak at home without a problem. Her former best friend, Chloe, has become her worst enemy, and Mira’s only solace is making videos for her secret stop-motion animation channel. But when Chloe’s mom has to travel for a family emergency, Mira is horrified to learn that her family has volunteered to let Chloe stay with them. When it feels like everything is going wrong, will Mira ever find her voice?
A Strange Thing Happened in Cherry Hall by Jasmine Warga
Description:
A painting has been stolen! When Rami sees a floating girl in the museum, he knows he has seen her somewhere before. Then he realizes: she looks just like the girl in the painting that has gone missing. But how does her appearance connect to the theft? Agatha the turtle knows–she has been watching from the garden. But she can’t exactly tell anyone…can she? Will Rami, with the help of his classmate, Veda, be able to solve the mystery? The clues are all around them, but they’ll have to be brave enough to really look.
Sparkle by Lakita Wilson
Description:
Sparkle Moore is destined to be a star. Her mother is determined to turn her and her younger sister, Nova, into social media influencers and budding superstars. And after her dad has lost work as a sitcom actor, Sparkle wants to do whatever she can to help her family financially, too. But at the onset of middle school, Sparkle begins losing her hair–first her lashes, then her eyebrows, and then small circular bald spots appear in various sections on her head. It’s hard enough having to go to school and hide her diagnosis from her friends–all while they’re trying out for big roles in the school play–but Sparkle quickly has to deal with weird medications, itchy wigs, and lost opportunities her mom has wrangled, including a big shampoo commercial. Despite everything she might do to hide what’s happening, and all her work keeping her friends together, when Sparkle’s secrets start coming to the surface–Sparkle has to come to terms with the changes in her life and show her classmates and her family what she can do with or without hair.
Lost and Found: Based on a True Story by Mei Yu
Description:
Olive Cobin Zang has… issues. And they mostly aren’t her fault. (No, really!). Though she often slips under the radar, problems have a knack for finding her. So, imagine her doubts when she’s suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever: a former castle turned prison that’s now a “reforming arts school!” But nothing could’ve prepared Olive for RASCH (not “rash”). There, she’s lumped with a team of other kids who never quite fit in, and discovers that the academy isn’t what it seems–and neither is she. In fact, RASCH is a cover for an elite group of misfits who fight crime… and Olive has arrived just in time. Turns out that RASCH is in danger of closing, unless Olive’s class can stop the heist of the century. And as Olive falls in love with this wacky school, she realizes it’s up to her new team to save the only home that’s ever welcomed them.
2027 Rebecca Caudill Award (Grades 4-8)
Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara
Description:
In the two years since his mother was killed in an automobile crash, Collin has been anticipating further disasters, writing down what to do in the event of an avalanche or mentally practicing the Heimlich maneuver just in case–but the real trouble is that his mathematician father is obsessed with a classic math problem and has a hoarding problem that is spiraling out of control, leaving Collin desperate to hide this chaos from his friends and everyone else, even as he struggles with his own grief.
365 Days to Alaska by Cathy Carr
Description:
Eleven-year-old Rigel Harman loves her life in off-the-grid Alaska. She hunts rabbits, takes correspondence classes through the mail, and plays dominoes with her family in their two-room cabin. She doesn’t mind not having electricity or running water–instead, she’s got tall trees, fresh streams, and endless sky. But then her parents divorce, and Rigel and her sisters have to move with their mom to the Connecticut suburbs to live with a grandmother they’ve never met. Rigel hates it in Connecticut. It’s noisy, and crowded, and there’s no real nature. Her only hope is a secret pact that she made with her father: If she can stick it out in Connecticut for one year, he’ll bring her back home. At first, surviving the year feels impossible. Middle school is nothing like the wilderness, and she doesn’t connect with anyone … until she befriends a crow living behind her school. And if this wild creature has made a life for itself in the suburbs, then, just maybe, Rigel can too.
The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko
Description:
When eleven-year-old Hank’s mother does not come home after a week, he and his toddler sister, Boo, seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact, even though it means social workers, a new school, and having to answer questions about his mom that he has been trying to keep secret.
The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi
Description:
In this engaging and moving middle grade novel, author Saadia Faruqi writes about a contemporary Pakistani American girl whose passion for journalism inspires her to learn more about her grandmother’s experience of the Partition of India and Pakistan–and the bond that the two form as she helps Dadi tell her story.
And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
Description:
Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his beloved grandmother find themselves without a home. Fortunately, Joe has an outlet in his journals and drawings and takes comfort from the lessons of comic books–superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow they land on their feet. And that seems to happen a lot to Joe too, as in this crisis his friend Nick helps them find a home in his trailer park. But things fall apart again when Joe is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and has hope his mom will come back. But time is running out–bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets intense, and Joe finds himself dumpster diving for meals. He’s never felt so alone–until an emaciated little dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. And fate has even more in store for Joe, because an actual tornado is about to hit home–and just when it seems all is lost, his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted.
The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II by Candace Fleming
Description:
Bletchley Park was a well-kept secret during World War II, operating under the code name Station X. The critical work of code-cracking Nazi missives that went on behind its closed doors could determine a victory or loss against Hitler’s army. Amidst the brilliant cryptographers, flamboyant debutantes, and absent-minded professors working there, it was teenaged girls who kept Station X running. Some could do advanced math, while others spoke a second language. They ran the unwieldy bombe machines, made sense of wireless sound waves, and sorted the decoded messages. They were expected to excel in their fields and most importantly: know how to keep a secret.
Popcorn by Rob Harrell
Description:
Andrew’s just trying to make it through Picture Day, which is easier said than done when it seems like the whole world is out to get him–from a bully to a science experiment gone wrong to a someone else’s juice snot (don’t ask). But as Andrew goes through the school day, and as one thing after another goes wrong, that little kernel of worry in his stomach is getting hotter and hotter, until it threatens to pop and turn into a public panic attack, his worst fear. He tries to keep his anxiety at bay, but the news that his grandmother with Alzheimer’s is missing is too much.
The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest by Aubrey Hartman
Description:
Clare, an undead fox who guides souls to the Afterlife, faces a mystery when Gingersnipes the badger can’t cross over, leading to a shocking revelation that changes everything.
Jennifer Chan Is Not Alone by Tae Keller
Description:
Thanks to her best friend, Reagan, Mallory Moss knows the rules of middle school. The most important one? You have to fit in to survive. But then Jennifer Chan moves in across the street, and that rule doesn’t seem to apply. Jennifer doesn’t care about the laws of middle school, or the laws of the universe. She believes in aliens–and she thinks she can find them. Then Jennifer goes missing. Using clues from Jennifer’s journals, Mallory goes searching. But the closer she gets, the more Mallory has to confront why Jennifer might have run… and face the truth within herself.
Extra Normal by Kate Alice Marshall
Description:
Charlie Greer is nothing special–at least not compared to her adopted siblings. Her younger sister is a ghost. Her brother Mateo is a werewolf. Gideon is the product of seriously sketchy experiments that gave him telekinetic powers. Even her parents work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual. Charlie’s mom says her superpower is maturity–which doesn’t really count. But what Charlie lacks in powers she makes up for by keeping the household running. Now, with her parents off on their first vacation in years, it’s up to her to take care of her siblings and make sure nothing disrupts the trip. But then the new neighbors arrive. The Weavers are a nice, normal couple. Too nice and too normal. And for some reason, they don’t seem to want Charlie to see inside their house. She’s certain they’re hiding something. Charlie has to uncover what’s going on with the Weavers and stop their plans–without letting Mom and Dad find out anything is wrong.
Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows
Description:
Eighth-grader Ingrid runs a popular blog anonymously and has online personas more popular than she is, but when a wrong-number text message offers her a chance at connection, Ingrid opens herself to the opportunity to make a real live friend.
Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison
Description:
Determined to regain her sense of accomplishment after losing her top-class ranking to Jonah, Grace decides to compete against him in a Labor Day half-marathon, but as they train together, she learns valuable lessons about what truly matters.
Four Eyes by Rex Ogle; illustrated by Dave Valeza
Description:
Sixth grade isn’t as great as Rex thought it would be. He’s the only kid who hasn’t had a growth spurt, and the bullies won’t let him forget it. His closest friend is unreliable, at best. And there’s a cute girl in his class who he can’t stop thinking about. With so much going on, everything is a blur–including Rex’s vision! So when he discovers that he needs glasses, and his family can only afford the ugliest pair in the store, any hope Rex had of fitting in goes completely out of focus.
Witchlings by Claribel Ortega
Description:
Every year, in the magical town of Ravenskill, Witchlings who participate in the Black Moon Ceremony are placed into covens and come into their powers as full-fledged witches. And twelve-year-old Seven Salazar can’t wait to be placed in the most powerful coven with her best friend! But on the night of the ceremony, in front of the entire town, Seven isn’t placed in one of the five covens. She’s a Spare! Spare covens have fewer witches, are less powerful, and are looked down on by everyone. Even worse, when Seven and the other two Spares perform the magic circle to seal their coven and cement themselves as sisters, it doesn’t work! They’re stuck as Witchlings and will lose their magic. Seven invokes her only option: the Impossible Task. The three Spares will be assigned an impossible task: If they work together and succeed at it, their coven will be sealed and they’ll gain their full powers. If they fail… Well, the last coven to make the attempt ended up being turned into toads. Forever. But maybe friendship can be the most powerful magic of all…
The Sherlock Society by James Ponti
Description:
Siblings Alex and Zoe Sherlock take their last name as inspiration when choosing a summer job. After all, starting a detective agency has to be better than babysitting (boring), lawn mowing (sweaty), or cleaning out the attic (boring and sweaty). Their friends Lina, an avid bookworm, and Yadi, an aspiring cinematographer, join the enterprise, and Alex and Zoe’s retired reporter grandfather offers up his sweet aquamarine Cadillac convertible and storage unit full of cold cases. The group’s first target is the long-lost treasure supposedly hidden near their hometown Miami. Their investigation into the local doings of famed gangster Al Capone leads them to a remote island in the middle of the Everglades where they find alarming evidence hinting at corporate corruption. Together with Grandpa’s know-how and the kids’ intelligence–plus some really slick gadgets–can the Sherlock society root out the conspiracy?
Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
Description:
Christopher discovers the Archipelago, a world where mythological creatures were secreted away by magic long ago, but those creatures are now dying, and it is up to Christopher and Mal, a girl from the Archipelago, to save both of their worlds.
The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt
Description:
Herc Beal knows who he’s named after–a mythical hero–but he’s no superhero. He’s the smallest kid in his class. So when his homeroom teacher at his new middle school gives him the assignment of duplicating the mythical Hercules’s amazing feats in real life, he’s skeptical. After all, there are no Nemean Lions on Cape Cod–and not a single Hydra in sight. Missing his parents terribly and wishing his older brother wasn’t working all the time, Herc figures out how to take his first steps along the road that the great Hercules himself once walked. Soon, new friends, human and animal, are helping him. And though his mythical role model performed his twelve labors by himself, Herc begins to see that he may not have to go it alone.
Louder Than Hunger by John Schu
Description:
Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people. He likes skating and singing, playing Bingo and Name That Tune, and reading mysteries and comics aloud to his teachers. He also likes avoiding people his own age…and the cruelty of mirrors…and food. Jake has read about kids like him in books–the weird one, the outsider–and would do anything not to be that kid, including shrink himself down to nothing. But the less he eats, the bigger he feels. How long can Jake punish himself before he truly disappears? A fictionalized account of the author’s experiences and emotions living in residential treatment facilities as a young teen with an eating disorder.
Weirdo by Tony Weaver Jr; illustrated by Jes & Cin Wibowo
Description:
Eleven-year-old Tony Weaver, Jr., loves comic books, anime, and video games–and idolizes the heroic, larger-than-life characters he finds in them. But his new classmates all think he’s a weirdo. Bullied by his peers, Tony struggles with the hurt of not being accepted, and tries to conform to other people’s expectations. After a traumatic event shakes him to his core, he embarks on a journey of self-love that will require him to become the hero of his own story.
Mid-Air by Alicia D. Williams
Description:
Who says? Who says Jordans are better than Vans? Who says world records can’t be broken? Who says some streets are for certain people and not for others? Who says you have to bottle everything you feel inside when it wants to bust out, especially after the worst thing happens? Who says what is brave? Really brave? And is it braver to fit in or be true to you? Isaiah isn’t sure. And if he doesn’t figure out the answers soon, well, who says he won’t explode?