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The Dragon and the Stone

By Kathryn Butler

Even though she’s only 12 years old, Lily McKinley already feels the weight of the world’s brokenness. She’s seen it in her mother’s exhaustion, her grandmother’s illness, and the cruelty of Adam, the bully at her school. But most tragically, she experienced it two months ago when her father died in a terrible accident. As an artistic daydreamer, Lily has a brilliant imagination to help her cope, but that imagination often gets her into trouble. One day, it transports her to a fantasy world called the Somnium Realm, where her father’s secret history embroils her in an epic quest. With the help of a dragon guide named Cedric, Lily battles evil shrouds, harpies, and other creatures to find her way through grief, rescue the world from evil, and discover the power of redemption.

Nominated

2024-2025 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Crossway

ISBN# 978-1433579479 (PB)

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The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations

By Aisholpan Nurgaiv with Liz Welch

Teenaged eagle hunter Aisholpan Nurgaiv tells the true story of how she became the first girl to compete in—and win—one of Mongolia’s most prestigious competitions. Nurgaiv’s story and fresh, sincere voice are not only inspiring but truly magnificent: with the support of her father, she captured and trained her own golden eagle and won the Ölgii eagle festival. A memoir of survival, empowerment, and the positive impact of one person’s triumph.

Nominated

2022-2023 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.8

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0316522618 (HB)

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The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler

By John Hendrix

Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party is gaining strength and becoming more menacing every day. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor upset by the complacency of the German church toward the suffering around it, forms a breakaway church to speak out against the established political and religious authorities. When the Nazis outlaw the church, he escapes as a fugitive. Struggling to reconcile his faith and the teachings of the Bible with the Nazi Party’s evil agenda, Bonhoeffer decides that Hitler must be stopped by any means possible!

Nominated

2020-2021 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 7.6

Published by Harry N. Abrams

ISBN# 978-1419728389 (HB)

The Friend Who Forgives

By Dan Dewitt, Illustrated by Catalina Echeverri

Do you ever talk before you think? Mess up? Let others down? That’s what Peter did, again and again and again, and it led him to abandoning his best friend, Jesus. Peter loved Jesus. He felt terrible when he pretended not to know him. He thought all was lost when Jesus died. But Jesus is not like our other friends. He wants to forgive us when we are really sorry, even when we mess up again and again and again. And because Jesus died and rose again he can. Jesus’ death took the punishment for all of Peter’s mistakes and all our mistakes, and his resurrection showed the penalty was lifted. After he rose from the dead, Jesus went and found Peter and forgave him, and he can do the same for us. Peter spent the rest of his life telling people that if they put their trust in Jesus, they could be forgiven too again and again and again. Children know all about failing, but they don’t always experience true forgiveness. This book points them to Jesus, the one who will forgive them again and again and again.

Nominated

2020-2021 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by The Good Book Company

ISBN# 978-1784983024 (HB)

The Friendship War

By Andrew Clements

Grace and Ellie have been best friends since second grade. Ellie’s always right in the center of everything—and Grace is usually happy to be Ellie’s sidekick. But what happens when everything changes? This time it’s Grace who suddenly has everyone’s attention when she accidentally starts a new fad at school. It’s a fad that has first her class, then her grade, and then the entire school collecting and trading and even fighting over . . . buttons?! A fad that might also get her in major trouble and could even be the end of Grace and Ellie’s friendship. Because Ellie’s not used to being one-upped by anybody. There’s only one thing for Grace to do. With the help of Hank—the biggest button collector in the sixth grade—she will have to figure out a way to end the fad once and for all. But once a fad starts, can it be stopped?

Nominated

2020-2021 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0399557590 (HB)

The Girl Who Lost a Leopard

By Nizarana Farook

Selvi is a free spirit who loves climbing in the beautiful mountains behind her home. There, she befriended Lokka, a leopard with a beautiful coat and huge golden eyes. Together, they roam the wilderness as they please.But when hunters come with bows and arrows, Selvi knows she must stop them before they hurt Lokka. But what can she do against such powerful enemies, especially when the friends and family she turns to for help are not all they seem to be? To rescue her leopard friend, first Selvi must outwit the poachers and expose the mastermind behind it all.

Nominated

2024-2025 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.6

Published by Peachtree

ISBN# 978-1682635810 (HB)

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The Grand Teton Stampede

By C.R. Fulton

Twelve-year-old Isaiah Rawlings wished for only one thing this summer, a camping trip outside of Kentucky. I’m so tired of camping in my backyard, he groaned. Isaiah pleads with his parents to reconsider their usual summer trip to dusty old museums and big cities.When his dad unexpectedly announces a trip to Grand Teton National Park, Isaiah is ecstatic! On the second night of camping, He wakes to a thunderous noise that grows louder and louder. The ground begins to tremble. Earthquake?! Isaiah scrambles from his tent…When Isaiah, his cousin Ethan, and sister Sadie investigate the next morning, tracks lead them back to a broken fence. As they scan the surrounding area, something seems off…Why? More than one set of tracks lead into the park. Was this stampede accidental or is there more to the story?

Nominated

2024-2025 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.9

Published by Bakken Books

ISBN# 979-8436149448 (PB)

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The Horseback Librarians

By Jane Yolen, Illustrated by Alexandra Badiu

There were no libraries in the backwoods of Kentucky in the 1930s. Librarians there and throughout the South delivered books to families by horseback and mule, sleeping outdoors or sheltering in barns when they could, going from farm to farm in remote areas. In this story, a woman named Anna Mary stands in for all the real-life horseback librarians who helped keep the love of books alive in Appalachia during the Great Depression.

Nominated

2024-2025 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Albert Whitman & Company

ISBN# 978-0807562918 (HB)

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The House of Grass and Sky

By Mary Lyn Ray, Illustrated by E. B. Goodale

Every house has a story. This house—an old one hunkered in the deep grass below a wide country sky—is a waiting house. Once it was full of laughter and song. The sounds of life rang within its walls. Now it stands quiet and still.

Nominated

2023-2024 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 978-1536200973 (HB)

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The Inkwell Chronicles: The Ink of Elspet

By J.D. Peabody

When their father goes missing after a mysterious train crash, Everett and his little sister Bea find a curious pen in his belongings, and its magical Ink begins to rewrite their once-ordinary lives. The Ink leads them to a world they never knew existed—one teeming with impossible magic, formidable allies, and villains who are determined to destroy everything they hold dear. Together, Everett and Bea embark on an adventure through secret tunnels in England and Scotland to find and protect the last Inkwell, and ultimately to save their father. But in order to do so, Everett must find a way to tap into the most magical power of all: his courage. Perfect for fans of The Silver Arrow, the Bookwanderers, and Inkheart, this classic battle of good and evil pits creativity against the forces that would seek to blot it out for good.

Nominated

2024-2025 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by WorthyKids

ISBN# 978-1546001980 (HB)

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The Islanders

By Mary Alice Monroe and Angela May

While spending the summer with his grandmother on Dewees Island, eleven-year-old Jake finds two friends also struggling with family issues. Together, they try to save a sea turtle nest.

Winner

2023-2024 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.8

Published by Aladdin

ISBN# 978-1534427273 (HB)

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The Lion of Mars

By Jennifer L. Holm

Bell has spent his whole life—all eleven years of it—on Mars. But he’s still just a regular kid—he loves cats and any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don’t they have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It’s up to Bell—a regular kid in a very different world—to uncover the truth and save his family…and possibly unite an entire planet.

Nominated

2022-2023 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Random House Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0593121818 (HB)

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The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe

By Tricia Springstubb

Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah’s surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter?

When Dr. Londonderry’s expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.

Nominated

2022-2023 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Margaret Ferguson Books

ISBN# 978-0823447572 (HB)

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The Ogress and the Orphans

By Kelly Barnhill

When a child goes missing from the Orphan House, the town’s mayor suggests the kindly Ogress is responsible, but the orphans don’t believe that and try to make their neighbors see the real villain among them.

Nominated

2023-2024 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.1

Published by Algonquin Young Readers

ISBN# 978-1643750743 (HB)

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The One and Only Bob

By Katherine Applegate

Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.

Nominated

2022-2023 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.9

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 978-0062991317 (HB)

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The Queen Bee and Me

By Gillian McDunn

Meg has always found comfort in her best friend Beatrix’s shadow. Self-assured Beatrix is the one who makes decisions, and the girls have been a pair since kindergarten. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick.

A special science elective is Meg’s first step away, but when she’s paired with quirky new girl Hazel, Beatrix steps in to stake her claim on Meg. Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?

Nominated

2022-2023 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.1

Published by Bloomsbury Children's Books

ISBN# 978-1681197517 (HB)

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The School for Whatnots

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

In this futuristic thriller, fifth grader Max searches for his best friend who disappeared after leaving behind a strange note.

Nominated

2023-2024 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.3

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

ISBN# 978-0062838490 (HB)

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The Songs of a Warrior: Saul and David

By Katy Morgan

This dramatic retelling of the accounts of the first two kings of Israel follows the intertwining stories of Jonathan, Saul, David and Michal documented in 1 and 2 Samuel.In this imaginative yet biblically faithful book, readers will find themselves immersed in the hearts and minds of the key players as they experience battles, intrigue, plots, betrayal, love, and friendship.

Nominated

2024-2025 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by The Good Book Company

ISBN# 978-1784988173 (PB)

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The Star that Always Stays

By Anna Rose Johnson

In Michigan in 1914, fourteen-year-old Norvia longs for her old home on Beaver Island where she could be proud of her Ojibwe hertiage. Now she has to contend with a new school, a blended family and being forced to pretend she’s not Native at all.

Nominated

2023-2024 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.9

Published by Holiday House

ISBN# 978-0823450404 (HB)

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The Story of a Story

By Deborah Hopkinson, Illustrated by Hadley Hooper

This is a story of a child writing a story that encourages persistence and celebrates the strength of every child’s unique voice and the story they have to tell.

Nominated

2023-2024 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Neal Porter Books

ISBN# 978-0823444915 (HB)

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The Turnover

By Mike Lupica

Gramps is Lucas’s hero, which is second only to the fact that he is also Lucas’s basketball coach. Gramps coached the team to victory in the championships last year, and when he decides to come out of retirement to coach another season, Lucas is thrilled. This season will absolutely be the greatest yet. So when his English teacher challenges the class to write a biography of the person they most admire, Lucas can’t think of anyone he’d rather write about. Except…Gramps is being cagey. He avoids every question Lucas asks, and gets angry every time Lucas brings up his past as a hotshot basketball player. Lucas can’t help but wonder—is there something Gramps is trying to hide? And if there is, will Lucas be prepared to face the truth about the man he thought he knew? With basketball championships fast approaching, time is running out for Lucas to decide.

Honor

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 9781534421585 (HB)

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The Winter War

By Priscilla Shirer and Gina Detwiler

Two years ago, the Prince Warriors lost one of their own, but now they must stand firm . . . because death is coming once again. In this sequel to Priscilla Shirer’s best-selling trilogy, the Prince Warriors return to Ahoratos to find it bare and dangerous. The Winter War is upon them

Nominated

2020-2021 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.5

Published by B&H Kids

ISBN# 9781462796755 (HB)

Thirst

By Varsha Bajaj

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?

Nominated

2024-2025 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.4

Published by Nancy Paulsen Books

ISBN# 978-0593354391 (PB, HB)

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This Seats Saved

By Heather Holleman

At the start of 7th grade, Elita Brown’s friends enjoy their seats at the popular lunchroom table. Meanwhile, Elita hides in the bathroom. This is not how she envisioned middle school. And her omission from the popular table is only the beginning of her problems. What will she do when she’s terrorized by the meanest girl in school and accused of a crime she didn’t commit? Elita befriends an older couple living in the woods and gains confidence through her project on the red fox. Will Elita find her way and take her seat at the best table? Full of suspense and divine moments, readers will be captivated by this story.

Nominated

2024-2025 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Moody Publishers

ISBN# 978-0802428868 (PB)

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The Unbreakable Code

By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Mr. Quisling is definitely up to something mysterious, and Emily and James are on high alert. First, there’s the coded note he drops at a book event. Then, they uncover a trail of encrypted messages in Mark Twain-penned books hidden through Book Scavenger. What’s most suspicious is that each hidden book triggers an arson fire. As the sleuthing friends dig deeper, they discover Mr. Quisling has been hunting a legendary historical puzzle: the Unbreakable Code. This new mystery is irresistible, but Emily and James can’t ignore the signs that Mr. Quisling might be the arsonist.

Nominated

2018-2019 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.8

Published by Henry Holt and Co.

ISBN# 978-1627791168 (HB)

The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling

By Timothy Basil Ering, Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

Captain Alfred is sailing home with new ducks for his farm when his little boat is caught in an unexpected and mighty storm. Everything aboard the ship is flung to the far reaches of the sea, including the very special and beautiful duck egg he had nestled safely inside his fiddle case. But perhaps all is not lost: the little duckling stumbles out of his shell and discovers Captain Alfred’s fiddle, floating not too far away in the waves. And when the duckling embraces the instrument with all his heart, what happens next is pure magic. Through an enchanting read-aloud text and beautiful artwork, award-winning author-illustrator Timothy Basil Ering shares a thrilling and fantastical story of a farmer, a gentle old lady, a dancing dog, and one brave, tiny duckling that will warm the heart.

Nominated

2018-2019 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 3.6

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 978-0763664329 (HB)

The Way Things Work Now

By David Macaulay

Explainer-in-Chief David Macaulay updates the worldwide bestseller The New Way Things Work to capture the latest developments in the technology that most impacts our lives. Famously packed with information on the inner workings of everything from windmills to Wi-Fi, this extraordinary and humorous book both guides readers through the fundamental principles of machines, and shows how the developments of the past are building the world of tomorrow. This sweepingly revised edition embraces all of the latest developments, from touchscreens to 3D printer. Each scientific principle is brilliantly explained—with the help of a charming, if rather slow-witted, woolly mammoth

Nominated

2018-2019 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0544824386 (HB)

The Way to Stay in Destiny

By Augusta Scattergood

When Theo gets off a bus in Destiny, Florida, he’s left behind the only life he’s ever known. Now he’s got to live with Uncle Raymond, a Vietnam War vet and a loner who wants nothing to do with this long-lost nephew. Thank goodness for Miss Sister Grandersole’s Rooming House and Dance School. The piano that sits in Miss Sister’s dance hall calls to Theo. He can’t wait to play those ivory keys. When Anabel arrives things get even more enticing. This feisty girl, a baseball fanatic, invites Theo on her quest to uncover the town’s connection to old-time ball players rumored to have lived there years before. A mystery, an adventure, and a musical exploration unfold as this town called Destiny lives up to its Name.

Nominated

2017-2018 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.1

Published by Scholastic Press

ISBN# 978-0545538251 (PB)

Wild Ride (Adapted for Young Readers)

By Hayley Arceneaux

In this adaptation of her heartfelt memoir, especially inspiring for middle-grade readers, Arceneaux shares the details of her wild ride with never-before-told stories written especially for kids coming to this edition. Arceneaux not only tells readers what it was like to go to space—from training in a fighter jet to lifting off in a Dragon capsule—but she also offers stories from her childhood: things that she faced at the hospital when going through cancer treatment, what she had to overcome when she went back to school, and the courage it took to dream big dreams for her teenage and adult years.

Nominated

2024-2025 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Convergent Books

ISBN# 978-0593443880 (HB)

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Wish on All the Stars

By Lisa Schroeder

Juliet is now an official member of the Starry Beach Club, and loves working with her new friends, Emma and Carmen, to make people’s wishes come true. Living away from her dad is still hard, and she misses her best friend from her old town, but she has her friends and the bookmobile, and San Diego feels more like home than ever. But then she learns that the bookmobile is going to have to shut down. The owner of the parking lot wants to start charging rent, and soon the bookmobile won’t be able to stay in business. The Starry Beach Club comes up with different ways to save their favorite store, but none seem to work. But then Emma gets the idea to have a crafts fair…and she wants Juliet to sell her paintings! Juliet is nervous, and isn’t sure whether she’s ready to put herself on display. Meanwhile, Carmen is feeling anxious about the possibility of her mother being deported. Will Juliet be able to be brave for herself and for Carmen?

Nominated

2020-2021 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Scholastic Press

ISBN# 978-1338195774 (HB)