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A Grateful Harvest

By Kristiana Gregory

In this second Prairie River series, Nessa is having difficulty making friends and her position as the local teacher is on shaky ground. Through it all she relies heavily on prayer to sustain her.

Nominated

2005-2006 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Scholastic

ISBN# 0-439-43993-0 (PB)

A Long Walk to Water

By Linda Sue Park

Based on a true story, the author tells the story of Nya who spends seven months of the year walking each day for eight hours in order for her family to have water. The reader also learns the story of Salva who is walking away from his ruined village to find safety.

Nominated

2012-2013 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

ISBN# 9780547577319 (PB)

A Nest for Celeste

By Henry Cole

Celeste is a mouse looking for a home. She is harassed by rats and ends up in the apprentice’s room where a friendship develops with the assistant to John James Audubon.

Honor

2012-2013 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN# 9780061704123 (PB)

A River of Words

By Jen Bryant, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

William Carlos Williams’ words gave him freedom and peace, but he also needed to earn a living. When he grew up he became a doctor, but he never stopped writing poetry.

Nominated

2010-2011 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company

ISBN# 9780802853028 (HB)

A Second is a Hiccup

By Hazel Hutchins, Illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton

This lyric provides creative explanations of common measurements of time in descriptive terms all children can understand.

Nominated

2009-2010 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.0

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books

ISBN# 439831067 (PB, HB)

A Seed is Sleepy

By Dianna Hutts Aston, Illustrated by Sylvia Long

Inventive personification and descriptive illustrations lead readers through the amazing, scientific transformations of seeds to flowering plants.

Nominated

2009-2010 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 3.0

Published by Chronicle Books

ISBN# 1452131473 (PB, HB)

A Single Shard

By Linda Sue Park

Tree-ear, an orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters’ village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself.

Nominated

2003-2004 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Clarion

ISBN# 0-395-97827-0 (PB, HB)

A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toes: A Pocket Book

By Elizabeth Garton Scanlon, Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

A poetic celebration of nontraditional pockets and what they hold, pointing out that a sock is a pocket for your toes and a vase is a pocket for a rose.

Nominated

2006-2007 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 0-06-029526-0 (HB)

A Strange Place to Call Home

By Marilyn Singer

Narrative of 14 animals defying the odds coupled with illustrations to visualize the fascinating acts of each species in their living domain.

Nominated

2014-2015 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 6.3

Published by Chronicle Books

ISBN# 9781452141251 (PB)

A Thousand Never Evers

By Shana Burg

As the civil rights movement in the South gains momentum in 1963, the black residents, including Addie Ann Pickett, in the small town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi, begin their own courageous struggle for racial justice.

Nominated

2010-2011 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by Random House Children's Books

ISBN# 9780440422099 (PB)

A Voice of Her Own

By Kathryn Lasky, Illustrated by Paul Lee

A biography of an African girl brought to New England in 1761 who became famous on both sides of the Atlantic as the first Black poet in America.

Nominated

2005-2006 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 0-7636-0252-3 (PB, HB)

A Wild Life

By Jeff Corwin

Jeff Corwin shares his story of how his love for all animals such as snakes and turtles developed his interest in the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the world.

Nominated

2011-2012 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

ISBN# 9780142414033 (PB)

A. Lincoln and Me

By Louise Borden

Skinny and tall for his age, a young boy learns he shares those same traits with Abraham Lincoln, and that they have the same birthday. As he studies Mr. Lincoln, the boy opens his mind to great possibilities for his own future.

Honor

2001-2002 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Scholastic

ISBN# 0-590-45714-4, (PB, HB)

Abby Takes a Stand

By Patricia C. McKissack, Illustrated by Gordon C. James

Gee recalls for her grandchildren what happened in 1960 in Nashville, Tennessee, when she, aged ten, passed out flyers while her cousins and other adults held sit-ins at restaurants and lunch counters to protest segregation.

Nominated

2007-2008 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.6

Published by Viking

ISBN# 0-670-06011-9 (PB, HB)

Abe Lincoln, the Boy Who Loved Books

By Kay Winters, Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter

This book gives a glimpse into the boyhood of the sixteenth president of the United States. It shows him reading at every chance in between the chores and work of a pioneer family.

Nominated

2005-2006 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 0-689-82554-4 (PB, HB)

About Hummingbirds: A Guide for Children

By Cathryn Sill, Illustrated by John Sill

Tells all about the habits of hummingbirds, accompanied by beautiful watercolor illustrations.

Nominated

2013-2014 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.5

Published by Peachtree

ISBN# 9781561458370 (PB)

Abuelo

By Arthur Dorros, Illustrated by Raúl Colón

A young boy learns life lessons when he rides horses and camps out with his “abuelo gaucho” that he applies when faced with difficulties in his new big-city school.

Nominated

2015-2016 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.5

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 978-0061686276 (HB)

Across The Wide And Lonesome Prairie

By Kristiana Gregory

In her diary, thirteen year-old Hattie chronicles her family’s arduous 1847 journey from Missouri to Oregon on the Oregon Trail. This is number four of the Dear America series.

Nominated

2000-2001 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Scholastic

ISBN# 0-590-22651-7 (PB)

Adventure According to Humphrey

By Betty G. Birney

Humphrey, the classroom hamster, has many adventures in the library, learning about the ocean, and even sailing across a pond on a sailboat.

Honor

2011-2012 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Penguin Young Readers Group

ISBN# 978-0142415146 (PB)

Adventures with Waffles

By Maria Parr

Hardly a day passes without Trille and Lena inventing some kind of adventure that often ends in trouble. Whether it’s coaxing a cow onto a boat or sledding down the steepest and iciest hill with a chicken, there is always a thrill and sometimes an injury to be had. Trille loves to share everything with Lena, even Auntie Granny’s waffles. But when Lena has to move away and Auntie Granny leaves the world, it sometimes seems like nothing will ever be right again. The warmth of friendship and the support of family suffuse this lightly illustrated novel, proving that when times are tough, a little taste of sweetness can make all the difference.

Nominated

2017-2018 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Candlewick Press

ISBN# 978-0763672812 (HB)

Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad

By Monica Edinger, Illustrated by Robert Byrd

This story is based on a real person,nine-year-old Magulu, who is captured in Africa and sold into slavery in New England. Her life is followed until she, as an adult, becomes a teacher in her beloved homeland.

Nominated

2016-2017 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.3

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 978-0763650384 (PB, HB)

After the Train

By Gloria Whelan

Ten years after the end of World War II in the town of Rolfen, West Germany, a young boy named Peter discovers a secret about his past. This leads him to question everything in his peaceful town.

Nominated

2011-2012 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by HarperCollins Publishers

ISBN# 9780060295967 (HB)

Agnes’s Place

By Marit Larsen, Kari Dickson (Translator), Illustrated by Jenny Løvlie

Agnes lives in a tight-knit apartment building where she knows what it is like to be the only child in a place full of adults who never have time. When a little girl moves in to the building, everything changes.

Nominated

2023-2024 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Amazon Crossing Kids

ISBN# 978-1542026758 (HB)

Buy  Agnes’s Place on Amazon

Albino Animals

By Kelly Milner Halls

Learn about albino animals, the genetics that causes albinism, and the survival challenges albinos face.

Nominated

2006-2007 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Darby Creek

ISBN# 1-58196-012-3 (PB, HB)

Alfred Nobel:  The Man Behind the Peace Prize

By Kathy-Yo Wargin , Illustrated by Zachary Pullen

Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, but was saddened by its destructive use. He became very wealthy from his invention, but used his fortune to create yearly prizes for those who created the greatest services to mankind.

Honor

2011-2012 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

ISBN# 9781585362813 (HB)

All Their Names Were Courage

By Sharon Phillips Denslow

During the Civil War, Sallie Burd writes letters to Confederate and Union generals asking about their horses in order to write a book.

Nominated

2005-2006 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Greenwillow

ISBN# 0-06-623810-2 (HB)

Also Known As Harper

By Ann Haywood Leal

Fifth grader Harper Lee Morgan writes poetry and aspires to enter a contest, but her family’s financial troubles are getting in the way.

Nominated

2011-2012 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by Square Fish

ISBN# 9780312659349 (PB)

Always and Forever

By Alan Durant, Illustrated by Debi Gliori

A family of forest animals learns to cope with the death of a beloved friend.

Nominated

2005-2006 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Harcourt

ISBN# 0-15-216636-X (HB)

Amber: The Story of a Red Fox

By Shirley Woods, Illustrated by Celia Godkin

The story of a young fox, from her first month to an independent life with a family of her own.

Nominated

2006-2007 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside

ISBN# 1-55041-811-4 (PB, HB)

America is…

By Louise Borden, Illustrated by Stacey Schuett

A story of contemporary America through poetry against a backdrop of delightful illustrations.

Nominated

2004-2005 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Margaret K. McElderry

ISBN# 0-689-83900-6 (PB, HB)

America’s White Table

By Margot Theis Raven, Illustrated by Mike Benny

Because their Uncle John is a POW in Vietnam, three children set a special table in his memory & of others fallen or MIA.

Nominated

2006-2007 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

ISBN# 1-58536-216-6 (HB)

Among the Betrayed

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen-year-old Nina is threatened by the Population Police, who give her the option of helping them identify “third-born” children, or facing death.

Winner

2004-2005 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 0-689-83905-7 (PB, HB)

Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao

By Kat Zhang, Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Amy loves to make bao with her family. But it takes skill to make the bao taste and look delicious. And her bao keep coming out all wrong. Then she has an idea that may give her a second chance…Will Amy ever make the perfect bao?

Nominated

2021-2022 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.6

Published by Aladdin

ISBN# 9781534411333 (HB)

Buy  Amy Wu and the Perfect Bao on Amazon

An Egg Is Quiet

By Dianna Aston, Illustrated by Sylvia Long

From tiny hummingbird eggs to fossilized dinosaur eggs, this book captures the incredible variety of eggs and celebrates their beauty and wonder.

Nominated

2008-2009 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Chronicle Books

ISBN# 0-8118-5554-6 (HB)

An Orange for Frankie

By Patricia Polacco

Frankie and his eight brothers and sisters learn lessons about giving, family, and tradition during a snowy Michigan Christmas long ago.

Nominated

2006-2007 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Philomel

ISBN# 0-399-24302-X (PB, HB)

Andy Shane and the Barn Sale Mystery

By Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Illustrated by Abby Carter

Andy Shane along with his friend, Delores Starbuckle, raise money so Andy can buy an unbirthday gift for his Granny Webb. Along the way, Andy discovers his Granny’s binoculars are missing and he uses his detective skills to solve the case.

Nominated

2012-2013 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 3.0

Published by Candlewick Press

ISBN# 9780763648275 (PB)

Angel on the Square

By Gloria Whelan

In 1914, Katya, the daughter of a lady-in-waiting, sees her safe world fall apart when the Tsar is deposed in war-torn Russia.

Honor

2003-2004 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 0-06-029031-5 (PB)

Angel Tree

By Daphne Benedis-Grab

Every Christmas in the small town of Pine River, a tree appears in the town square—the Angel Tree. Some people tie wishes to the tree, while others make those wishes come true. Nobody’s ever known where the tree comes from, but the mystery has always been part of the tradition’s charm. This year, however, four kids who have been helped—Lucy, Joe, Max, and Cami—are determined to solve the mystery and find out the true identity of the town’s guardian angel, so that Pine River can finally thank the person who brought the Angel Tree to their town.

Nominated

2017-2018 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.7

Published by Scholastic Press

ISBN# 978-0545613781 (HB)

Animal Heroes

By Sandra Markle

These are heartwarming, true stories of how dogs, cats, cows, monkeys, and even dolphins use their normal senses or special training to help people in trouble or in need all over the world.

Nominated

2010-2011 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by Lerner Publishing Group

ISBN# 9780822578840 (HB)

Animals Nobody Loves

By Seymour Simon

With striking photographs, the author reveals the truth about nature’s grossest, fiercest, most fascinating and yet most misunderstood animals.

Nominated

2003-2004 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by SeaStar

ISBN# 1-58717-079-5 (PB, HB)

Animals Welcome

By Peg Kehret

Non-fiction memoir of a popular author who shares true stories of animals and family while living on a wildlife sanctuary as an animal rescuer.

Honor

2014-2015 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 6.0

Published by Penguin

ISBN# 9780525423997 (HB)

Anna Maria’s Gift

By Janice Shefelman, Illustrated by Robert Papp

Anna Maria lives in an orphanage in Venice. It is also a famous music school that allows her to continue to play the violin until a rival throws it in the canals.

Nominated

2011-2012 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 3.0

Published by Random House Children's Books

ISBN# 9780375898280 (HB)

Anna the Bookbinder

By Andrea Cheng, Illustrated by Ted Rand

Anna loves to watch her father at his bookbinding business. When he is unable to finish an important client’s books, Anna is determined to take matters into her own hands.

Nominated

2005-2006 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Walker

ISBN# 0-8027-8831-9 (HB)

Anna Was Here

By Jane Kurtz

Three generations of the Nickel family reunite, when Anna, her mom, dad, and younger sister Isabella, relocate to Oakwood, Kansas.

Nominated

2016-2017 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 978-0060564933 (HB)

Anne Frank

By Josephine Poole, Illustrated by Angela Barrett

A biography of Anne Frank, written and illustrated for younger children.

Nominated

2007-2008 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.1

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0375832420 (PB, HB)

Annie Henry and the Birth of Liberty

By Susan O’Lasky

In 1775 Patrick Henry’s ten-year-old daughter, Annie, tries to concentrate on her day-to-day activities but is increasingly caught up in her father’s role in the colonists’ growing unrest. This title was on the Crown list in 1994 and has been republished as a set of four books. By request from the publisher an endorsement was given by Sandra Morrow, the originator of the Children’s Crown Awards.

Nominated

2013-2014 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by P & R Publishing

ISBN# 9781596383753 (PB)

Annie’s War

By Jacqueline Levering Sullivan

Jack Plank Tells Tales, by Natalie Babbitt, RL 5. An out-of-work pirate, Jack Plank, comes ashore to look for a different line of work, but every night he explains how each non-sailing career he has investigated just won’t work for him.

Nominated

2009-2010 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Eerdmans Books

ISBN# 802853544 (PB)

Another Day as Emily

By Eileen Spinelli, Illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff

Eleven-year-old Suzy just can’t win. Her brother is a local hero for calling 911 after seeing their elderly neighbor collapse, and only her best friend was able to win a role in the play they both auditioned for. Feeling cast aside from all angles, Suzy sees a kindred spirit in Emily Dickinson, the subject of her summer project. Suzy decides to escape from her disappointments by emulating the poet’s life of solitude: no visitors or phone calls (only letters delivered through her window), no friends (except her goldfish, Ottilie), and no outings (except church, but only if she can wear her long white Emily dress). But being a recluse is harder than Suzy predicted. Will she find a way to fold Emily into her life while also remaining true to herself?

Nominated

2017-2018 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.2

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-0449809884 (PB)

Ark In The Park

By Wendy Orr

Sophie and Mr. and Mrs. Noah, owners of a pet store, become special friends as they share their love for animals.

Nominated

2002-2003 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Holt

ISBN# 0-8050-6221-1 (PB, HB)

Around the World in 100 Days

By Gary Blackwood

It is 1891 and Harry Fogg and his crew have 100 days to circle the entire globe. Only cars on land and boats in the water are allowed.

Nominated

2012-2013 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated

ISBN# 9780142419632 (PB)

As Warm as the Sun

By Kate and Jim McMullan

Toby loves basking in the morning sun, snuggling in a lap in the afternoon, and toasting his tummy by the fireside at night, but somehow his warm spots never last. What Toby wants more than anything is to find something as warm as the sun that never fades or fizzles.

Winner

2020-2021 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Neal Porter Books

ISBN# 978-0823443277 (HB)

Ashes

By Laurie Halse Anderson

As the Revolutionary War rages on, Isabel and Curzon have narrowly escaped Valley Forge—but their relief is short-lived. Before long they are reported as runaways, and the awful Bellingham is determined to track them down. With purpose and faith, Isabel and Curzon march on, fiercely determined to find Isabel’s little sister Ruth, who is enslaved in a Southern state—where bounty hunters are thick as flies.

Nominated

2018-2019 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.6

Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

ISBN# 978-1416961468 (HB)

Ask Albert Einstein

By Lynne Barasch

In 1952, a young girl writes a letter to Albert Einstein, the most famous mathematician and scientist of the day, to request help for her fifteen- year-old sister, Annabel, in solving a very important math problem. A fictionalized story based on an actual event that appeared in The New York Times in May 1952.

Nominated

2007-2008 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.6

Published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux

ISBN# 0-374-30435-1 (HB)

At the Sign of the Star

By Katherine Sturtevant

In 17th century London, Meg dreams of becoming a bookseller like her father.

Nominated

2002-2003 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by FSG

ISBN# 374404585 (PB, HB)

B is for Bookworm: A Library Alphabet

By Anita C. Prieto, Illustrated by Renee Graef

A guided A – Z tour through the institution called the “library”, including its earliest forms, systems and practices, famous booklovers and librarians, and even definitions of basic book components.

Nominated

2007-2008 Crown Award

Reading Level: 6.1

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

ISBN# 1-58536-145-3 (PB, HB)

Baby Whale’s Journey

By Jonathan London

After Baby Whale is born he swims with his mother and, surrounded with a protective pod, he begins to grow and learn. As he watches all around him, soon Baby Whale comes to know all the ways of the whales and of the sea.

Winner

2001-2002 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Chronicle

ISBN# 0-8118-2496-9 (PB, HB)

Back to School with Betsy

By Carolyn Haywood

Third grader Betsy and her friend Billy seem to be always getting into scrapes both inside and outside of school.

Nominated

2006-2007 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Harcourt

ISBN# 0-15-205105-8 (HB)

Balloons over Broadway: the True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade

By Melissa Sweet, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

This is a picture book biography of Tony Sarg, the man who developed Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, beloved by Americans for generations.

Honor

2015-2016 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.4

Published by Houghton

ISBN# 0547199457 (PB)

Bamboo People

By Mitali Perkins

This book tells the story of two boys on opposite sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni. One serves in the Burmese army while the other fights for independence.

Honor

2012-2013 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

ISBN# 9781580893299 (PB)

Banana Dream

By Hasan Namir, Illustrated by Daby Zainab Faidhi

Growing up in Iraq after the Gulf War, Mooz didn’t always like his name, which means “banana”. But when he learns the story behind it, he’s proud, even when being teased by his classmates. Now all he yearns for is to taste a banana—a lofty dream in a time when few countries are trading with Iraq, where bananas don’t grow.

Nominated

2024-2025 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Neal Porter Books

ISBN# 978-0823451005 (HB)

Buy  Banana Dream on Amazon

Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero

By Megan Hoyt, Illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

Gino Bartali pedaled across Italy for years, winning one cycling race after another, including the 1938 Tour de France. Gino became an international sports hero! But the next year, World War II began, and it changed everything. Soldiers marched into Italy. Tanks rolled down the cobbled streets of Florence. And powerful leaders declared that Jewish people should be arrested.

To the entire world, Gino Bartali was merely a champion cyclist. But Gino’s greatest achievement was something he never told a soul—that he secretly worked with the Italian resistance to save hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children, and others, from certain death, using the one thing no authority would question: his bicycle.

Nominated

2022-2023 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 4.2

Published by Quill Tree Books

ISBN# 978-0062908117 (HB)

Buy  Bartali’s Bicycle: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy’s Secret Hero on Amazon

Basket Moon

By Mary Lyn Ray

A young backwoods boy wants to make baskets just like his family until he is taunted during a trip to a big city.

Nominated

2002-2003 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Little, Brown

ISBN# 0-316-73521-3 (PB, HB)

Be a Friend

By Salina Yoon

Dennis is an ordinary boy who expresses himself in extraordinary ways. Some children do show-and-tell. Dennis mimes his. Some children climb trees. Dennis is happy to BE a tree . . . But being a mime can be lonely. It isn’t until Dennis meets a girl named Joy that he discovers the power of friendship—and how special he truly is! At its core, this book is a heartwarming story of self-acceptance, courage, and unbreakable friendship for anyone who has ever felt ‘different.’

Nominated

2018-2019 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 1.9

Published by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

ISBN# 978-1619639515 (HB)

Be Kind

By Pat Zietlow Miller, Illustrated by Jen Hill

When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate wants to make her feel better, wondering: What does it mean to be kind?

From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving story explores what kindness is, and how any act, big or small, can make a difference―or at least help a friend.

Nominated

2019-2020 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.2

Published by Roaring Brook Press

ISBN# 978-1626723214 (HB)

Be Loved

By Emma Mae Jenkins

Readers will experience the chain-breaking liberty of knowing the Lord’s presence and the freedom to be unique. This full-color, hardback book includes pictures from Emma Mae’s life, along with key Bible verses that God used to strengthen and guide her through the ups and downs of her high school years as a young Christian. Readers will learn to face the challenges of their student years with religion, courage, hope, and lifegiving love for others.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by New Growth Press

ISBN# 9781948130929 (HB)

Buy  Be Loved on Amazon

Bear Dogs: Canines With a Mission

By Ted Wood

These 50-pound bundles of energy and courage routinely take on 400-pound grizzlies to steer problem bears away from trouble.

Nominated

2003-2004 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Walker

ISBN# 0-8027-8759-2 (HB)

Because of the Rabbit

By Cynthia Lord

On the last night of summer, Emma tags along with her game warden father on a routine call. They’re supposed to rescue a wild rabbit from a picket fence, but instead they find a little bunny. Emma convinces her father to bring him home for the night. The next day, Emma starts public school for the very first time after years of being homeschooled. More than anything, Emma wants to make a best friend in school. But things don’t go as planned. On the first day of school, she’s paired with a boy named Jack for a project. He can’t stay on topic, he speaks out of turn, and he’s obsessed with animals. Jack doesn’t fit in, and Emma’s worried he’ll make her stand out. Emma and Jack bond over her rescue rabbit. But will their new friendship keep Emma from finding the new best friend she’s meant to have?

Nominated

2020-2021 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.3

Published by Scholastic Press

ISBN# 978-0545914246 (HB)

Becoming Joe DiMaggio

By Maria Testa, Illustrated by Scott Hunt

The highlight of Joseph Paul’s growing up years was listening to baseball games on the radio & learning the rules of the game at his grandfather’s knee.

Nominated

2004-2005 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 0-7636-1537-4 (PB, HB)

Before She Was Harriet

By Lesa Cline-Ransome, Illustrated by James E.Ransome

We know her today as Harriet Tubman, but in her lifetime she was called by many names. As General Tubman she was a Union spy. As Moses she led hundreds to freedom on the Underground Railroad. As Minty she was a slave whose spirit could not be broken. An evocative poem and opulent watercolors come together to honor a woman of humble origins whose courage and compassion make her larger than life.

Nominated

2018-2019 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Holiday House

ISBN# 978-0823420476 (HB)

Believe: The Victorious Story of Eric LeGrand

By Eric LeGrand

LeGrand tells a real life story of his journey as he fights to walk again after being tackled on the football field in a college game leaving him paralyzed. He inspires his fans with his personal motto to “believe.”

Winner

2014-2015 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 6.4

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 9780062225825 (HB)

Ben and the Sudden Too-Big Family

By Colby Rodowsky, Illustrated by Michael Wertz

Ten-year-old Ben thinks he and his father make a “cool” family, but Ben has to rethink what is “all right” and “not all right” when his father remarries and adopts a baby from China.

Nominated

2009-2010 Crown Award

Reading Level: 5.0

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

ISBN# 9780374706876 (HB)

Best Family Ever

By Karen Kingsbury and Tyler Russell

Brooke is the perfect older sister. For that reason, Kari and Ashley work hard to make their parents just as proud of them as they are of Brooke. Each girl has her own talents. Brooke is an excellent student. Kari is a great soccer player. Ashley, a talented artist. And they are always there for each other. But when the news comes that Dr. Baxter is moving the family from Ann Arbor to Bloomington, Indiana, and the Baxters need to leave the only home and friends they’ve ever known, no one is happy. Saying goodbye is hard but the family still has what’s most important—their faith and their love for each other.

Winner

2020-2021 Crown Award

Reading Level: 3.2

Published by Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

ISBN# 978-1534412156 (HB)

Beyond Me

By Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu

In the aftermath of the natural disasters that have struck her country, eleven-year-old Maya is luckier than many. Her family didn’t lose their home, their lives, or each other. But Maya still can’t help feeling paralyzed with terror, and each aftershock that ripples out in the days that follow makes her fear all over again that her luck could change in an instant.

Nominated

2021-2022 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Atheneum Books

ISBN# 9781481437899 (HB)

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Beyond the Bright Sea

By Lauren Wolk

Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.

Nominated

2018-2019 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers

ISBN# 978-1101994856 (HB)

Beyond the Laughing Sky

By Michelle Cuevas, Illustrated by Julie Morstad

Ten-year-old Nashville doesn’t feel like he belongs with his family, in his town, or even in this world. He was hatched from an egg his father found on the sidewalk and has grown into something not quite boy and not quite bird. Despite the support of his loving parents and his adoring sister, Junebug, Nashville wishes more than anything that he could join his fellow birds up in the sky. After all, what’s the point of being part bird if you can’t even touch the clouds?

Nominated

2016-2017 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.4

Published by Penguin Young Readers Group

ISBN# 9780142423059 (PB)

Beyond the Valley of Thorns

By Patrick Carman

When thirteen-year-old Alexa embarks on a mysterious quest, she finds her old friends Yipes, the little man, Murphy, the squirrel, Odessa, the wolf, and Squire, the hawk have been designated to help her.

Winner

2007-2008 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 6.2

Published by Orchard

ISBN# 0-439-70094-9 (PB, HB)

Bicycle Madness

By Jane Kurtz, Illustrated by Beth Peck

In the late nineteenth century, Lillie gains friendship and help with a spelling bee from a neighbor who braves criticism to speak out about women’s rights.

Nominated

2005-2006 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Henry Holt

ISBN# 0-8050-6981-X (HB)

Billy Miller Makes A Wish

By Kevin Henkes

On his eighth birthday, Billy Miller wishes for something exciting to happen. None of his wishes are answered the way he expects, but he does have lots of surprises, and the final one is possibly the best one ever.

Nominated

2023-2024 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.1

Published by Greenwillow Books

ISBN# 978-0063042797 (HB)

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Bird Boy

By Elizabeth Hill

Chang cannot talk, at least not to people. The only sounds he can make are the squawks and caws of the cormorants that his father trains for fishing. Chang loves birds, and he is thrilled when he is finally old enough to join his father on important fishing trips.

Nominated

2001-2002 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by FSG

ISBN# 0-374-30723-7 (PB, HB)

Black All Around

By Patricia Hubbell, Illustrated by Don Tate

An African American girl ponders the many black things around her, from the inside of her pocket to the cozy night where there is no light.

Nominated

2005-2006 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Lee & Low

ISBN# 1-58430-048-5 (PB)

Black Beauty’s Early Days in the Meadow

By Jane Monroe Donovan, Illustrated by Jane Monroe

Black Beauty is depicted in the first few months of the horse’s life as a foal frolicking in the meadow.

Nominated

2008-2009 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 3.0

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

ISBN# 1-58536-296-4 (HB)

Black Nell

By Shirley Woods

This is the story of the first year of Nell and her four coyote siblings. Her black coat makes her a hunter’s prize. So not only must she learn how to feed herself, but also about the dangers that humans thrust upon all wildlife.

Nominated

2001-2002 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Groundwood

ISBN# 0-88899-318-8 (PB, HB)

Black Whiteness

By Robert Burleigh

Admiral Richard Byrd stayed alone on the continent of Antarctica for almost six months in 1934. He battled the elements, the loneliness, and an illness that nearly killed him, all the while continuing to record his scientific observations.

Nominated

2000-2001 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Atheneum

ISBN# 0-689-81299-X (PB, HB)

Bloomability

By Sharon Creech

When her aunt and uncle take her from New Mexico to Lugano, Switzerland, to attend an international school, thirteen-year-old Dinnie discovers an expanding world and her place in it.

Winner

2000-2001 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Harper Collins

ISBN# 0-06-026993-6 (PB, HB)

Blue Skies

By Anne Bustard

Glory Bea Bennett knows that miracles happen in Gladiola, Texas, population 3,421. After all, her grandmother—the best matchmaker in the whole county—is responsible for thirty-nine of them. Now, Glory Bea needs a miracle of her own. The war ended three years ago, but Glory Bea’s father never returned home from the front in France. Glory Bea understands what Mama and Grams and Grandpa say—that Daddy died a hero on Omaha Beach—yet deep down in her heart, she believes Daddy is still out there. When the Gladiola Gazette reports that one of the boxcars from the Merci Train (the “thank you” train)—a train filled with gifts of gratitude from the people of France—will be stopping in Gladiola, she just knows daddy will be its surprise cargo. But miracles, like people, are always changing, until at last they find their way home.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 9781534446069 (HB)

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The Blue Whale

By Jenni Desmond

A nonfiction picture book, The Blue Whale draws children into the life and world of this enormous whale by situating facts within a familiar context that is fun and engaging.

Nominated

2016-2017 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 5.3

Published by Enchanted Lion Books

ISBN# 978-1592701650 (HB)

Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton

By Matt Phelan

During a typically boring summer in a small town, a vaudeville troupe with various exotic animals, come to stay at a nearby lake. Henry meets Buster Keaton, a real performer a long time ago, and exciting things begin to happen.

Nominated

2016-2017 Crown Award

Reading Level: 2.5

Published by Candlewick

ISBN# 978-0763650797 (HB)

Bonyo Bonyo: The True Story of a Brave Boy from Kenya

By Vanita Oelschlager, Illustrated by Kristin Blackwood and Mike Blanc

Picture-book biography about a poor child in rural Kenya who becomes a doctor and returns to his village to open a medical clinic.

Honor

2013-2014 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Vanita Books

ISBN# 9780981971445 (PB)

Book Scavenger

By Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

For twelve-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it’s the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game.

Winner

2016-2017 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.5

Published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

ISBN# 9781627791151 (HB)

Born in the Breezes: The Seafaring Life of Joshua Slocum

By Kathryn Lasky, Illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop

In 1895, a former sea captain attempts to be the first to sail around the world in his rebuilt sloop.

Nominated

2003-2004 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Orchard

ISBN# 0-439-29305-7 (HB)

Boxes for Katje

By Candace Fleming, Illustrated by Stacey Dressen-McQueen

After a young Dutch girl writes to her new American friend in thanks for the care package sent after World War II, she begins to receive increasingly larger packages.

Honor

2005-2006 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Farrar, Strauss, Giroux

ISBN# 0-374-30922-1 (HB)

A Boy Called Bat

By Elana K. Arnold, Illustrated by Charles Santoso

For Bixby Alexander Tam (nicknamed Bat), life tends to be full of surprises—some of them good, some not so good. Today, though, is a good-surprise day. Bat’s mom, a veterinarian, has brought home a baby skunk, which she needs to take care of until she can hand him over to a wild-animal shelter. But the minute Bat meets the kit, he knows they belong together. And he’s got one month to show his mom that a baby skunk might just make a pretty terrific pet.

Nominated

2019-2020 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.6

Published by Walden Pond Press

ISBN# 978-0062445827 (HB)

The Boy on the Porch

By Sharon Creech

A young couple inexplicably finds a boy on their porch. John and Marta know they have been chosen to care for the boy and they try to unravel his history.

Winner

2016-2017 Crown Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by HarperCollins

ISBN# 978-0061892356 (HB)

Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders: 50 True Stories of Daring Men of God

By Shirley Raye Redmond, Illustrated by Katya Longhi

Meet men who have used their God-given talents to live out their faith to the fullest. They come from a variety of backgrounds, eras, and ethnicities, but each one has answered the Lord’s call on their life in bold and innovative ways.

Nominated

2022-2023 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Harvest Kids

ISBN# 978-0736981330 (HB)

Buy  Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders: 50 True Stories of Daring Men of God on Amazon

Bright Freedom’s Song

By Gloria Houston

In the years before the Civil War, Bright realizes her parents are providing a safe house for the Underground Railroad. When she discovers a runaway slave in the barn, her life beyond their farm is suddenly vastly expanded.

Nominated

2001-2002 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Harcourt

ISBN# 0-15-201812-3 (PB, HB)

The Brilliant Calculator: How Mathematician Edith Clarke Helped Electrify America

By Jan Lower, Illustrated by Susan Reagan

Long before calculators were invented, little Edith Clarke devoured numbers, conquered calculations, cracked puzzles, and breezed through brainteasers. Edith wanted to be an engineer—to use the numbers she saw all around her to help build America.

Nominated

2024-2025 Crown Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Calkins Creek

ISBN# 978-1662680069 (HB)

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Britfield and the Lost Crown

By C. R. Stewart

He’s spent the majority of his life locked behind the cruel walls of Weatherly Orphanage, but when Tom learns that his parents might actually be alive, he is determined to find them. Together with his best friend Sarah, and armed with only the word “Britfield,” as a clue to Tom’s mysterious past, the two make a daring escape.

Soon, they are on the run from a famous Scotland Yard detective and what appears to be half of the police officers in England! The hunt is on, but will Tom and Sarah be able to evade capture long enough to solve an even bigger conspiracy that could tear our world apart

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.6

Published by Devonfiled Publishing LLC

ISBN# 9781732961210 (HB)

Buy  Britfield and the Lost Crown on Amazon

Broken Crayons Still Color

By Toni Collier, Illustrated by Natalie Vasilica

Avery has big emotions and bubbling anxieties about changes in her life. When her crayons break as she scribbles furiously, she discovers that they have personalities and feelings too! And they can show her how to use her love of coloring to manage scary, overwhelming feelings and embrace curiosity and joy. As Avery follows the crayons’ advice, gets creative, and chooses bravery and positive thinking, she discovers that God can use her to make beautiful things, even with broken crayons.

Nominated

2024-2025 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 0.0

Published by Tommy Nelson

ISBN# 978-1400242900 (HB)

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Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember

By Tim Tebow, Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Bronco the dog and three animal friends, all reluctant to attend a party for various reasons, receive a warm welcome when they do decide to go.

Honor

2023-2024 Gallery Award

Reading Level: 2.9

Published by WaterBrook

ISBN# 978-0593232040 (HB)

Buy  Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember on Amazon

Brooklyn Bridge

By Karen Hesse, Illustrated by Chris Sheban

In 1903 Brooklyn, Joseph Michtom’s life changes when his parents, Russian immigrants, invent the teddy bear and turn their apartment into a factory, while nearby the glitter of Coney Island contrasts with the dismal lives of children dwelling under the Brooklyn Bridge.

Honor

2010-2011 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.0

Published by Square Fish

ISBN# 9780312674281 (PB)