Dreams from Many Rivers: A Hispanic History of the United States Told in Poems (Amazon, IndieBound) by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Beatriz Gutierrez Hernandez Henry Holt Nominated by: Katy Manck Backed by research, good storytelling and poetic craft, these short snippets of history from 1491 until now with multiple Latinx narrators weave a powerful chronicle, poem by poem. Anastasia Suen, …
2019 Finalists: Middle-Grade Fiction
Maybe He Just Likes You (Amazon, IndieBound) by Barbara Dee Aladdin Nominated by: Joanna Marple Starting middle school can be tough and scary for anyone. For Mila especially so, things are tough at home so school should be her safe place. That is not the case. It starts with an unwanted hug by a classmate and continues and escalates. She …
2019 Finalists: Young Adult Speculative Fiction
Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle) (Amazon, IndieBound) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers Nominated by: Rebecca J. Allen Six cadets are brought together by circumstance. A rescued girl joins their crew; she’s powerful, mysterious, and over 200 years old. When the group uncovers a massive conspiracy, it takes all of their skills to …