The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander

The Undefeated

Kwame Alexander (Illus. Kadir Nelson)

Publication Year: 2019

Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Coretta Scott King Award category)

Target Age Group: 1st–6th Grade

Format Read: Physical Book

 Summary

The Undefeated is a single extended poem — part ode, part elegy — addressed to Black America that honors athletes, artists, activists, and everyday people who endured systemic racism while celebrating their remarkable resilience. The book moves through centuries of painful and triumphant history before closing by turning directly to the reader to share this powerful tribute.

Seen and Unseen by Elizabeth Partridge & Lauren Tamaki

Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration

Elizabeth Partridge & Lauren Tamaki

Publication Year: 2022

Genre / Category: Informational / Biography (Selected for the Informational or Biography category)

Target Age Group: Grades 4–8

Format Read: Physical Book

Summary

Seen and Unseen documents the forced incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II through the contrasting lenses of photographers Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams. Together, these images and the accompanying narrative reveal a suppressed history of injustice and the resilience of those imprisoned within the camps.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

 

Other Words for Home

Jasmine Warga

Publication Year: 2019

Genre / Category: Novel in Verse (Selected for the Poetry / Novel in Verse category)

Target Age Group: Grades 4–6

Format Read: Physical Book

 Summary

Other Words for Home follows Jude, a young Syrian girl who must flee the civil war in Syria with her mother, leaving her father and brother behind as she starts a new life in America. As she navigates a new culture and language, Jude must reconcile her Syrian identity with her new American reality while searching for a sense of belonging.

My City Speaks by Darren Lebeuf

 

My City Speaks

Darren Lebeuf (Illus. Ashley Barron)

Publication Year: 2021

Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Disability/Differences category)

Target Age Group: PreK–3rd Grade

Format Read: Physical Book

Summary

My City Speaks follows a young girl who experiences her city not through sight, but through sound — the honks, sirens, chimes, rumbles, and meows that together form the voice of the world around her. The book invites readers to reconsider what it means to truly listen to a place.

Daybreak on Raven Island by Fleur Bradley

 

Daybreak on Raven Island

Fleur Bradley

Publication Year: 2022

Genre / Category: Mystery / Adventure (Selected for the Texas Bluebonnet Award category)

Target Age Group: Grades 3–6

Format Read: Physical Book

 Summary

Daybreak on Raven Island follows three seventh graders — Tori, Marvin, and Noah — who become stranded overnight on a remote, abandoned prison island during a school field trip. As a fierce storm cuts them off from the mainland, the trio must work together to uncover the island's dark secrets, solve a decades-old murder mystery, and survive the night.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

 

The Poet X

Author: Elizabeth Acevedo

Publication Year: 2018

Genre / Category: Novel in Verse (Selected for the Novel in Verse category)

Target Age Group: Grades 7–12

Format Read: E-audiobook

Summary

The Poet X follows young Xiomara Batista, a first-generation Dominican American girl growing up in Harlem, as she navigates the competing pressures of a strict, deeply religious mother, an emerging romance, and the weight of expectations placed on her body and voice. Poetry becomes the private space where she processes what she cannot say aloud; until a slam poetry club forces her to decide whether to keep her words hidden or finally let them be heard.

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

 

The Marrow Thieves

Author: Cherie Dimaline

Publication Year: 2017

Genre / Category: Science Fiction (Selected for the Science Fiction category)

Target Age Group: Grades 8–12

Format Read: Physical Book

Summary

The Marrow Thieves is set in a dystopian future where climate change has ravaged the world and a strange illness has left most of humanity unable to dream — a condition that drives many to madness. The only people immune are those with Indigenous heritage, and the Canadian government has responded by building harvesting facilities modeled after residential schools, capturing Indigenous people to extract bone marrow believed to restore the ability to dream. The novel follows young Frenchie, a Métis teenager who loses his family to government Recruiters and joins a small group of Indigenous survivors making their way north through the Canadian wilderness in search of safety.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

 

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Author: Malinda Lo

Publication Year: 2021

Genre / Category: LGBTQ+ (Selected for the LGBTQ+ any genre category)

Target Age Group: Grades 9–12

Format Read: E-book

Summary

Last Night at the Telegraph Club follows seventeen-year-old Lily Hu, a Chinese American teenager growing up in 1950s San Francisco's Chinatown. When Lily and her classmate Kathleen Miller discover a lesbian bar named the Telegraph Club, Lily begins to confront feelings she has long kept buried. Set against the backdrop of Red Scare paranoia and the ever-present threat of deportation hanging over her father, the novel traces Lily's gradual coming-of-age as she navigates the intersecting pressures of race, sexuality, family loyalty, and the cost of living authentically in a deeply hostile time.

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1 by Kanehito Yamada

 

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End, Vol. 1

Author: Kanehito Yamada

Illustrator: Tsukasa Abe

Publication Year: 2021

Genre / Category: Manga / Graphic Novel (Selected for the Graphic Novel or Manga volume category)

Target Age Group: Grades 6–12

Format Read: Physical Book

Summary

Unlike most fantasy manga, Frieren: Beyond Journey's End begins after the heroes have already defeated the Demon King. The story focuses on Frieren, an elven mage with a nearly immortal lifespan. After their adventure ends, she simply goes her own way and watches her human companions grow old. It is only after the death of the hero, Himmel, that Frieren realizes she never took the time to truly know him because she didn't understand how short human lives are. Filled with regret, she begins a new journey to retrace their past steps, this time trying to understand human connections and the value of time.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

 

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

Author: Holly Jackson

Publication Year: 2019

Genre / Category: Mystery / Suspense (Selected for the Mystery/Suspense or Horror category)

Target Age Group: Grades 9–12

Format Read: Physical Book

Summary

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder follows seventeen-year-old Pippa "Pip" Fitz-Amobi, who reopens a closed murder case in her small town as part of her senior capstone project — convinced that the accused, Sal Singh, was wrongly blamed for his girlfriend's disappearance and death. As her investigation deepens, the secrets she uncovers make her a target.

The Journey by Francesca Sanna

 

 

Author / Illustrator: Francesca Sanna
Publication Year: 2016
Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Historical Fiction category)
Target Age Group: Grades 2–5
Format Read: Physical copy

Summary

The Journey details the experiences of a young girl and her family after they are forced to flee their home when war comes. The story emphasizes fear, hope, and safety rather than political intrigue or historical information due to the child’s narration.

New Kid by Jerry Craft

 

Author / Illustrator: Jerry Craft
Publication Year: 2019
Genre / Category: Graphic Novel (Selected for the Newbery Medal category)
Target Age Group: Grades 5–8
Format Read: e-book (graphic novel)

Summary

New Kid chronicles middle school student Jordan Banks’ experience transitioning into his new private school and finding where he fits in amongst feelings of displacement, identity, and expectations.

Every Night Is Pizza Night by J. Kenji López-Alt

 

Author: J. Kenji López-Alt
Illustrator: Gionna Ruggiero
Publication Year: 2020
Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Texas 2x2 category)
Target Age Group: Grades 2–5
Format Read: Physical copy

Summary
Every Night Is Pizza Night stars an inquisitive young child on a mission to prove pizza is the best meal of all. Options are tested through reasoning and observation.

¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat by Raúl the Third

 

Author / Illustrator: Raúl the Third
Publication Year: 2020
Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Pura Belpré winner/honor category)
Target Age Group: Grades K–3
Format Read: Physical copy

Summary

¡Vamos! Let’s Go Eat centers around characters as they take a walk through their neighborhood to see all of the stores, food vendors, and community spaces around them. Culture is shown through common occurrences throughout this Latinx neighborhood with lots of energy.

Hot Dog by Doug Salati

 

Author / Illustrator: Doug Salati
Publication Year: 2022
Genre / Category: Picture Book (Selected for the Caldecott Medal category)
Target Age Group: Grades K–3
Format Read: Physical copy

Summary

Hot Dog chronicles the life of a dog and its owner going about their day overwhelmed by city life. They then choose to rest by the sea momentarily. The few words speak volumes by visually describing feeling overwhelmed and how a quick break can help pick up where you left off.