Archie & Reddie* by Candy James
BoBo and Pup-Pup* by Vikram Madan
City of Leafcutter Ants: A Sustainable Society of Millions by Amy Hevron
The Dinosaur Book by Lonely Planet Kids
Disgusting Critters* by Elise Gravel
Don’t Think About Tigers by Alex Latimer
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
Fox Has a Problem by Corey R. Tabor
Gifts from a Garbage Truck: A True Story About the Things We (Don’t) Throw Away by Andrew Larson
Halmoni & Family* by Julie Kim
How Dinosaurs Went Extinct by Ame Dyckman
I Worked Hard on That by Robyn Wall
The King of the World* by Ben Clanton
Shark Princess* by Nidhi Chanani
Something About the Sky by Rachel Carson

Going into 2nd Grade
Almost Underwear: How a Piece of Cloth Traveled From Kitty Hawk to the Moon and Mars by Jonathon Roth
Astrid & Apollo* by VT Bidania
Batcat* by Meggie Ramm
Cornbread & Poppy* by Matthew Cordell
Fenway and the Great Escape* by Victoria J. Coe
Good Dog* Cam Higgins
Legendary Creatures: Mythical Beasts and Spirits from Around the World by Adam Auerbach
Maybe, Maybe Marisol Rainey* by Erin Entrada Kelly
Mermicorns* by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen
No More Señora Mimi by Meg Medina
Rabbit and Bear* by Julian Gough and Jim Field
Two Together by Brendan Wenzel
Weird But True* by Various Authors

Adventures in Fosterland* by Hannah Shaw
Big Book of Mysteries: Uncover the Truth About Over 100 Real-life Mysteries by Tom Adams
Cat on the Run* by Aaron Blabey
Choose Your Own Adventure* by Various Authors
Dragon Games* by Maddy Mara
Mabuhay! by Zachary Sterling
Mihi Ever After* by Tae Keller
Mishka by Edward van de Vendel
Monkey King and the World of Myths* by Maple Lam
Ordinary People Change the World* by Brad Meltzer
The Pigpen Problem. How to Calculate Area and Perimeter by Bill Wise
Secret Explorers* by SJ King
Set Your Alarm, Sloth by Jess Keating
Thomas Jefferson’s Battle for Science by Beth Anderson

Going into 4ᵗʰ Grade
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruth Sepetys & Steve Sheinkin The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World
of Caves by Lindsey Leigh
Decide and Survive* by Ryan G. Van Cleave Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers Elf Dog and Owl
Head by M.T. Anderson Emmie and Friends* by Terri Libenson
Felice and the Wailing Woman by Diana López Finally Seen and Finally Heard by Kelly Yang Impossible
Creatures by Katherine Rundell Middle School Bites* by Steven Banks
Middle School and Other Disasters: Worst Broommate Ever!* by Wanda Coven
The Observologist: a Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions by Giselle Clarkson
Safe Harbor by Padma Venkrataman
Show Me History* by Various Authors
The Underdogs of Upson Downs by Craig Silvey

Almost Sunset by Wahab Algarmi
Alone by Megan Freeman
Erno Rubrik and his Magic Cube by Kerry Aradhya FACTopia! Follow the Trail of 400 Hidden Facts by
Kate Hall The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
Greenwild: The World Behind the Door* by Pari Thomson
The Liar’s Society by Alyson Gerber
Mummies Unwrapped: Discover the World of Ancient
Egyptian Mummies by Victoria England Magnolia Wu Unfolds it All by Chanel Miller Not Quite a Ghost
by Anne Ursu Personality Quizzes by Tracey West
The Right Call by Tommy Greenwald
Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
Slug Fest by Gordon Korman
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School
Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
Whales in the City by Nancy Castaldo
The Wildcat Behind Glass by Alkē Zeē

2026 OTTER Award Nominees
Bibsy Cross and the Bad Apple by Liz Garton Scanlon Bailey
First Day, Worst Day* by Andry Nonamus
Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo
Shermy & Shake, the Not-So-Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson
Welcome to Scare School* by Jarrett Lerner
Wildfire Rescue: A Branches Book (Disaster Squad #1)* by Rekha S. Rajan
2026 Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominees
Four Eyes by Rex Ogle
The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln|
A Horse Named Sky by Rosanne Parry
The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett
The Moth-Keeper by Kay O’Neill
The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
The Otherwoods by Justine Pucella Winans
The Firefly Summer by Morgan Matson

2026 Towner Nonfiction Nominees
Jose Feeds the World by David Unger
Leafy Landmarks: Travels with Trees by Michelle
Schaub
My Antarctica by G. Neri
Rats to the Rescue by Scott Riley & Sambat Meas
School of Magic by Altea Villa
Snake Milker and Other Animal Jobs by Stepanka Sekaninova
Volcanoes by Nell Cross Beckerman
Who Knew? The Wonders of Biomimicry by Kathleen Madden World Kitchen by Abigail Wheatley
Young Zoologist: Capybara by Julia Mata

2026 Sasquatch Award Nominees
Duel by Jessixa Bagley
The Ghosts of Rancho Espanto by Adrianna Cuevas
Good Different by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Grounded: A Novel by Aisha Saeed, S.K. Ali, Jamilah Thomkins-Bigelow, Huda Al-Marashi
Legends of Lotus Island: Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat
Just a Pinch of Magic by Alechia Dow
The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead & Wendy Mass
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh Operation Final Notice by Matthew Landis Rewind by Lisa Graff
Roll of Initiative by Jamie Formato
Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen