Missouri State Reading Lists
Award Lists
2016 Missouri Building Block Nominee
Simon's New Bed
Simon’s new dog bed has been claimed by…a cat?! Laughter, scheming, and cuddles ensue in this fun naptime tale you’ll want to share, from debut author...
2016 - 2017 Show Me Readers Award Nominee
Gaston
A bulldog and a poodle learn that family is about love, not appearances in this adorable doggy tale from New York Times bestselling author Kelly...
Mogie
The Heart of the House
Mogie is a real-life Labradoodle with a special talent: he always knows just what a sick kid needs! Get to know this passionate pup with this story by...
The Tooth Fairy Wars
It’s the Tooth Fairy against Nathan, a boy who’d rather keep his tooth than get the cash, thank you very much!Nathan’s lost his first tooth! And he’s...
2018 - 2019 Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee
Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story
From the critically acclaimed author of Anything But Typical comes a touching look at the days leading up to the tragic events of September 11, 2001,...
Framed!
Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director’s speed dial and several international criminals’ most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small...
2017 - 2018 Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee
The Only Game
Can a young baseball star maintain his love of the game after the loss of his brother? Find out in this start to the Home Team series about a small...
Webster
Tale of an Outlaw
A cynical shelter dog learns to let down his guard and form a new animal family in this heartwarming and humorous friendship story from the author of...
2016 - 2017 Mark Twain Readers Award Nominee
Space Case
It’s a murder mystery on the moon in this humorous and suspenseful space adventure from the author of Belly Up and Spy School.Like his fellow...
2018 - 2019 Truman Readers Award Nominee
Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry
CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book Finalist for the Edgar Allan Poe Award ILA Young Adults’ Choices “A provocative, sensitive, and...
The Impostor Queen
The elders chose Elli to be queen, but they chose wrong in this beautifully crafted novel in the tradition of Kristin Cashore and Victoria...
2016 - 2017 Truman Readers Award Nominee
Falls the Shadow
Cate’s sister may be a clone, but that doesn’t make her a killer. Does it? Murder, morality, and a slow-burning romance fill the pages of this...
2018 - 2019 Gateway Readers Award Nominee
Scythe
Two teens must learn the “art of killing” in this Printz Honor–winning book, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New...
2017 - 2018 Gateway Readers Award Nominee
Ruthless
A spine-tingling debut about the ultimate game of cat-and-mouse in reverse as a teen struggles to retain hope—and her sanity—while on the run from a...
2016 - 2017 Gateway Readers Award Nominee
Call Me By My Name
From former football star and bestselling author John Ed Bradley comes a searing look at love, life, and football in the face of racial adversity....
Since You've Been Gone
Emily is about to take some risks and have the most unexpected summer ever in this new novel from the bestselling author of Second Chance Summer and...
2015 - 2016 Gateway Readers Award Nominee
The Program
In Sloane’s world, true feelings are forbidden, teen suicide is an epidemic, and the only solution is The Program.Sloane knows better than to cry in...
Winger
A teen at boarding school grapples with life, love, and rugby in a heartbreakingly funny novel.Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a...
2016 New Books for Missouri Students (MSTA Reading Circle)
The Baby Swap
A jealous big sister learns a very loving lesson in this warm and funny picture book about sibling rivalry, featuring charming text and retro-nostalgic...
Fetch
Experience the simple joy of a dog’s day at the beach in this vibrant picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator of Nest, which the New York...
I Don't Like Koala
What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake.Adam does not...
Strictly No Elephants
“A sunny, smart, tongue-in-cheek tale.” —The New York Times Book Review “Sweet and affirming.” —Kirkus Reviews Huffington Post Honor Book for Best in...
We Forgot Brock!
The importance of imaginary friends is very real in this picture book adventure from the author of Say Hello to Zorro! and lead character designer for...
Bear and Squirrel Are Friends . . . Yes, Really!
Yes, bears sometimes eat squirrels. But can they still be friends? Find out in this clever picture book that’s perfect for preschoolers.The other bears...
A Chicken Followed Me Home!
Questions and Answers about a Familiar Fowl
Why did the chicken cross the road? To follow you home! Learn all about a not-so-basic bird in this delightful nonfiction picture book.What’s that? A...
In the Canyon
Pull on your hiking boots and get ready to see the magnificent Grand Canyon! From the author of the Caldecott Honoree All the World, here is a...
My Story, My Dance
Robert Battle's Journey to Alvin Ailey
“In James E. Ransome’s realistic pastel portraits, Battle, his family and his teachers all seem lit from within.” —The New York Times Book Review “An...
The Popcorn Astronauts
And Other Biteable Rhymes
Take a bite out of the calendar with this cheerful collection of delicious seasonal poems, each one an ode to a favorite food!The daring popcorn...
Samurai Santa
A Very Ninja Christmas
A young ninja wants a snowball fight for Christmas, and he just might get his holiday wish in this picture book with graphic novel–inspired...
Where Are My Books?
A boy investigates a squirrelly situation to track down his missing stories in this charming ode to book lovers of all kinds.Spencer loves to read. He...
Yeti and the Bird
Even hairy, scary monsters need friends! This heartwarming tale of unlikely playmates features bright artwork and a sweet message from the...
The Blackthorn Key
Following a series of murders, an apothecary’s apprentice must solve puzzles and decipher codes in pursuit of a secret that could destroy the world in...
Enchanted Air
Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir
In this poetic memoir, which won the Pura Belpré Author Award, was a YALSA Nonfiction Finalist, and was named a Walter Dean Myers Award Honoree,...
Ancient Egypt
Travel back in time to the age of the pyramids with this interactive trivia book from Jeopardy! winner and New York Times bestselling author Ken...
The Only Game
Can a young baseball star maintain his love of the game after the loss of his brother? Find out in this start to the Home Team series about a small...
Stella by Starlight
When the Ku Klux Klan’s unwelcome reappearance rattles Stella’s segregated southern town, bravery battles prejudice in this Depression-era tour de...
Story Thieves
A hilarious, action-packed New York Times bestselling series launches with a story-within-a-story, from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.Life...
This Side of Wild
Mutts, Mares, and Laughing Dinosaurs
Longlisted for the National Book Award The Newbery Honor–winning author of Hatchet and Dogsong shares surprising true stories about his relationship...
Three More Words
In the sequel to the New York Times bestselling memoir Three Little Words, Ashley Rhodes-Courter expands on life beyond the foster care system, the...
All American Boys
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature. In this Coretta Scott...
Anastasia and Her Sisters
There’s a heavy price to pay for royalty in this compelling—and true—story of Anastasia Romanov and fellow grand duchesses of Russia, from an...
The Bargaining
The Shining meets The Conjuring in this scary and suspenseful novel “akin to old Stephen King novels” (School Library Journal).The fact that neither of...
The Boy in the Black Suit
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl...
Hit
In order to save her mother, a teen is forced to become an indentured assassin in this sizzling dystopian thriller.No one reads the fine print. The...
In a World Just Right
Worlds collide in romantic, unexpected, and heartbreaking ways in this “picture-perfect” (VOYA, starred review) debut novel about a young man with a...
The Last Leaves Falling
A teen grapples with ALS and his decision to die in this devastatingly beautiful debut novel infused with the haunting grace of samurai death poetry...