Pennsylvania State Reading Lists
Award Lists
A Baker's Dozen Title: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award
2018 A Baker's Dozen Title: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
Bulldozer Helps Out
A very little bulldozer learns that taking care of kittens is a very big job in this darling follow-up to Bulldozer’s Big Day from award-winning author...
2017 A Baker's Dozen Title: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
The Saddest Toilet in the World
In a cheeky and hilarious picture book, author Sam Apple and illustrator Sam Ricks share a silly story about the potty-training experience…from the...
ABCs on Wheels
The alphabet hits the road in this vividly illustrated picture book featuring all things that go!Buckle up for an alphabetical road trip in Ramon...
2016 A Baker's Dozen Title: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
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...
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...
2018 - 2019 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee
Can an Aardvark Bark?
From award-winning author Melissa Stewart and Caldecott honoree Steve Jenkins comes a noisy nonfiction exploration of the many sounds animals make.Can...
Shake a Leg, Egg!
From celebrated author-illustrator Kurt Cyrus comes a playful and whimsical picture book that celebrates the excitement and anticipation of a...
Feathers and Hair, What Animals Wear
Parents’ Choice Silver Honors Winner From the award-winning author of Mama Built a Little Nest comes an oh-so-clever picture book that explores the...
Bumpety, Dunkety, Thumpety-Thump!
Two toddlers go on a bumpety berry hunt in this darling picture book that’s perfect for preschoolers.Wagon on gravel goes bumpety-bump. Pebbles in the...
Bulldozer Helps Out
A very little bulldozer learns that taking care of kittens is a very big job in this darling follow-up to Bulldozer’s Big Day from award-winning author...
2017 - 2018 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee
Love & Gelato
A New York Times bestseller A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and...
The Night Gardener
In the spirit of Goodnight Moon and The Curious Garden comes a stunning debut picture book filled with whimsy and creativity from brothers Terry and...
Ida, Always
A beautiful, honest portrait of loss and deep friendship told through the story of two iconic polar bears.Gus lives in a big park in the middle of an...
2016 - 2017 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee
Beastly Babies
From wriggling chicks to jumpy kangaroos, this hilarious rhyming picture book showcases different kinds of babies, all of which are perfectly, adorably...
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...
Imagine a World
Rob Gonsalves—master of magical realism—presents another mesmerizing picture book in his Imagine a… series, that will “stimulate wonder and...
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...
Tucky Jo and Little Heart
Friendship, loyalty, and kindness stand the test of time in this heartwarming World War II–era picture book based on a true story from the beloved...
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...
2015 - 2016 Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee
The Farmer and the Clown
Whimsical and touching images tell the story of an unexpected friendship and the revelations it inspires in this moving, wordless picture book from...
Mama Built a Little Nest
A delightful exploration of the incredibly variety of nests birds build for their babies, illustrated by a Caldecott Honoree.Mama built a little...
Bear Sees Colors
Explore colors with Bear in the first of a new concept picture book series from the New York Times bestselling creators of Bear Snores On.Colors,...
Shoe Dog
Shoe Dog loves to chew…well, shoes! But when his choice of chewables leads to trouble, a feline friend has a purr-fect solution.Shoe Dog likes to chew....
Some Bugs
Get the buzz on bugs in this picture book from Angela DiTerlizzi!Grab your magnifying glass!Find your field guide!And come hop, hide, swim, and...
2016 - 2017 Keystone to Reading Secondary Book Award Nominee
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...
My Diary from the Edge of the World
Told in diary form by an irresistible heroine, this playful and perceptive novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the May Bird trilogy...
Old Wolf
Hunting—the predator and its prey—is at the heart of this riveting and suspenseful novel from Newbery Medalist Avi with illustrations from Caldecott...
Red Butterfly
A young orphaned girl in modern-day China discovers the meaning of family in this inspiring story told in verse, in the tradition of Inside Out and...
Ruby on the Outside
Ruby’s mom is in prison, and to tell anyone the truth is to risk true friendship in this novel from the author of The Summer Before Boys that...
Six
“An X-Files worthy mystery keeps the pages turning,” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) as Parker and his sister do whatever it takes to find their...
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...
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...
Dangerous Lies
A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the...
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...
Stranded
In the tradition of 127 Hours and The Edge, a fascinating and suspenseful novel about a group of teens battling for their lives against the most...
2015 - 2016 Keystone to Reading Secondary Book Award Nominee
The Boundless
All aboard for an action-packed escapade from the internationally bestselling author of Airborne and the Silverwing trilogy.The Boundless, the greatest...
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....
Noggin
2014 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTTravis Coates has a good head…on someone else’s shoulders. A touching, hilarious, and wholly original coming-of-age...
No Summit out of Sight
The True Story of the Youngest Person to Climb the Seven Summits
Jordan Romero climbed Mount Everest at age thirteen—and he didn’t stop there. In this inspiring young adult memoir, he tells how he achieved such great...
Through the Woods
Discover a terrifying world in the woods in this collection of five hauntingly beautiful graphic stories that includes the online webcomic sensation...
2018 - 2019 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
Mouse and Hippo
Mouse creates a painting for his new friend Hippo—and Hippo returns the kindness in an unlikely way—in this delightful story about doing your best to...
Snowman
The True Story of a Champion
A twist of fate brings a man and horse together in this remarkable true story now available in a new version adapted by the author of the Marguerite...
When Dimple Met Rishi
A New York Times bestseller An NPR Best Book of 2017 A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of 2017 A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2017 A School Library Journal...
Long Way Down
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is...
Can an Aardvark Bark?
From award-winning author Melissa Stewart and Caldecott honoree Steve Jenkins comes a noisy nonfiction exploration of the many sounds animals make.Can...
2017 - 2018 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
Miss Mary Reporting
The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber
“A lively, memorable biography for younger readers.” —Booklist (starred review) “A reminder of the value of telling people’s stories, whether pro...
Tucky Jo and Little Heart
Friendship, loyalty, and kindness stand the test of time in this heartwarming World War II–era picture book based on a true story from the beloved...
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...
The Great American Whatever
From the award-winning author of Five, Six, Seven, Nate! and Better Nate Than Ever comes “a Holden Caulfield for a new generation” (Kirkus Reviews,...
2016 - 2017 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
Raindrops Roll
Discover the wonder of water in this refreshingly fun and fascinating exploration of rain, raindrops, and the water cycle from the creator of Rah, Rah,...
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...
Poached
Teddy Fitzroy’s back for another zoo mystery—this time it’s a koala caper—in this action-packed follow-up to Belly Up, which Kirkus Reviews called...
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...
Zeus and the Thunderbolt of Doom
After pulling a magical thunderbolt from a stone, ten-year-old Zeus goes on the adventure of a lifetime in this thrilling start to a brand-new...
Colonial Madness
A mother-daughter duo take part in a bizarre family challenge in hopes of winning a fortune in this hilarious novel that’s Gilmore Girls meets 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...
2015 - 2016 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee
The Chicken Squad
The First Misadventure
They’re darling. They’re daring. They know their shapes! They’re chicks on a mission—and on this, their first (mis)adventure, the Chicken Squad...
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...
Noggin
2014 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALISTTravis Coates has a good head…on someone else’s shoulders. A touching, hilarious, and wholly original coming-of-age...
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is now a major motion picture streaming on Netflix! Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated in this New York Times...