CBA NOMINEES 2026-2027
All media specialists should review titles and add them to their collection only if the titles meet the criteria established by their district’s board policies and library policies and procedures guidelines.
IMPORTANT
CBA MEMBERS
Chair: Leslie Cooper
Vice Chair: Candice Godfrey
AND THEN, BOOM
A boy lives on shaky ground. Every time he thinks he has solutions, boom! Something else goes terribly wrong. Until help comes from a surprising source.
BY LISA FIPPS
Carter Avery is the kid no teacher wants to teach. He is heading into
fourth grade with the teacher no student wants to get. However, Ms. “Owl” ivia Krane sees past Carter’s behavior and proves that she is
the perfect teacher for him.
CARTER AVERY’S TRICKY FOURTH-GRADE YEAR
BY: ROB BUYEA
The year is 1942, and twelve-year-old Henry Hamilton wants to be a reporter. He wants to make his dad proud. The U.S. is involved in World War II. Henry uncovers a dangerous plot involving Nazi spies and dangerous saboteurs.
DARK SKIES MYSTERY: A WWII THRILLER
BY DERON HICKS
Trey’s dad is a con artist, but he only targets rich people who can afford to lose. The family is always on the move, leaving just before they are
caught. Trey is tired of this life and wants to live like a normal family. He must convince his father before it is too late.
FAKER
BY GORDON KORMAN
Chloe Alvarez has inherited her uncle’s African grey parrot, Charlie. When Charlie starts to say words like “murder” and “Cyanide”, Charlie and her family become detectives and uncover family secrets.
FOWL PLAY
BY KRISTIN O’DONNELL TUBB
Two best friends, Frank and Stanley, live in Hawaii in 1941. Their lives are upended by the attack on Pearl Harbor, forcing them to
confront the realities of war and the prejudice Stanley faces as a Japanese-American.
HEROES
BY ALAN GRATZ
Lunar Jones lives on Mars where dragons once roamed. When a scavenging mission goes wrong, Lunar discovers a secret that can save his dying planet. This secret changes the course of Lunar’s life, giving him the role of dragon master.
THE LAST DRAGON ON MARS
BY SCOTT REINGTGEN
Juni lives in a future world where blight has wiped out every tree, making paper extremely rare and valuable. Juni discovers a hidden book
that contains clues to the last library on Earth, and she teams up with friends to find it before others, with evil purposes, find it.
THE LEGEND OF THE LAST LIBRARY
BY FRANK L. COLE
Aviva and Holly, are twins separated at birth. They discover each other at a holiday pageant tryout, leading them to secretly swap lives to
experience each other's different Hanukkah and Christmas traditions.
LET IT GLOW
BY MARISSA MEYER
When Ava discovers she's a descendant of Greek monsters, she is shipped off to a secret
boarding school in Venice to learn to control her powers, only to uncover a conspiracy
involving the gods.
MEDUSA: THE MYTH OF MONSTERS
BY KATHERINE MARSH
Sarah, West, and Hannah break into an old carnival-type funhouse to find a legendary hidden treasure. To get out will put their escape room talents to the ultimate test.
MYSTERY OF THE LOCKED ROOMS
BY LINDSAY CURRIE
Becca, is stuck at a Montana Ranch for the summer. She uncovers clues to a century-old treasure hidden by an outlaw
named Pearlhandle Pete, leading her and the wrangler's son on an adventure involving
ghost towns, family secrets, and devious treasure hunter.
THE MYSTERY OF MYSTIC MOUNTAIN
BY JANET FOX
Miri escapes a Nazi roundup of Jews in Paris and hides in a Catholic boarding school in the countryside during World War II. However, she still faces danger and difficult choices. Who can she trust when her life hangs in the balance?
THE NIGHT WAR
BY KIMBERLY BRADLEY
Frani lives on a “body farm” where her father studies decomposition. When zombies start to overrun the farm, Frani must use her resourcefulness to stop them before they completely take over.
NOBRAINER’S GUIDE TO DECOMPOSITION
BY ADRIANNA CUEVAS
A Cajun girl moves to Boston Her life is complicated by a magical dog-like Rougarou sent to her from her grandmother in Louisiana. Now she has to navigate life in a new school, deal with a bully, and hide her magical friend.
ROUGAROU MAGIC
BY RACHEL MARSH
Milo’s family is moving from Shock City because monsters have done so much damage. But Sunny, his monstrous BFF will not allow that.
The two are determined to fix the damage but that is easier said than done.
SHOCK CITY
BY AARON ALEXOVICH
Finn and Rabbit are two friends who live in California. They must deal with the devastating effects of the horrific wildfires that have ravaged their community.
SPARK
BY CHRIS BARON
Simon is tired of his family moving from one place to another. He likes living at the Tangerine, his new apartment building, but when it becomes apparent that there is
a jewelry thief in the building, Simon and his friend Amaya set out to solve the mystery.
TROUBLE AT THE TANGERINE
BY GILLIAN MCDUNN
Brothers Rhett and Nash’s mom has disappeared. Now they have their grandfather. He reveals some pretty intense secrets that launch the boys into a board game adventure that will take all their courage and intelligence.
WANDER LOST
BY LAURA MARTIN
Will is on a trip with his father to the Oklahoma Territory where the government is offering free land to those who can claim it first. This is their chance to have the life they have dreamed of.
WILL’S RACE FOR HOME
BY JEWELL PARKER RHODES