2024 CAUDILL
NOMINEES
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2024
Kids will discover where racist ideas came from, identify how they impact America today, and meet those who have fought racism with antiracism. Along the way, they'll learn how to identify and stamp out racist thoughts in their own lives.
Stamped (for Kids): racism, antiracism, and you
By Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
When twelve-year-old Zinnia Manning's older brother Gabriel is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it turns her family's world upside-down, especially since they are keeping
the information private.
My Life in the Fish Tank
By Barbara Dee
In the summer of 1987 in Venice, California, 10-year-old Bug and her new friend Frankie learn important lessons about life, family, being your
true self, and how to navigate in a world that
is not always just or
fair.
Frankie & Bug
By Gayle Forman
Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this novel-in-verse tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town.
Alone
By Megan E. Freeman
A Indian American boy endures a family move from Hawaii to frigid Minnesota and, with the help of three life-changing books he reads in school, he learns to like reading, and ultimately, himself.
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year
By Nina Hamza
Relocating to a new
planet after Earth is destroyed, 12-year-old Petra’s suspended
animation fails during the 370-year journey, so when
all the other children are mysteriously reprogrammed and the adults purged,
Petra becomes the lone bringer of Earth's now forbidden stories and
her grandmother's
Mexican folklore to
a changing
humanity.
The Last Cuentista
By Donna Barba Higuera
Discovering her ability to see ghosts when a cruel act ends her father's life and forces her to move in with relatives in 1920s Pittsburgh, young Ophelia forges a helpful bond with a spirit whose own life ended suddenly and unjustly.
Ophie’s Ghosts
By Justina Ireland
A novel-in-verse about an Indian American girl whose life is turned upside down when her mother is diagnosed with leukemia.
Red, White, and Whole
By Rajani LaRocca
Logan, an undersized twelve-year-old orphan with a photographic memory and no filter, discovers that his foster parents are superheroes
in grave danger and only Logan's highly logical
mind can save them.
The Unforgettable Logan Foster
By Shawn Peters
Sara Martinez is facing years in the juvenile detention system for hacking into the foster care computer system to prove that her foster parents are crooks. But then she gets a second chance when a mysterious man offers
her a chance to join a group of MI6 affiliated spies.
City Spies
By James Ponti
11-year-old Samantha has recently moved into the care of her aunt, along with her sister, after being removed from their parents' home. A series of magical, but frightening, experiences around a
card game gifted to her
by her aunt serves as an
allegory, and helps Sam process what has happened within
her family.
A Game of Fox & Squirrels
By Jenn Reese
Inspired by Jules Verne's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Ana is a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy, a five-year high school that graduates the best marine scientists, naval warriors, navigators, and underwater explorers in the world, makes astounding discoveries
about her heritage and puts her leadership skills to the
test against deadly
enemies from a rival
school.
Daughter of the Deep
By Rick Riordan
In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, 17-year-old Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime,
give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose
to the world what is happening in
his country.
I Must Betray You
By Ruta Sepetys
Picking up where he left off at the end of “Bomb,” Sheinkin offers a whirlwind account of events leading up to the Cuban missile crisis.
Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown
By Steve Sheinkin
Nimra is a Muslim girl who finds her voice on her own terms... by joining her school's most popular band.
Barakah Beats
By Maleeha Siddiqui
A boy on the run. A girl determined to find him–A Thai-inspired twist on Victor Hugos Les Misrables that explores social justice as told through two young characters from contrary social classes.
A Wish in the Dark
By Christina Soontornvat
Estranged from the best friend whose brother killed her sister in a school shooting, a grieving Cora receives a message on her twelfth birthday from her friend, asking for her help
with creating a time portal
to prevent the tragedy.
The Shape of Thunder
By Jasmine Warga
Seventh-grader Will's Bar Mitzvah community service project, visiting an incurably ill older boy in the hospital, leads to a friendship that is life-changing for both of them and those around them.
Turtle Boy
By M. Evan Wolkenstein
Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and
run a Chinese restaurant in
Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and
herself.
Maizy Chen’s Last Chance
By Lisa Yee
Grace and her friends must protect a newly hatched dragon from mysterious evildoers. The dragon has immense powers and now it's up to Grace and her school friends to uncover the sinister plot threatening the entire city!
City of Dragons: The Awakening Storm
By Jaimal Yogis & Vivian Truong