Special Collections
Sequoyah Book Awards Masterlist 2024
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The Name She Gave Me
by Betty CulleyA heartbreakingly beautiful novel in verse about adoption, family, friendship, and love in all its many forms, perfect for fans of Robin Benway and Jandy Nelson, from the acclaimed author of Three Things I Know Are True.Rynn was born with a hole in her heart—literally. Although it was fixed long ago, she still feels an emptiness there when she wonders about her birth family.As her relationship with her adoptive mother fractures, Rynn finally decides she needs to know more about the rest of her family. Her search starts with a name, the only thing she has from her birth mother, and she quickly learns that she has a younger sister living in foster care in a nearby town. But if Rynn reconnects with her biological sister, it may drive her adoptive family apart for good.This powerful story uncovers both beautiful and heartbreaking truths and explores how challenging, yet healing, family can be.
Not Starring Zadie Louise
by Joy McCulloughIn this &“entertaining and moving&” (Kirkus Reviews) middle grade novel that&’s perfect for fans of Tim Federle and Gordon Korman, Zadie is determined to spend the summer helping at the community theater—but things go hilariously awry!Zadie loves Tae Kwon Do, comic books, and outer space. She also loves visiting the community theater that her mom runs, especially the lighting grid over the stage and the stage manager&’s booth, which is filled with levers and buttons like a spaceship control panel. So when the family&’s finances suffer a blow and Zadie has to give up her usual activities to spend the summer at the theater, she doesn&’t mind too much. After all, she&’s always wanted to tech a show. She knows she&’d be great at it, but her mom and the new stage manager are totally opposed to the idea of having a kid do tech. Instead, Zadie&’s stuck handing out snacks and folding flyers. But the future of the theater rides on this show, and Zadie is determined to help. She&’s going to make Spinderella the hit of the season—unless she accidentally turns it into a disaster.
The Ogress and the Orphans
by Kelly BarnhillA National Book Award finalist and instant fantasy classic about the power of community, generosity, books, and baked goods, from the author of the beloved Newbery Medal winner The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Stone-in-the-Glen, once a lovely town, has fallen on hard times. Fires, floods, and other calamities have caused the people to lose their library, their school, their park, and even their neighborliness. The people put their faith in the Mayor, a dazzling fellow who promises he alone can help. After all, he is a famous dragon slayer. (At least, no one has seen a dragon in his presence.) Only the clever children of the Orphan House and the kindly Ogress at the edge of town can see how dire the town&’s problems are. Then one day a child goes missing from the Orphan House. At the Mayor&’s suggestion, all eyes turn to the Ogress. The Orphans know this can&’t be: the Ogress, along with a flock of excellent crows, secretly delivers gifts to the people of Stone-in-the-Glen. But how can the Orphans tell the story of the Ogress&’s goodness to people who refuse to listen? And how can they make their deluded neighbors see the real villain in their midst?
The Peach Rebellion
by Wendelin Van DraanenFrom the author of The Running Dream comes a heart-swelling historical tale of friendship, family, and the power of sisterhood to help heal the wounds of the past and step boldly into the future.Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy&’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose&’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn&’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose&’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy&’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker&’s daughter. Still, there's no denying what all three girls have in common: Families with great fissures that are about to break wide open. And a determination to not just accept things as they are anymore. This summer they will each make a stand. It&’s a season of secrets revealed. Of daring plans to heal old wounds. Of hearts won and hearts broken. A summer when everything changes because you&’re seventeen, and it&’s time to be bold. And because it&’s easier to be brave with a true friend by your side.
The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
by Wendy Wan-Long ShangMiddle school can be a battlefield... From award-winning author Wendy Wan-Long Shang comes a poignant and timely take on prejudice, bullying, and claiming our own histories, perfect for fans of Front Desk.A fresh start. That's all Evan Pao wants as he, along with his mother and sister, flee from California to Haddington, Virginia, hoping to keep his father's notoriety a secret. But Haddington is a southern town steeped in tradition, and moving to a town immersed in the past has its own price. Although Evan quickly makes friends, one boy, Brady Griggs, seems determined to make sure that as a Chinese American, Evan feels that he does not belong. When Evan finds a unique way to make himself part of the school's annual Civil War celebration, the reaction is swift and violent. As all of his choices at home and at school collide, Evan must decide whether he will react with the same cruelty shown to him, or choose a different path.Wendy Wan-Long Shang, the critically acclaimed author of Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association Award for Children's Literature winner The Great Wall of Lucy Wu, weaves a timely and deeply moving portrait of all the secret battles Evan Pao must fight as he struggles to figure out how he fits into this country's past and how he will shape its future.
Seed
by Caryl LewisMarty doesn't have much—unlike his mom, who seems to hold on to everything. Life at home is tough, but Marty finds sanctuary down at the community garden with his eccentric grandad.On Marty's birthday, Grandad gifts him a seed. "There’s magic in seeds, you know. You can never tell what wonders are in them." As it turns out, Grandad has a rather wonderful plan up his sleeve. It involves wishes, a pumpkin, and a trip all the way from England to Paris.Funny, inspiring, and larger-than-life, Seed is a story about believing in dreams—your own, and those of the people you love.Godwin Books
Spearhead (Adapted for Young Adults)
by Adam MakosAdapted for young adults from the New York Times bestseller, a riveting and true WWII story of a young man--an American tank gunner--who meets his destiny in an iconic armor duel and forges an enduring bond with his enemy.Shut the hatches. It's time to roll out. You'll find yourself behind enemy lines with Clarence Smoyer and the 3rd Armored Division, the workhorse unit known as "Spearhead," the best in the tank armor ranks.You'll feel as if you are right beside Clarence and his fellow crew members--all formerly strangers from across America who have now become family to each other. You will be jarred by enemy fire, and then explore the other side, stepping into the boots of German tanker soldier, Gustav Schaefer and his crew. You'll witness the heartbreaking tragedy, when an innocent young woman is caught in the crossfire. You'll see what happens when all of these lives collide, and realize how the aftershock still affects the survivors more than a half a century later. A riveting and true account of the perils of war as well as the prospect of forgiveness.
The Summer of June
by Jamie SumnerFrom the acclaimed author of Tune It Out and Roll with It comes a &“needed, hopeful&” (Booklist) middle grade book about a young girl who sets out to overcome her anxiety over the course of one life-changing summer.Twelve-year-old June Delancey is kicking summer off with a bang. She shaves her head and sets two goals: she will beat her anxiety and be the lion she knows she can be, instead of the mouse everyone sees. And she and her single mama will own their power as fierce, independent females. With the help of Homer Juarez, the poetry-citing soccer star who believes in June even when she doesn&’t believe in herself, she starts a secret library garden and hatches a plan to make her dreams come true. But when her anxiety becomes too much, everything begins to fall apart. It&’s going to take more than a haircut and some flowers to set things right. It&’s going to take courage and friends and watermelon pie. Forget second chances. This is the summer of new beginnings.
Thirst
by Varsha BajajThe riveting story of a heroic girl who fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.
Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity—an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night.
Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there’s even a rooftop swimming pool. What Minni also discovers there is one of the water mafia bosses. Now she must decide whether to expose him and risk her job and maybe her life. How did something as simple as access to water get so complicated?
New York Times Bestseller
This Golden State
by Marit WeisenbergMarit Weisenberg’s This Golden State follows a family on the run, a restless teenage daughter hungry for the truth, and the simple DNA test that threatens their carefully crafted worldThe Winslow family lives by five principles:1. No one can know your real name.2. Don’t stay in one place too long.3. If you sense anything is wrong, go immediately to the meeting spot.4. Keeping our family together is everything.5. We wish we could tell you who we are, but we can’t. Please—do not ask.Poppy doesn’t know why her family has been running her whole life, but she does know that there are dire consequences if they’re ever caught. Still, her curiosity grows each year, as does her desire for real friends and the chance to build on something, instead of leaving behind school projects, teams, and crushes at a moment’s notice.When a move to California exposes a crack in her parents’ airtight planning, Poppy realizes how fragile her world is. Determined to find out the truth, she mails in a home DNA test. Just as she starts to settle into her new life and even begins opening up to a boy in her math class, the forgotten test results bring her crashing back to reality.Unraveling the shocking truth of her parents’ real identities, Poppy realizes that the DNA test has undone decades of careful work to keep her family anonymous—and the past is dangerously close to catching up to them. Determined to protect her family but desperate for more, Poppy must ask: How much of herself does she owe her family? And is it a betrayal to find her own place in the world?
Trex
by Christyne MorrellThis middle grade mystery follows the adventures of a boy with an experimental brain implant, and a reclusive girl training to be a spy, as they're pitted against school bullies, their own parents, and an evil, brain-hacking corporation. Perfect for fans of Stranger Things. Trex&’s experimental brain implant saved his life—but it also made his life a lot harder. Now he shocks everything he touches. When his overprotective mother finally agrees to send him to a real school for sixth grade, Trex is determined to fit in.He wasn&’t counting on Mellie the Mouse. She lives in the creepiest house in Hopewell Hill, where she spends her time scowling, lurking, ignoring bullies, and training to be a spy. Mellie is convinced she saw lightning shoot from Trex&’s fingertips, and she is Very Suspicious.And she should be . . . but not of Trex. Someone mysterious is lurking in the shadows . . . someone who knows a dangerous secret.
We Are Wolves
by Katrina NannestadThis haunting, heart-stopping middle grade novel follows three of the Wolfskinder, German children left to fend for themselves in the final days of World War II, as they struggle to hold onto themselves and each other while surviving in the wild.Sometimes it&’s good to be wild. Sometimes, you have to be. When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of World War II, the Wolf family must flee. Being caught by the Russians or Americans would be the end for them. Liesl, Otto, and baby Mia&’s father has already been captured, and they get separated from their mother in a blizzard after only a few days on the run. Liesl promised Mama that she&’d keep her brother and sister safe, no matter what. They&’ll forage in the forests if they have to. Little do they know at the start that there are hundreds of other parentless children doing the same thing. And they far too quickly learn that, sometimes, to survive, you have to do bad things. Dangerous things. Wild things. Sometimes you must become a wolf.
Wrecked
by Heather HensonLooking for Alaska meets Breaking Bad in this piercing novel about three teens, caught in the middle of the opioid crisis in rural Appalachia, whose world literally blows up around them.For as long as Miri can remember it&’s been her and her dad, Poe, in Paradise—what Poe calls their home, hidden away from prying eyes in rural Kentucky. It&’s not like Miri doesn&’t know what her dad does or why people call him &“the Wizard.&” It&’s not like she doesn&’t know why Clay, her one friend and Poe&’s right-hand man, patrols the grounds with a machine gun. It&’s nothing new, but lately Paradise has started to feel more like a prison. Enter Fen. The new kid in town could prove to be exactly the distraction Miri needs…but nothing is ever simple. Poe doesn&’t take kindly to strangers. Fen&’s DEA agent father is a little too interested in Miri&’s family. And Clay isn&’t satisfied with being just friends with Miri anymore. But what&’s past is prologue—it&’s what will follow that will wreck everything. Shining a klieg light on the opioid crisis coursing through this country, Wrecked will have readers on the edge of their seat right up until the explosive ending.