2026 Magnolia Book Awards

 

A CHILDREN'S AND TEEN'S CHOICE AWARD FOR THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

Each year, children and teens of Mississippi are invited to vote for their favorite books in four age categories during the Magnolia Book Award event. The purpose of the Magnolia Book Awards is to introduce Mississippi children and teens to current literature and to instill a love of reading.

VOTING

Mississippi children, Pre-K-12th grade, are eligible to participate in the voting and nominating of books. Voting is held annually in February, with winners announced each April at the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at the University of Southern Mississippi.

Voting is overseen by a designated individual (teacher, librarian, bookstore manager, etc.) at each participating voting location throughout the state of Mississippi.

2026 Magnolia Book Award Nominees!

Pre-K - 2ND Grade

One Day This Tree Will Fall, written by Leslie Barnard Booth, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman

How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps, written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

Squirrel-ish, written and illustrated by Bambi Edlund

Greetings, Floof!, written by C.J. Hong and illustrated by A. J. Smith

Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A true Story about the Things We (Don't) Throw Away, written by Andrew Larsen, illustrated by Oriol Vidal

Welcome to Scare School, written and illustrated by Jarrett Learner

Avocado Magic, written and illustrated by Taltal Levi

100 Chapatis written by Derek Mascarenhas and illustrated by Shantala Robinson

Daughter of the Light-Footed People: The Story of Indigenous Marathon Champion Lorena Ramirez, written by Belen Medina, illustrated by Natalie Rojas Castro

Brave Baby Hummingbird, written by Sy Montgomery, illustrated by Tiffany Bozic

Jose Feeds the World: How a Famous Chef Feeds Millions of People in Need Around the World, written by David Unger, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens

Little Ghost Makes a Friend, written and illustrated by Maggie Edkins Willis

3RD - 5TH Grade

The Sherlock Society, written by James Ponti

Finding Normal, written by Stephanie Faris

Guts for Glory: The Story of Civil War Soldier Rosetta Wakeman written and illustrated by Jona Lapati

The One and Only Family, written by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao

The Girl Who Figured It Out, written by Minda Dentier, illustrated by Stephanie Dehennin

A Meerkat Diary: My Journey into the Wild World of a Meerkat Mob, written by Suzi Eszterhas

Not Nothing, written by Gayle Forman

Storm Dragons: Lightning Born, written by Julie Kagawa

Genius Ears: A Curious Animal Compendium, written by Lena Anlauf, illustrated by Vitali Konstantinov, translated by Marshal Yarbrough

Search for a Giant Squid, written by Amy Seto Forrester, illustrated by Andy Chou Musser

6TH - 8TH Grade

All the Ways to Go, written by Jessie Janowitz

Breaking into Sunligh,t written by Pablo Cartaya, illustrated by Miguel Diaz Rivas

It Watches in the Dark, written by Jeff Strand

Juniper Mae: Knight of Tyotech City, written by Sarah Soh

Moko Magic: Carnival Chaos, written by Tracey Baptiste

The Mystery of Locked Rooms, written by Lindsay Currie

Who Go Game? Basketball: Amazing, but True Stories!, written by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Jez Tuya

9TH - 12TH Grade

The Revenant Games, written by Margie Fuston

The Dark Becomes Her, written by Judy I. Lin

Conditions of a Heart, written by Bethany Mangle

Where the Dark Stands Still, written by A.B. Poranek

Rise, written by Freya Finch

The Beasts in Your Brain: Understanding and Living with Anxiety and Depression,

       written by Katherine Speller

Reading these nominated books not only provides entertainment but also offers insights into diverse perspectives and experiences. When you participate in the Magnolia Book Awards, young readers can engage with literature in a meaningful way and have a voice in recognizing outstanding works.

Voting takes place annually in February, with winners announced each April at the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival at the University of Southern Mississippi. Mississippi children from Pre-K through 12th grade are eligible to participate. To cast your vote, visit your local library, where we have the voting materials available for you!

We encourage all young readers to explore these exceptional books and make their voices heard by voting for their favorites. Your participation not only supports your favorite authors and illustrators but also fosters a lifelong love of reading.

Happy reading, and don't forget to vote at your local library!

To locate a copy of one of these books, you can check our CMRLS Online Catalog or try one of our online reading options, Cloud Library or Hoopla. When you access one of these services, you will need to enter your library card number and your PIN.