Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.
A-Okay. By Jarad Greene. HarperCollins Children’s Books/Harper Alley, $12.99 (9780063032859).
Jay deals with acne, acne medicine side effects, friend drama, and figuring out romantic feelings, during a tumultuous eighth grade year.
Blackout. By Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon. HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books, $19.99 (9780063088092).
Six distinct but connected stories highlight black resilience and love in the midst of a New York City-wide blackout.
Darling. By K. Ancrum. Inprint, $18.99 (9781250265265).
Wendy Darling has just moved to Chicago when a mysterious and charming boy sneaks in through her window one night and invites her to experience his world for the evening. But things aren’t quite what they seem in this dark Peter Pan retelling.
Death and Sparkles. By Rob Justus. Chronicle Books, $22.99 (9781797206356).
Lonely reaper Death and last unicorn Sparkles make an unlikely pair as they team up to combat corporate greed, corrupted alien lizard people, and the entitlement of careless humans demanding to be entertained.
Eat Your Heart Out. By Kelly DeVos. Penguin/Razorbill, $18.99 (9780593204825).
There’s obviously something sketchy going on at Camp Featherlite, a supposed weight loss camp near Flagstaff, Arizona. But when six teens arrive at the camp during a freak blizzard, they uncover even more sinister and far-reaching secrets than they expected.
Fast Pitch. By Nic Stone. Penguin Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9781984893017).
For softball player and team captain Shenice “Lightning” Lockwood, playing ball runs in the family. When Shenice uncovers a family mystery in the middle of her softball season, she must decide how far she’ll go to clear her family’s name.
Goosebumps: Secrets of the Swamp. By Marieke Nijkamp. Art by Yasmin Flores Montanez and Bill Underwood. IDW/Scholastic, $12.99 (9781684058136)
Blake is an expert hunter in her favorite video game, but will that translate when she finds herself in Fever Swamp with actual monsters?
Hide and Don’t Seek: and other scary stories. By Anica Mrose Rissi. Art By Carolina Godina. 2020. HarperCollins Publishers/Quill Tree Books, $16.99 (9780063026957).
A collection of dark and scary stories, from a sinister summer camp, to creepy animals, these stories will keep you up at night.
Hide and Seeker. By Daka Hermon. Scholastic, $18.99 (9781338583625).
Justin and his friends play an innocent game of hide-and-seek at their friend Zee’s coming-home party, but the game, and Zee himself, are more dangerous than they seem. Zee came back different from his mysterious missing year, and soon party guests start disappearing.
I Dare You. By Jeff Ross. Orca Book Publishers, $10.95 (9781459828018).
When a video of a fight goes viral, Rainy and two classmates, Jordan and Rowen, convince him to create a prank video. When that video sparks rumors that in turn cause a horrible accident, will Rainy admit to being behind it all? Or was the video true?
Karma Moon: Ghost Hunter. By Melissa Savage. Penguin Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers, $16.99 (9780593302804).
Karma Moon and her best friend join her father’s film crew at a famously haunted hotel, which isn’t a great place for someone with a bad case of the “what-ifs” to spend Spring Break, especially because her dad won’t get paid unless they get a real ghost on camera.
Last Gate of the Emperor. By Kwame Mbalia and Prince Joel Makonnen. Scholastic, $17.99 (9781338665857).
Yared Heywat is a loner and his uncle forces him to keep a low profile. When Yared’s favorite game forces him to log in under his real name, an attack rocks the city. Now, Yared must find his missing uncle and the truth of his place in the galaxy.
Martin Ghost Centaur. By Mat Heagerty. Art By Steph Mided. Oni Press, $19.99 (9781620108499).
Southborough used to be a major tourist destination for folks, ever since a sasquatch was spotted there. However, fewer and fewer people started coming. Now, a tech start-up is buying up the town so it can build its HQ. Can Louie and Felix find a way to save the town?
The Lost Girls: A Vampire Revenge Story. By Sonia Hartl. Macmillan/Page Street Publishing Co, $17.99 (9781645673149).
Holly Liddell has been trapped as a 16-year-old girl since she was turned into a vampire in 1987. After Elton ditches her after 30 years together, she learns that she was not his first. Holly and his other girls, Ida and Rose, team up to end Elton once and for all—before he can turn another girl.
Mine. By Delilah S. Dawson. Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press, $16.99 (9780593373224).
After moving to Florida, Lily is horrified to discover that the former owner of their house was a hoarder. While cleaning out the mess, Lily discovers there is more in the house than junk and that the ghosts that reside there may not want her to stay.
The Missing Passenger. By Jack Heath. Simon & Schuster/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781534449893).
A plane with no passengers crashes in his hometown and Jarli quickly finds himself in the middle of a mystery. When he learns that no one can be trusted, Jarli allies himself with his best option: his former bully. Together they attempt to outwit a secretive criminal known as Viper.
Off the Record. By Camryn Garrett. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.00 (9781984829993).
When Josie Wright wins the chance to profile a major up-and-coming movie star for a press tour, she finds another story worth following, one of a big director that has sexually assaulted numerous others, and gotten away with it for years.
Oh My Gods! By Stephanie Cooke and Insha Fitzpatrick. Art by Juliana Moon. Etch/Clarion Books, $12.99 (9780358299523).
After her mom gets a new job, thirteen-year-old Karen moves to Greece to live with her dad Zed. Her new home and school Mt. Olympus Junior High seems a little strange, but fun, until people mysteriously start turning into stone statues. Can Karen figure out the secrets of her new home?
She Drives Me Crazy. By Kelly Quindlen. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, $17.99 (9781250209160).
Athlete Scottie’s ex-girlfriend now plays for their rival basketball team. She wants to get back at her toxic ex-girlfriend and hatches a fake dating plan with popular cheerleader Irene, but the plan gets complicated the longer the scheme carries on.
Sink or Swim. By Tash McAdam. Orca Book, $10.95 (9781459828513).
When Bass sneaks away on a boat trip with his girlfriend Rosie, things take a turn for the worst when their boat capsizes in a storm and they find themselves stranded and with severe injuries, fighting for survival.
Sunkissed. By Kasie West. Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press, $18.99 (9780593176269).
Avery is spending this summer with her family at a remote resort/camp. She’s happy to leave some troubling drama at home, but embraces a chance to really discover herself. She also meets Brooks, the staff musician who might be as frustrating as he is handsome, but also completely off-limits.
That Weekend. By Kara Thomas. Penguin Random House/Delacorte Press, $18.99 (9781524718367).
When Claire wakes up in the hospital and finds out her two best friends have gone missing while they were all on a camping trip, she is determined to find out exactly what happened to them, even though she has amnesia and can’t remember that weekend.
They Better Call Me Sugar: My Journey from the Hood to the Hardwood. By Sugar Rodgers. Black Sheep/Akashic Books, $14.95 (9781617759291).
WNBA All-Star Sugar Rodgers shares her story of growing up, poverty, family life, school, sports, friends, and how she eventually shaped a successful career as a professional basketball player for herself.
Tobyn: The It Girl. By Ashley Woodfolk. Penguin Random House/Penguin Workshop, $15.99 (9780593096109).
High School is wrapping up for Tobyn. All she wants for her future is to sing, but her mother wants her to go to college. Will she be able to balance what she wants and what her mother wants while also dealing with her absentee sister?
Want a printable version of this round-up? Download the Winter nominations round-up.
