Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Nominations Round-Up, Fall

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.


Amari and the Night Brothers. By B.B. Alston. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (9781725418295). 

Amari knows her brother isn’t dead. A briefcase in his closet leads her to a magical world—and the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, the place Quinton was working when he disappeared. Amari must use all her smarts and her heart to find out what really happened.

Artie and the Wolf Moon. By Olivia Stephens. Lerner Publishing Group/Graphic Universe, $16.99 (9781728420202). 

After Artie finds out her mother is a werewolf and that she lost her father to vampires, she must then battle vampires to save her friends and new wolf family while trying to practice her own potential wolf abilities.

Before the Ever After. By Jacqueline Woodson. 2020. Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99 (9780399545436). 

Being the son of Zachariah 44, football star, has always felt like a dream to ZJ. But recently it’s been more like a nightmare, with his dad’s headaches, memory problems, and dramatic mood changes defining life in their house.

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Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of Rivals by Tommy Greenwald

Rivals Cover Art

Rivals by Tommy Greenwald
Abrams/Amulet Books
Publication Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 9781419748271

Things are heating up in Walthorne as rivaling North and South middle school boys’ basketball teams are set to compete. Austin and Carter are the stars of their respective teams, but their relationship complicates when they find themselves playing on the same travel team outside of school. Off the court, student-reporter Alfie Jenks interviews players and coaches to get the scoop, and the impact of her stories ripples farther than expected. The story veers from basketball to greater gender and economic inequality issues and wraps with an optimistic bow. 

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Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2022) Featured Review of My Epic Spring Break (Up) by Kristin Rockaway

My Epic Spring Break (Up) Cover Art

My Epic Spring Break (Up) by Kristin Rockaway
Underlined/Random House Publishers, Inc.
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-0593180112

Ashley lives and breathes coding, is focused on college (definitely not boys), and her biggest desire is to get an internship at ZigZag, a social media platform and win the marathon hackathon competition – a giant coding event. But, all of a sudden, things fall apart when Ashley doesn’t get the internship that she had her heart set upon. So now she has to figure out a brand new path while also figuring out which boy is the unexpected guy of her dreams.

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#QP2019 Nominees Round Up, October 30 Edition

Sword Princess Amaltea by Natalia Bautista
Tokyo Pop
Publication Date: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 9781427859174 

This year Tokyo Pop is shaking up the formerly male-dominated graphic novel genre, and Sword Princess Amaltea is one of its flagship titles. Spoiled Princess Amaltea must go and rescue a prince in order to maintain her royal privileges in her matriarchal society. Unfortunately, rescuing the sleeping prince is not nearly as easy as one would hope.

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