LibraryAware Texas Bluebonnet Nominees

Garvey's Choice
by Nikki Grimes

Preferring science and reading to the sports his father wants him to pursue, insecure Garvey comforts himself with food and endures teasing by bullies before joining the school chorus, where his musical talents help him accept himself and bond with his father. By the award-winning author of Bronx Masquerade.

Grandpa's Hal-la-loo-ya Hambone!
by Joe Hayes

When Grandpa's false teeth fall down a well, a recycled hambone which has flavored the bean dinners of many families in his poor farm community is used to retrieve his dentures

How to Avoid Extinction
by Paul Acampora

Leo's grandfather died a year ago, and ever since Leo has been tasked with tracking his grandmother down whenever she wanders away from their home in Allentown, Pennsylvania--but when she abruptly decides to take the trip to Utah that her husband was planning, Leo finds himself on the way to visit dinosaurs, in an old Buick with his grandmother, his seventeen-year-old cousin Abby, and Abby's old, smelly Golden retriever, Kermit, without telling his mother

Refugee
by Alan Gratz

Although separated by continents and decades, Josef, a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany; Isabel, a Cuban girl trying to escape the riots and unrest plaguing her country in 1994; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 whose homeland is torn apart by violence and destruction, embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge, discovering shocking connections that tie their stories together. .

Hello, Universe
by Erin Entrada Kelly

Two boys and two girls explore respective views about courage and being different in the wake of a prank that traps one of them at the bottom of a well and compels the others to embark on a search-and-rescue mission. By the author of Blackbird Fly.

Amina's Voice
by Hena Khan

A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school in the wake of a community tragedy. By the award-winning author of Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.

Me and Marvin Gardens
by A. S. King

When his family's farmland is taken over by developers, Obe Devlin, a boy with health problems he doesn't like to think about, encounters a remarkable plastic-eating animal who becomes his best friend and biggest secret. By the award-winning author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13
by Honest Lee

A debut entry in a wacky chapter book series for fans of Sideways Stories From Wayside School finds the flabbergasted students of a teacher who shares her lottery winnings with her class suffering innumerable outbreaks of bad luck.

The Bicycle Spy
by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Dreaming of competing in the Tour de France, which has been canceled ever since Germany's occupation of France two years earlier, avid young cyclist Marcel discovers secrets that place his friend's family in danger and compel Marcel to pass covert information at the risk of his own safety.

Spirit Hunters
by Ellen Oh

Feeling uncomfortable from the moment she arrives in her new home, Harper is dismayed by local rumors that her house is haunted and that every family that has ever lived there has suffered terrible tragedies, a situation that turns sinister when her cheerful little brother begins acting in alarming ways.

Wedgie & Gizmo
by Suzanne Selfors

An exuberant little dog and a disdainful guinea pig who become housemates in a newly blended family are challenged to overcome respective differences in a first entry of a new series told from alternating perspectives.

The Harlem Charade
by Natasha Tarpley

Seventh-graders Jin, Alexandra, and Elvin come from very different backgrounds and circumstances, but they all live in Harlem, and when Elvin's grandfather is attacked they band together to find out who is responsible--and the search leads them to an enigmatic artist whose missing masterpieces are worth a fortune, and into conflict with an ambitious politician who wants to turn Harlem into an historic amusement park.

Stef Soto, Taco Queen
by Jennifer Torres

Hating her family's taco truck and wishing that her father would take a "normal" job, Estefania becomes the truck's unlikely champion when her family's livelihood is threatened. By the author of Finding the Music / En pos de la musica.

Grand Canyon
by Jason Chin

A sumptuously illustrated exploration of the Grand Canyon past and present describes how it formed and how it is home to an astonishing variety of plants and animals that have lived and evolved there for millennia.

Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics
by Margarita Engle

Bold, graphic portraits and evocative poems combine in an introduction to famous and lesser-known Latinos of varied backgrounds, from César Chávez to Tito Puente, who have faced life's challenges in creative ways. By the Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree.

Chef Roy Choi and the Street Food Remix
by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Traces the multicultural story of the Korean-American chef who helped pioneer the food truck movement in Los Angeles, describing how Chef Roy Choi expressed love through the culinary traditions of his family. By the Caldecott Medal-winning author of Snowflake Bentley.

Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing
by Kay Haring

Traces the life of artist Keith Haring, from his childhood love of drawing to his meteoric rise to fame, with a focus on his concern for children, humanity, and disregard for the established art world.

Step Right Up: How Doc and Jim Key Taught the World About Kindness
by Donna Janell Bowman

"A picture book biography of Dr. William Key, a former slave and self-trained veterinarian who taught his horse, Jim, to read and write and who together with Jim became one of the most famous traveling performance acts around the turn of the twentieth century.

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero
by Patricia McCormick

A debut picture book by the two-time National Book Award finalist relates the inspiring true story of a brave little mare who marched into battle numerous times with the U.S. Marines she supported throughout the Korean War. Illustrated by the artist of Mesmerized.

Slider
by Pete Hautman

Entering the world's greatest pizza-eating contest after secretly putting thousands of dollars onto his mother's credit card, a young competitive eater finds his efforts complicated by family denial about his younger brother's autism. By the National Book Award-winning author of Godless.