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Rebecca Caudill Award Nominees 2026 |
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Eb & Flow
by Kelly J. Baptist
In this emotional novel-in-verse, tweens De'Kari and Ebony are suspended for ten days after a fight. During this time, they learn to see the world with a fresh perspective.
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Simon Sort of Says
by Erin Bow
Two years after surviving a school shooting, 12-year-old Simon moves to the only place in America where the internet is banned, finally getting a chance to spin his own story with the help of a new friend.
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Final Season
by Tim Green
When his NFL dad is diagnosed with ALS, middle school quarterback Ben Redd is determined to have a winning season, which may be his final as he watches the heavy toll the incurable disease is taking on his dad.
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The Bellwoods Game
by Celia Krampien
When it's her turn to play the Bellwoods Game, a tradition for sixth graders to save the town for another year, Bailee enters into the woods on Halloween night with two other players and discovers something sinister is at work.
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Ghost Book
by Remy Lai
After saving William, a wandering soul wavering between life and death, from a terrifying fate, Judy Chen and her first-ever friend work together to return him to his body only to discover that in order for him to live, she must die.
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A Work in Progress
by Jarrett Lerner
Hiding himself in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, Will resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance in an effort to win over his crush. Then he meets someone who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.
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The Swifts : A Dictionary of Scoundrels
by Beth Lincoln
During the Swift Family Reunion, someone gives Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude a deadly push down the stairs. Shenanigan Swift, who has a penchant for mischief, decides to become a detective and solve the case.
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Hands
by Torrey Maldonado
Taking boxing lessons to handle his abusive stepdad, Trev, a talented artist, must decide whether to use his hands to build or to knock down.
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Medusa
by Katherine Marsh
A descendant of Medusa, Ava is sent to the Accademia del Forte in Venice after an altercation with a classmate. There she must learn to control her emotions, especially when she unearths a terrible secret that could change the world forever.
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Mexikid : A Graphic Memoir
by Pedro Martin
Pedro Martin has grown up in the U.S. hearing stories about his legendary abuelito. During a family road trip to Mexico, he connects with his grandfather and learns more about his own Mexican identity in this moving and hilarious graphic memoir.
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Don't Want to Be Your Monster
by Deke Moulton
Adam and Victor are brothers who fight over the remote, which movie to watch, and whether or not it's morally acceptable to drink people's blood. They are vampires hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it's too late?
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D&D Dungeon Club: Roll Call
by Molly Knox Ostertag
When her best friend Olivia wants to add a new player to their Dungeons & Dragons club, Jess struggles with sharing the game and Olivia.
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The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
by Sally J. Pla
Staying with her dad for the summer in a small California beach town, neurodivergent Maudie navigates unfamiliar waters and makes new friends. She also finds the courage to tell her dad the terrible secret about life with her mom and stepdad.
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World Made of Glass
by Ami Polonsky
In 1987, after losing her father to AIDS, Iris navigates her rage and grief while resolving to speak out against the rampant fear, misinformation, and prejudice surrounding the disease. This leads to new friendships and surprising discoveries.
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What Happened to Rachel Riley?
by Claire Swinarski
New at East Middle School, Anna's curiosity is piqued when one of the most popular girls in school, Rachel Riley, becomes a social outcast. No one will tell Anna why, compelling her to put her fact-seeking skills to good use.
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Warrior Girl
by Carmen Tafolla
A novel in verse about the joys and struggles of a Chicana girl who is a warrior for her name, her history, and her right to choose what she celebrates in life
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Parachute Kids
by Betty C. Tang
When her parents return to Taiwan, leaving her and her two older siblings in California on their own, Feng-Li must keep her family together as they all get tangled in a web of bad choices while navigating this strange new world.
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Greenwild : The World Behind the Door
by Pari Thomson
On the run after her mother disappears, 11-year-old Daisy Thistledown steps through a mysterious hidden doorway and enters the realm of Greenwild, where she must uncover the truth about who she really is to save this land of magic and amazing natural wonders from being destroyed.
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A Royal Conundrum
by Lisa Yee
Dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever, Olive discovers the reforming arts academy isn't what it seems. She has joined an elite group of misfits who fight crime and need her help to stop the heist of the century.
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Elmhurst Public Library 125 S Prospect Ave. Elmhurst, Illinois 60126 (630) 279-8696
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