2023 National Book Award Young People's Literature Longlist

1) A first time for everything: a true story

Author

Notes

2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature - Winner

Description

"A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat's awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Dan's always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn't stop him from being bullied and feeling like he's invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents...

2) The lost year

Author

Marsh, Katherine

Notes

2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature - Shortlist

Description

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In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, thirteen-year-old Matthew discovers a shocking secret about his great-grandmother's past as he learns about her life during the Holodomor famine in Soviet Ukraine.

3) Big

Author

Harrison, Vashti

Notes

2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature - Shortlist

Description

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Praised for acting like a big girl when she is small, as a young girl grows, "big" becomes a word of criticism, until the girl realizes that she is fine just the way she is.

4) Gather

Author

Cadow, Kenneth M

Notes

2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature - Shortlist

Description

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Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends,...

5) Huda F cares?

Author

Fahmy, Huda

Series

Huda F books volume 2

Notes

2023 National Book Award for Young People's Literature - Shortlist

Description

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"In this laugh-out-loud funny sequel to the graphic novel Huda F Are You?, the Fahmys are off to Disney World, but self-conscious Huda worries her family will stand out too much. Huda and her sisters can’t believe it when her parents announce that they’re actually taking a vacation this summer . . . to DISNEY WORLD! But it’s not quite as perfect as it seems. First Huda has to survive a 24-hour road trip from Michigan to Florida, with her sisters...

6) Simon sort of says

Author

Bow, Erin

Description

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Two years after a tragedy saddles him with viral fame, twelve-year-old Simon O'Keeffe and his family move to Grin And Bear It, Nebraska, where the internet and cell phones are banned so astrophysicists can scan the sky for signs of alien life, and where, with the help of two new friends, a puppy, and a giant radio telescope, Simon plans to restart the narrative of his life.

7) Forget me not

Author

Derrick, Alyson

Description

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Eighteen-year-old Stevie and Nora's plan to abandon their conservative small town for California so they can be together is shattered when a terrible fall steals every trace of Stevie's relationship with Nora from her memory. What would you do if you forgot the love of your life ever even existed? Stevie and Nora had a love. A secret, epic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. They also had a plan: to leave their small, ultra-conservative town and families...

8) Hidden systems: water, electricity, the internet, and the secrets behind the systems we use every day

Author

Nott, Dan

Description

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"What was the first message sent over the internet? How much water does a single person use every day? How was the electric light invented? For every utility people use each day, there's a hidden history below the surface - a story of intrigue, drama, humor, and inequity. This graphic novel provides a guided tour through the science of the past - and how the decisions people made while inventing and constructing early technology still affect the way...

9) Parachute kids

Author

Tang, Betty C

Description

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"From New York Times bestselling comic artist Betty C. Tang comes an extraordinary story filled with humor and heart about three kids living on their own as undocumented new immigrants, inspired by the author's childhood experiences as a parachute kid. Ten-year-old Feng Li Lin is so excited for her family’s first trip to the United States! Their amazing whirlwind tour of Los Angeles—including Disneyland and meeting Mickey Mouse!—is sure to...

10) More than a dream: the radical march on Washington for jobs and freedom

Author

Williams, Yohuru

Description

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"Six decades ago, on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom--a moment often revered as the culmination of this Black-led protest. But at its core, the March on Washington was not a beautiful dream of future integration; it was a mass outcry for jobs and freedom NOW--not at some undetermined point in the future. It was a revolutionary march with its...