Each year, the Texas Bluebonnet Book committee, made up of librarians throughout the state, select 20 books as nominees for the annual Texas Bluebonnet Award. The winner is selected by students in grades 3, 4, 5 & 6 who read a minimum of 5 books in order to be eligible to vote. The winner is announced in February each year and receives the prestigious Bluebonnet Award at the annual Texas Library Association's Bluebonnet Luncheon.
Students from Adkins who wish to participate by reading 5 of the nominees book for this year will be eligible to vote. After reading a nominee book, Click here to register the book you just finished reading. This information will be tallied, and Mrs. O'Rear and Mrs. McCord will notify everyone who is eligible to vote so they may come to the library for electronic voting in January.
Texas Bluebonnet Award 
2017-2018 Master List
Annotations
Annotations
Allen, Crystal. The Magnificent Mya Tibbs: Spirit Week Showdown.
HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray, 2016.
Friendship comes in many forms. Plucky Mya Tibbs is excited for the best
week of the year: Spirit Week. Her goal is to win tickets to the Fall Festival
but how can she when nothing is going right? Not only has Mya
unintentionally broken her promise to her best friend, but she’s been paired with the school
bully, Mean Connie Tate! With help from her loving family, will Mya make things right and win
the valued tickets?
Appelt, Kathi and Allison McGhee. Maybe a Fox. Simon and Schuster/Atheneum, 2016.
Jules and Sylvie. Sylvie and Jules. The two sisters were close as close can be. So when Sylvie
disappears into thin air into the Vermont forest near their house and is presumed dead, Jules is
left behind in grief and shock. Just then, a forest away, a shadow fox, Senna, is born and feels a
special connection with the sad girl who lives at the end of the forest. Filled with magic, friends,
and wishes, Jules and her friends go out on a journey to find answers that will touch the hearts
of all.
Barnhill, Kelly. The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Workman/Algonquin, 2016.
Did you know that if you feed a baby starlight, it grows up happy, shining and with a twinkle in its
eye? However, if you accidentally let the baby eat some moonlight, then you’ll fill that ordinary
baby with extraordinary magic... That’s what happened when Xan, a kind witch, rescued
abandoned baby Luna. Luckily, Luna finds a home with Xan, the swamp monster Glerk, and
Fyrian, a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. As her thirteenth birthday approaches, however, a series of
new threats emerge, calling on Luna to protect all that she loves while wrestling with her own
unpredictable magic.
Barton, Chris. Illustrated by Don Tate. Whoosh! Lonnie Johnson’s Super-Soaking
Stream of Inventions. Charlesbridge, 2016.
Despite a test telling him it wasn’t his strength, “Lonnie wanted to spend his life designing
things, building things, and getting them to work.” Then one day, he accidentally invented the
Super Soaker! From NASA engineer to toy inventor, Lonnie Johnson never gave up on his
dreams and passions. In this biography, discover Lonnie Johnson’s undefeated determination,
his many inventions, and be inspired to make a splash and follow your own dreams!
Bauer, Joan. Soar. Penguin/Viking, 2016.
Jeremiah lives and breathes baseball, but a heart operation keeps him from playing. When his
new community is devastated by a player's death and the ensuing scandal, Jeremiah is
determined to save everything he has come to care about. No one really expected a twelve
year old to turn to coaching, but that may be exactly what the team needs. Full of heart, Soar
will take readers on a flight through the extraordinary.
Bauer, Marion Dane. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell. Little Cat’s Luck. Simon and
Schuster, 2016.
After chasing a falling leaf, Patches the cat wanders into the big world. This free verse story
moves with Patches, jumping and rolling and twitching across the page. Follow in her pawprints
as she discovers a whole wide world and, perhaps, some friends as well.
Brallier, Max. Illustrated by Douglas Holgate. The Last Kids on Earth. Penguin/Viking,
2015.
Mission: survive the monster apocalypse and, somehow, find and rescue the damsel in distress.
This is Jack Sullivan’s new world; it involves a seriously awesome and wickedly armed tree
house, his best friend, a reformed bully, and June, who may turn out not to be in distress after
all. Oh, and Blarg. That’s the monster who wants to eat Jack. He’ll need all his wits, strength,
and bravery to defeat Blarg and survive this new world, but luckily, he has a few tricks up his
sleeve.
Brown, Monica. Illustrated by Angela Dominguez. Lola Levine Drama Queen. Little
Brown, 2016.
High-spirited wordsmith Lola Levine is excited about the school play. No one would expect the
dramatic Lola to suddenly develop a bad case of stage fright! This breezy, upbeat chapter book
with make you want to be friends with the bright and energetic half-Jewish, half-Peruvian girl
who, with help from family and friends, finds that sí, se puede!
Cousteau, Philippe and Deborah Hopkinson. I llustrated by Meilo So. Follow the Moon
Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles. Chronicle, 2016.
Never think you are too small or too young to do something important. After discovering baby
sea turtles, a group of children became eco activists to save what others see only as doomed.
Phillipe Cousteau, grandson of famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, along with Deborah
Hopkinson, show how anyone can do something, should they only try. Be immersed in this
watercolor world that contains strong facts and extensive back matter.
Eulberg, Elizabeth. The Great Shelby Holmes. Bloomsbury, 2016.
With his mother in the military, John Watson is used to moving and making new friends.
However, he has never met anyone like Shelby Holmes, whom at age nine is already known
around town for solving crimes. He also never expected to become involved in the
disappearance of a prize-winning dog just days before the annual dog competition! Will John
and Shelby be able to solve the case in time?
Gemeinhart, Dan. Some Kind of Courage. Scholastic, 2016
After the tragic death of 12-year old Joseph Johnson’s family, he sets out on a hero-quest to get
back his beloved Sarah, his father’s horse that was wrongfully sold to an evil man. Along the
way Joseph encounters deadly animals, dangerous men, and the furies of nature that try to
keep him from his mission. In this compelling story of endurance, Joseph will show the reader
integrity, strength, determination, and how a young man stays true to his word.
Hood, Susan. Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport. Ada’s Violin. Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers, 2016.
Imagine growing up on a landfill, with a fierce desire to play a musical instrument but unable to
purchase one. This is Ada Rios’s life, who grew up in the poorest town in South America –
Cateura, Paraguay. With the help of the gancheros (recyclers), a young man named Favio
Chavez reaches out to the community to begin building incredible instruments from items
thrown away. The Recycled Orchestra now performs all over the world, to the delight of sold-out
audiences. (Available in Spanish)
Jamieson, Victoria. The Great Pet Escape (Pets on the Loose). Macmillan/Henry Holt,
2016.
Have you ever wondered what your class pets are thinking? GW, a hamster in second grade,
wants to escape; when his old friends reluctantly agree, he finds more obstacles than expected
in the form of some seriously crazy mice. This graphic novel is sure to please fans of small
rodents, food fights, and general after school mayhem.
Jung, Mike. Unidentified Suburban Object. Scholastic, 2016.
It’s hard to be the only Asian in school. And it isn’t any easier when your parents are ignoring
their Korean background. When Chloe Cho decides to investigate further, what she finds is
more than surprising: it is absolutely out of this world! Get ready to embark on a rollercoaster of
twists and turns in this remarkable adventure.
Lloyd, Natalie. Key to Extraordinary. Scholastic, 2016.
Emma comes from a long line of extraordinary women who were destined for greatness:
musicians, boxers, Revolutionary war spies, and scientists. Everyone is wondrous... everyone
except for Emma. When Emma's destiny dream finally arrives, it takes her through an old
cemetery, a treasure that may or may not be real, and a haunting song that comes from a ghost.
To discover herself and save her family's Boneyard Cafe, Emma has to unlock the answer
before it's too late.
Marshall, Joseph. Illustrated by James Mark Yellowhawk. In the Footsteps of Crazy
Horse. Amulet, an imprint of Abrams, 2015.
Jimmy McLean, who is half white and half Lakota, is struggling to find where he belongs. When
his grandfather offers to help by taking Jimmy on a trip retracing events in the life of a famous
Lakota, Jimmy jumps at the chance. As he learns about Crazy Horse and visits the sites of
important events in his life, he learns more about his grandfather, his Lakota bloodlines and
ultimately himself.
Peck, Richard. The Best Man. Penguin/Dial, 2016.
What do four men, two weddings, split pants, and zany school adventures have in common?
Archer Magill, that’s what. Archer isn’t too sure about the changes happening in his life, but he
thinks that he can survive (maybe) with the role models surrounding him, two of which may just
be at the center of one of those weddings. With humor and heart, The Best Man shows the
importance of family, friends, and breaking through prejudices... but that gets ahead of the story.
Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Towers Falling. Little Brown, 2016.
It is a secret that’s not a secret, something that happened but Deja can’t yet figure out. She’s
tired of being kept in the dark, of not knowing why her father looks so tired when he stares at a
blank sky. Journey along with Deja and her friends as they learn about the many faces of
America, the history of the World Trade Center Tower, and grow in their understanding of family,
home and community.
Tonatiuh, Duncan. The Princess and the Warrior. Amulet, and imprint of Abrams, 2016.
After rejecting suitor after suitor, Princess Itza has fallen in love with the brave warrior Popoca.
However, all is not safe in the kingdom; Princess Itza promises to wait for her love as he battles
the treacherous Jaguar Claw. Although Popoca eventually defeats his enemy, he loses what is
closest to his heart. Tonatiuh reimagines the iconic Mexican legend of the two volcanoes
Iztaccihuatl and Popocatepetl with stunning illustrations inspired by Mixtec codices.
Turk, Evan. The Storyteller. Simon and Schuster/Atheneum, 2016.
The old Moroccan saying goes “When a storyteller dies, a library burns.” Day after day, a young
boy journeys to a fountain for water, where he learns the importance of storytelling from a
mysterious old man. When a djinn threatens the thirsty kingdom, will the boy’s stories be
enough to keep them from turning into desert? In this folktale, in the vein of Scheherazade, a
boy learns the importance of storytelling and water conservation amid beautiful indigo
illustrations on double-page spreads. A feast for the eyes as well as the heart.
Source: http://www.txla.org/sites/tla/files/groups/TBA/2017-18MasterListAnnotations.pdf
