The shortlists for the Indies Choice Book Awards have been announced. The awards are voted on my indie booksellers in the US. Eligible titles must have appeared on one of the American Booksellers Association’s Indie Next List, Kids’ Indie Next List or Indies Introduce list. Here are the shortlisted titles in the juvenile categories:
Jasper cannot believe that his older brother is ignoring him just before he leaves for college far away. His brother had promised to take him to find fossils, but they never did. Jasper loves rocks and fossils, which is why when he picked his new name, he picked Jasper. Jasper feels so angry at his brother that he dumps an entire glass of lemonade on his brother’s college laptop, ruining it. When his brother leaves for college, Jasper is still angry, now at himself as well as his brother. When Jasper starts to hear the bones of a saber-tooth tiger speaking to him from inside the ground, the voice is friendly. It urges Jasper to dig and soon Jasper is staying up all night digging a hole in his backyard. But the voice changes and soon Jasper has to face that anger even when buried can be destructive.
This book is so multi-layered that it’s nearly impossible to write a coherent summary of it. The book is written in verse, sharing Jasper’s struggles with his anger, questioning whether he is ready to grow up as an eighth grader, finding new friends, but always being drawn back to the voice in his head, the saber-tooth. Jasper is also trans, an element that is important and yet not the focus of the book. I deeply appreciate the handling of the saber-tooth in the end. It does not become a figment of Jasper’s imagination or a sign of mental illness, it is very much alive and while symbolic is also tangible.
Demelza is the daughter of a veritas swan and an evil sorcerer. Her sisters are all veritas swans themselves, able to transform and whose beautiful voices force the truth from others. Demelza though takes after her father more. She doesn’t have wings and her voice is hurtful to the ears. Across the land, Prince Arris has put out a call for eligible girls to apply to be his bride. Arris lives under a family curse where he is doomed to likely be killed by his bride for power over the throne. Demelza heads to the prince’s realm to try to help, also escaping death by her father’s hand. Can these two find the way through the magic and curses that bind them?
This YA novel is a delight. Both of the lead characters are a joy to spend time with. From Arris who is trying to make the most of his short life by clinging to every beautiful experience he can to Demelza who is trying to figure out who she is outside of her mother and father’s needs. The two stumble together through the book, their connection growing beautifully across the story in a genuine way. Even better, the secondary characters are also rendered completely. Both sets of parents have complex love stories of their own, the contestants for Arris’ hand are marvelous, and Arris’ sister steals every scene she enters.
One of the best teen romatasies, this one is worth losing your heart to. Appropriate for ages 12+.
Peters Children’s Book of the Year celebrates the best children’s fiction and nonfiction published in the UK. A Book of the Year is selected from the four books that win their specific categories. Here are the winning titles:
A beautiful volume of poems that share the senses of the season combined with a variety of poetic formats. Each season in the volume begins with a welcoming Haiku. That leads into each month of the year having a poem, allowing readers to feel both the deepest winter and also the promise of spring as the poems continue. It’s a volume of poetry that allows the poems to stand on their own while also becoming more while seen as a full year and volume.
The quality of the poems is exquisite, using both the content of the poem and the structure of the poem to share that moment in the season. This is all the more impressive given that the poems are translated from Dutch to English and still maintain rhythm and rhyme. The illustrations in the book are woodcuts, beautifully colored and delicate. They have an organic feel that fits the subjects perfectly and offer a beauty of image that rivals that of the poems.
A superb collection of seasonal poetry for children. Appropriate for ages 6-10.
The shortlists for the 2026 Carnegie Medals for illustration and writing in books for young people have been announced. Here are the shortlisted titles for these UK awards:
ILLUSTRATION
The Endless Sea illustrated by Linh Dao, written by Chi Thai (available in US)
Freedom Braids illustrated by Oboh Moses, written by Monique Duncan (available in US)
This book is from the future, where many things are different from current life. The sun and the moon have swapped names, so have morning and night. Bananas are called apples and apples don’t exist any more. Many people are now named Charlie Cheese Face. Animals have different names, but dogs are still called dogs. The way you say goodbye has changed too. And instead of saying thank you, you put a fish on the person’s head.
Silly as can be, this book has a marvelous nonsensical pay off as all the elements come together into a chaotic few pages using the future way of saying things. The humor is silly and will have children giggling at the nonsense of it all. Barnett’s playing with language is masterful as is his timing for this read aloud. The illustrations by Harris are bold and marvelously retro as we look to the future.
A funny book that must be shared. Appropriate for ages 4-7.
My Tiger by Joy Cowley, illustrated by David Barrow
Publisher: Gecko Press
Publication Date: March 3, 2026
Reviewed from library copy
ISBN: 9798765683200
A boy takes his pet tiger to the local bakery because the tiger loves to eat cake. The baker is a little worried, but the tiger only eats cake. But too much cake can lead to a bad tooth. Now the tiger has to be taken to the dentist. He doesn’t want to go and has to be convinced to get into the dentist chair. His tooth gets fixed but the boy is warned not to let his tiger eat cake anymore or other teeth will get damaged. So what’s a tiger to eat then?
This picture book has minimal words and moves along at a brisk pace, making it a great pick for antsy listeners at a program. Children surprised by the cake-eating tiger will see their own hesitancy about going to the dentist for a cavity. The twist at the end is a delight though more gentle-hearted youngsters might be shocked. The illustrations tell much of the story, like getting the tiger into the dental chair and the depth of the tiger’s love of cake.
A funny and sweet look at dentists and hungry tigers.
It’s time for bed for the young green blob, even though they aren’t quite done playing yet. The parental Blog points out that everyone is heading for bed too, even the Dark Lord, the Unspeakable Horror and the Yeti. Each are getting ready for bed in their own way. Rooms have been tidied with Skeleton putting her bones in the closet and little Mummy getting wrapped up tight in their bandages. Faces are washed, fangs are brushed, and silky PJs and warm milk have been used. Soon everyone is getting sleepy, even the little Blob.
Aaron leans hard into the humor in this monster-filled picture book. The mix of bedtime story and horror creatures is a delight with far more creatures included than anyone might expect on their first read. I guarantee this is one that monster-loving children will want to hear again and again. This picture book was included in the Carnegie Illustration longlist for 2026, and the illustrations don’t disappoint. They are merrily filled with monsters in jammies and getting ready for bed. The details are marvelous, each one just right for the character, including pink fuzzy monster slippers for Frankenstein, the Minotaur reading a book of mazes in bed, and the Witch asleep on her broomstick.
Don’t save this one for Halloween, it’s a great bedtime read any time of year. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
Waking Brain Cells 