2021 Kids’ Book Choice Award Finalists

Every Child a Reader has rebranded their annual awards into the Kids’ Book Choice Awards with new categories. The awards are voted on by children with voting currently open until November 14th. Here are the finalists in each category:

BEST PICTURE BOOK DUO (AGE 3-8)

Cover for Beautiful Shades of Brown

Beautiful Shades of Brown: The Art of Laura Wheeler Waring by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Felicia Marshall

Cover for Click, Clack, Good Night (A Click Clack Book)

Click Clack, Good Night by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin

Cover for The Heart of Mi Familia

The Heart of Mi Familia by Carrie Lara, illustrated by Christine Battuz

Cover for How Do Dinosaurs Show Good Manners? (How Do Dinosaurs...?)

How Do Dinosaurs Show Good Manners? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

Cover for Lift

Lift by Minh Le, illustrated by Dan Santat

Cover for The Merry Christmas Mittens

The Merry Christmas Mittens by Sarah Janco, illustrated by Blayne Fox

BEST PICTURE BOOK PAGE (AGE 3-8)

Cover for All Along the River

All Along the River by Magnus Weightman

Cover for All Because You Matter

All Because You Matter by Tami Charles, illustrated by Bryan Collier

Cover for The Alphabet's Alphabet

The Alphabet’s Alphabet by Chris Harris, illustrated by Dan Santat

Cover for Arlo the Lion Who Couldn't Sleep

Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner

Cover for Babbit and Joan, a Rabbit and a Phone

Babbit and Joan, a Rabbit and a Phone by Denise Turu

Cover for How to Spot an Artist

How to Spot an Artist by Danielle Krysa

FAVORITE EARLY READER SERIES

Cover for Billie B. Brown

Billie B. Brown Series by Sally Rippin, illustrated by Aki Fukuoka

Cover for I'm On It! (Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!)

Elephant and Piggie Like Reading Series by Ryan T. Higgins and Mo Willems

Cover for A Feel Better Book for Little Poopers

Feel Better Books Series by Leah Bowen and Holly Brochmann, illustrated by Shirley Ng

Cover for Martin Luther King Jr. (Little People, BIG DREAMS #33)

Little People, Big Dreams Series by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, illustrated by Sophie Beer

Cover for It's Halloween, Little Monster

Little Monster Series by Helen Ketteman, illustrated by Bonnie Leick

Cover for The Magnificent Makers #1

The Magnificent Makers Series by Theanne Griffith, illustrated by Reggie Brown

FAVORITE ILLUSTRATED CHARACTER

Cover for Bee Heartful

Bentley Bee from Bee Heartful by Frank J. Sileo, illustrated by Claire Keay

Cover for Little Blue Truck's Valentine

Little Blue Truck from Little Blue Truck’s Valentine by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry

Cover for Nibbles

Nibbles the Book Monster from Nibbles: Colors by Emma Yarlett

Cover for The Noisy Classroom

Ms. Johnson from The Noisy Classroom by Angela Shante, illustrated by Alison Hawkins

Cover for This Old Dog

Old Dog from This Old Dog by Martha Brockenbrough, illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo

Cover for The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem

The Princess in Black from The Princess in Black and the Giant Problem by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: K-2ND GRADE

Cover for Bedtime for Sweet Creatures

Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon

Cover for Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sanchez

Cover for Every Color of Light

Every Color of Light by Hiroshi Osada, illustrated by Ryoji Arai

Cover for I Am Every Good Thing

I Am Every Good Thing by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Gordon C. James

Cover for I Talk Like a River

I Talk Like a River by Jordan Scott, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Cover for We Are Water Protectors

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom, illustrated by Michaela Goade

BEST BOOK OF FACTS (AGE 8-12)

Cover for 50 Adventures in the 50 States

50 Adventures in the 50 States by Kate Siber, illustrated by Lydia Hill

Cover for Brave. Black. First.

Brave. Black. First.: 50+ African American Women Who Changed the World by Cheryl Hudson, illustrated by Erin K. Robinson

Cover for Hop to It

Hop To It: Poems to Get You Moving by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, illustrated by Franzi Paetzold

Cover for I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast

I Ate Sunshine for Breakfast by Michael Holland, illustrated by Phillip Giordano

Cover for Kate the Chemist

Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments by Kate Biberdorf

Cover for A Search for the Northern Lights

A Search for the Northern Lights by Elizabeth and Izzi Rusch, illustrated by Cedar Lee

BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL (AGE 8-12)

Cover for Big Nate

Big Nate: The Gerbil Ate My Homework by Lincoln Pierce

Cover for Class Act

Class Act by Jerry Craft

Cover for InvestiGators

InvestiGators by John Patrick Green

Cover for Max Meow Book 1

Max Meow: Cat Crusader by John Gallagher

Cover for Camping with Unicorns

Camping with Unicorns by Dana Simpson

Cover for When Stars Are Scattered

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

FAVORITE AUTHOR (AGE 8-12)

Chris Grabenstein

Jeff Kinney

Dav Pilkey

Jason Reynolds

Rick Riordan

Trudi Trueit

Jacqueline Woodson

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: 3RD-4TH GRADE

Cover for Beetle & the Hollowbones

Beetle and the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne

Cover for Girl on a Motorcycle

Girl on a Motorcycle by Amy Novesky, illustrated by Julie Morstad

Cover for Honeybee

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Cover for The Paper Boat

The Paper Boat by Thao Lam

Cover for Skunk and Badger (Skunk and Badger 1)

Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Cover for Ways to Make Sunshine (A Ryan Hart Story #1)

Ways to Make Sunshine by Renee Watson

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: 5TH-6TH GRADE

Cover for All Thirteen

All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat

Cover for Efrén Divided

Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

Cover for Fighting Words

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Cover for Loretta Little Looks Back

Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

Cover for Once Upon an Eid

Once Upon an Eid edited by S. K. Ali and Aisha Saeed

Cover for Twins

Twins by Varian Johnson, illustrated by Shannon Wright

BEST FANTASY WORLD BUILDING (AGE 12-18)

Cassandra Clare

Suzanne Collins

Helena Dahlgren

Melissa de la Cruz

Sabaa Tahir

F.C. Yee

FAVORITE BOOK COVER (AGE 12-18)

Cover for All Boys Aren't Blue

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Cover for Camper Girl

Camper Girl by Glenn Erick Miller

Cover for Fangs

Fangs by Sarah Anderson

Cover for Felix Ever After

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Cover for Legendborn (The Legendborn Cycle)

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Cover for What if . . . ?

What If…? by Carrie Turley, illustrated by Lara Law

FAVORITE TRUE STORY (AGE 12-18)

Cover for The Black Friend

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person by Frederick Joseph

Cover for Blood and Germs

Blood and Germs: The Civil War Battle Against Wounds and Disease by Gail Jarrow

Cover for Finish the Fight!

Finish the Fight!: The Brave and Revolutionary Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote by Veronica Chambers

Cover for No Voice Too Small

No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History by Lindsay H. Metcalf, Keila V. Dawson, and Jeanette Bradley

Cover for This Is Your Time

This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges

Cover for We Had to Be Brave

We Had to Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport by Deborah Hopkinson

BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: TEEN

Cover for Dragon Hoops

Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Cover for Everything Sad Is Untrue

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Cover for Raybearer

Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Cover for The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

Cover for Stamped

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Cover for We Are Not Free

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee