Open Books Challenge 2026: Purple Cover or Purple in the Title or Subject

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "Purple cover or purple in the title or subject, to mark the 10th anniversary of Prince's death."

Happy Reading!

Updated December 31, 2025
Rochester Public Library RPL Staff
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Open Books Challenge 2026: Purple Cover or Purple in the Title or Subject

The Open Books Reading Challenge is a year-long reading challenge for people interested in pushing the boundaries of their reading. For full details of the program, please check-out our page at: https://www.rplmn.org/books-more/discover-more/open-books-reading-challenge

These are some ideas that fit the 2026 category "Purple cover or purple in the title or subject, to mark the 10th anniversary of Prince's death."

Happy Reading!

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Purple hibiscus : a novel
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi
Paper Book
"One of the most vital and original novelists of her generation." --Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker From the bestselling author of Americanah and We Should All Be Feminists Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her...
The only purple house in town
Aguirre, Ann
Paper Book
Iris Collins is the messy one in her family. The "chaos bunny." Her sisters are all wildly successful, while she can't balance her budget for a single month. It's no wonder she's in debt to her roommates. When she unexpectedly inherits a house from her great aunt, her plan to turn it into a B&B...
The singular life of Aria Patel
Ahmed, Samira (Fiction writer)
Paper Book
For fans of You've Reached Sam and See You Yesterday, this captivating and mind-bending second-chance romance explores what it means to love--even across the multiverse. Aria Patel likes stability, certainty, predictability. It's why she's so...
Djinn patrol on the purple line : a novel
Anappara, Deepa
Paper Book
Discover the "extraordinary" (The Washington Post) debut novel that "announces the arrival of a literary supernova" (The New York Times Book Review),"a drama of childhood that is as wild as it is intimate" (Chigozie Obioma).   WINNER OF THE...
The purple book : what to do when you're nervous
Anthony, William
Paper Book
Emotions are like a rainbow--there is a color for every one we feel. And when the nervous feeling starts to take over the rainbow, it's time for The Purple Book! Simple activities, tips, and tricks help young readers whose nervous purple shines brightest in the rainbows of their colorful minds. They...
One step forward
Atkins, Marcie Flinchum
Paper Book
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! One Step Forward is a compelling debut YA historical fiction novel in verse about Matilda Young--the youngest American suffragist imprisoned for picketing the White House to demand women's right to vote. Raised in a...
Writing in color : fourteen writers on the lessons we've learned
Azad, Nafiza
Paper Book
Rethink the way you approach writing in this "honest, useful craft book that all fledgling writers need" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) from fourteen diverse authors that demystifies craft and authorship based on their experiences as writers of color--perfect for fans of Fresh Ink...
Violet Shrink
Baldacchino, Christine
Paper Book
In this powerful story from Christine Baldacchino, author of Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress, a young girl navigates social anxiety at family gatherings and works with her father to find a solution. Violet Shrink doesn't like parties. Or bashes, or gatherings. Lots of people and...
Displeasure island
Bell, Alice (Gaming website editor)
Paper Book
In the hilarious follow-up to Grave Expectations, Claire and the gang are back, getting their timbers shivered by a mystery involving feuding ghost pirates, buried treasure, and murder... Claire Hendricks can see ghosts, but she can't see herself having a fun vacation. Yet...
The world needs more purple people
Bell, Kristen
Paper Book
#1 New York Times bestseller! Actress, producer, and parent Kristen Bell (The Good Place, Veronica Mars, Frozen) and creative director and parent Benjamin Hart have a new challenge for you and your kids- become a purple person by embracing what makes YOU special while...
The purple puffy coat
Boelts, Maribeth
Paper Book
Beetle gives Stick Bug an attention-grabbing coat for his birthday--but is that what Stick Bug really wants? A delightful story about friends learning to understand each other. It's almost Stick Bug's birthday, and his fashionable friend Beetle can't wait to give him his present-...
Perkin's perfect purple : how a boy created color with chemistry
Brown, Tami Lewis
Paper Book
The fascinating true story of groundbreaking chemist William Perkin, who used the scientific method to invent a new way for creating the color purple. Many years ago, the color purple was available only to a privileged few. Making purple was tricky. The dye...
The purple one : a story of Prince
Burgess, Matthew
Paper Book
From award-winning author Matthew Burgess and debut illustrator Sirin Thada, a picture book biography of music icon Prince, from childhood to superstardom, that crackles with electricity and soul Prince is remembered as one of the greatest musicians and performers of all time....
Eat your superpowers! : how colorful foods keep you healthy and strong
Buzzeo, Toni
Paper Book
Twenty-five different foods, grouped by color, are nutritionally decoded in this reference book for the preschool set. From grapes to beets and oatmeal to cashews, this reference book highlights and explains the benefits of 25 fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains, each grouped...
We are villains
Callender, Kacen
Paper Book
From bestselling and award-winning author Kacen Callendar comes a thrilling, dark academia YA about murder, blackmail, and the one person determined to discover the truth, no matter the cost What happened to Arianna Reynolds? Ari's...
Black history is your history
Cassidy, Taylor
"[Makes] history personal in a way that middle grade readers will connect to and feel empowered by." --School Library Journal (starred review) From TikTok star and creator of Fast Black History Taylor Cassidy comes a witty, lightly illustrated nonfiction debut that...
Wish upon a K-star
Cho, Kat
Paper Book
A spin-off to the New York Times best-selling Once Upon a K-Prom, a K-pop idol and an up-and-coming K-drama star must fake date in this fresh and funny romcom that Korean pop culture fans will absolutely swoon over! Moon Minseok-or Moonster as this WDB fans know him...
Sunrise on the reaping
Collins, Suzanne
Paper Book
The unforgettable fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch's story. Feature film scheduled for November 2026. #1 USA Today Bestseller * #1 New York Times Bestseller * #1 Indie Bestseller * #1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller * A New York Times Editors'...
Nightshade
Connelly, Michael
Paper Book
AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island.   Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell...
The one hundred years of Lenni and Margot : a novel
Cronin, Marianne
Paper Book
"A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life's obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are...
Happy Father's Day from the Crayons
Daywalt, Drew
Paper Book
For this wonderful mini hardcover celebration of Father's Day, the hilarious Crayons from the #1 New York Times bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit love their dads--and father figures in their lives--so much, they wrote a book about it! Red Crayon loves his dad...
Bert, the bowerbird : the small bird with a big heart
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
From the author of The Gruffalo comes the enchanting tale of a lovable bird seeking connection. Bert the bowerbird is looking for love. He has made the most perfect bower, complete with a pretty purple flower, and he is hoping it will help him meet the bird...
The Smeds and the Smoos
Donaldson, Julia
Paper Book
An out-of-this-world story of friendship from the creators of Room on the Broom and The Gruffalo.The Smeds (who are red) never mix with the Smoos (who are blue), so when Janet and Bill, a young Smed and Smoo, fall in love, their families strongly disapprove. But love conquers...
Run like a girl
Egbe, Amaka
Paper Book
Dera Edwards knows her life is over when she's shipped off to live with her estranged father in the middle of White Suburbia. To make matters worse, Dera learns that her new school doesn't have a girls' track team, shattering her dreams of getting a track scholarship and, one day, competing in the...
Purple crayons : the art of drawing a life
Ellenhorn, Ross
Paper Book
In this joyous and inventive rereading of the beloved children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon, the author of How We Change (And Ten Reasons Why We Don't) celebrates our inherent "sacred originality" and establishes a new framework for self-reliance. In 1955, Crockett...
Every duke has his day
Enoch, Suzanne
Paper Book
Brain meets Beauty in this sparkling, fresh take on the classic Bringing Up Baby - if Jane Austen had written it! A romantic comedy with a dash of chaos featuring the most ill-behaved poodle in Regency London, by New York Times bestseller Suzanne Enoch. Michael...
Etta Invincible
Eschmann, Reese
Paper Book
In this touching debut middle grade novel, a girl with hearing loss and a boy adjusting to life in a new country connect through their love of comics and get entangled in their own fantastical adventure. Twelve-year-old Etta Johnson has Loud Days where she can hear just fine and...
Prunella
Ferry, Beth
Paper Book
Five starred reviews! From New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry comes a fantastical and unforgettable picture book about an unusual girl whose purple thumb helps her cultivate a truly macabre garden. When Prunella is born with a purple thumb...
Votes of confidence : a young person's guide to American elections
Fleischer, Jeff
Paper Book
Every two years, media coverage of American elections turns into a horse-race story about who's leading the polls and who said what when. Give young adult readers clear explanations about how our election process actually works, why it matters, and how they can become involved. Using real...
The colors of history
Gifford, Clive
Paper Book
Samantha Spinner and the perplexing pants
Ginns, Russell
Paper Book
Take another super-big globe-trotting, plaid pants spotting adventure with Samantha Spinner and her brother, Nipper, in the fourth book in this hilarious, puzzle-packed series! Perfect for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library and the Secret series, and classics like Holes and The...
Riders of the purple sage
Grey, Zane
Paper Book
A master of narrative momentum and suspense, Zane Grey sweeps readers into his stories and makes them feel that things are out of control, that boundaries are being burst. InRiders of the Purple Sage, the most famous novel of the American West, Grey creates a hero of epic...
Fly like a girl : one woman's dramatic fight in Afghanistan and on the home front
Hegar, Mary Jennings
Paper Book
A Young Readers Edition of a compelling story of courage and triumph, this is the inspiring true story of Major Mary Jennings Hegar--a brave and determined woman who gave her all for her country, her sense of justice, and for women everywhere. On July 29, 2009, Air National Guard...
Act your age, Eve Brown
Hibbert, Talia
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In Talia Hibbert's newest rom-com, the flightiest Brown sister crashes into the life of an uptight B&B owner and has him falling hard--literally. Featured on Parade, PopSugar, Marie Claire, Oprah Mag, Bustle, Shondaland, CNN.com,...
King of pride
Huang, Ana
Paper Book
A diverse and steamy, forbidden billionaire romance from New York Times bestselling author and BookTok sensation Ana Huang! She's his opposite in every way...and the greatest temptation he's ever known. Reserved, controlled, and proper to a fault, Kai Young has neither the time nor...
Under the fading sky
Kadohata, Cynthia
Paper Book
A teen boy thinks his vaping habit is harmless until it becomes a crippling addiction of nightmarish dimensions in this "vivid" (School Library Journal) young adult novel from Newbery and National Book Award winner Cynthia Kadohata. So, stuff has, like, a beginning and an...
Biology lessons
Kantor, Melissa
Paper Book
Biology Lessons is a heartfelt and profound contemporary young adult novel about the strength and importance of female friendship in a time when bodily autonomy is outlawed, from acclaimed author Melissa Kantor. "This is a book that Judy Blume would approve of." --...
Braiding sweetgrass for young adults : indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paper Book
I could hand you a braid of sweetgrass as thick and shining as the braid that hung down my grandmother's back. But it is not mine to give, nor yours to take. Wiingaashk belongs to herself. I offer, in her place, a braid of stories meant to heal our relationship with the world. As a...
Flower day : a story of 24 hours and 24 floral lives
Knapp, Sandra
Paper Book
An illustrated hourly guide that spotlights twenty-four flowers as they attract pollinators, resist predators, and survive on our changing planet. Is it 4 AM or chicory o'clock? In this short book, botanist and award-winning author Sandra Knapp walks us through...
Nav's foolproof guide to falling in love
Lewis, Jessica
Paper Book
Nav knows how to flirt, but she also knows love is a messy losing proposition. As proof, her best friend, Hallie, is constantly getting her heart broken. And when Hallie goes to her boring academic camp this summer, Nav won't be there to protect her for the first time in their lives. So...
The purple swamp hen and other stories
Lively, Penelope
Paper Book
A glimmering collection of new short fiction from the Booker Prize winner. "Lively writes with an astringent blend of sympathy and detachment, emotional wisdom and satiric wit." --Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times In such acclaimed novels as The...
Rewinding the '80s: Cinema Under the Influence of Music Videos, Action Stars, and a Cold War
Malahy, John
Take a trip back to your favorite video store with this in-depth journey through the highs and lows of '​80s cinema--with profiles of hundreds of films--and how Hollywood studios around the globe reflected a period of cultural change. The movies were flying...
Secrets of the purple pearl
McKinnon, Kate
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller! From Saturday Night Live legend Kate McKinnon comes the highly anticipated second book in her #1 New York Times bestselling series about mad science, three peculiar sisters, and the mysterious Millicent Quibb!<...
A fix of light
Menton, Kel
Paper Book
A queer love story with a dark magical twist, from an astonishing new Irish voice. Be careful. The dark is listening. Hanan is supposed to be dead. The forest outside Skenashogue sent him home alive - but changed. A strange new magic makes every emotion a physical...
Major monster mess
Miedoso, Andres
Paper Book
It's Desmond and Andres versus creepy monster lunch ladies in the sixth book of the Desmond Cole Ghost Patrol series! Usually the cafeteria is where good food goes to meet its maker, but at Kersville Elementary, lunchtime is a little different. For starters, the food is delicious...
From here : a memoir
Mufleh, Luma
Paper Book
In her coming-of-age memoir, refugee advocate Luma Mufleh writes of her tumultuous journey to reconcile her identity as a gay Muslim woman and a proud Arab-turned-American refugee. With no word for "gay" in Arabic, Luma may not have known what to call the feelings she had...
Heir of storms
Murray, Lauryn Hamilton
Paper Book
A #1 Sunday Times Bestseller! This deluxe edition features lush purple sprayed edges, foiled jacket, printed endpapers, and a stunning world map Red Queen meets Shadow and Bone in this captivating romantasy about an outcast...
Sweet nothings : confessions of a candy lover
Perry, Sarah
Paper Book
A fun, sophisticated illustrated collection of essays that catalogs the simple and not so simple pleasures of the eclectic world of candy from the award-winning author of After the Eclipse. With illustrations by Forsyth Harmon. A taxonomy of sweetness, a rhapsody of artificial flavors, and...
Captain Underpants and the preposterous plight of the Purple Potty People [full color edition] : the eighth epic novel
Pilkey, Dav
Paper Book
George and Harold's time-traveling Purple Potty lands them in a crazy place in the eighth book in this #1 New York Times bestselling series by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of Dog Man!The teachers are nice, the cafeteria serves delicious food, and the school principal, Mr. Krupp,...
Before colors : where pigments and dyes come from
Pimentel, Annette Bay
Paper Book
Colors don't come out of nothing. They always start somewhere . . . With something . . . With someone.
Salvación
Proudman, Sandra
Paper Book
"A heartfelt, swashbuckling, standout novel." - Kirkus (starred review) In this Latinx YA fantasy inspired by El Zorro, Lola de La Peña becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and town from a man who would destroy it for the magic it...
Fancy pants
Quigley, Dawn
Paper Book
Filled with lots of glitter, raised pinkies, and humorous misunderstandings, this second book in the Jo Jo Makoons series--written by Dawn Quigley and illustrated by Tara Audibert--is filled with the joy of a young Ojibwe girl discovering her very own special shine from the inside out. ...
Sarah Bernhardt : the divine and dazzling life of the world's first superstar
Reef, Catherine
Paper Book
A tantalizing biography for teens on Sarah Bernhardt, the first international celebrity and one of the greatest actors of all time, who lived a highly unconventional, utterly fascinating life. Illustrated with more than sixty-five photos of Bernhardt on stage, in film, and in real life.  ...
Creepy crayon!
Reynolds, Aaron
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times bestseller! From the team behind the New York Times bestselling Creepy Carrots! and Creepy Pair of Underwear! comes the third in this hilariously spooky series about a young rabbit and his peculiar encounters--featuring a...
Surrendering to Hunt
Ryan, Jennifer
Paper Book
New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Ryan returns to the Wyoming Wilde series as a by-the-book lawman tangles with a stubborn young woman. Perfect for fans of authors like Maisey Yates, Joanne Kennedy and Carolyn Brown as well as Diana Palmer, Linda Lael Miller,...
Once upon a crime : delicious mysteries and deadly murders from the Detective Society
Stevens, Robin
Paper Book
Take one last dive into the pages of Hazel's casebook and solve six new mini mysteries in this "smashing" (Booklist) short story collection companion to the internationally bestselling Murder Most Unladylike series! Between solving high-profile murder mysteries, Daisy...
My shadow is purple
Stuart, Scott
Paper Book
As featured on CNN, MSNBC, New York Post, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and more My Dad has a shadow that's blue as a berry, and my Mom's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There's only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it's both and it's...
Wicked darlings
Taylor, Jordyn
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER . From the author of The Revenge Game comes a twisty YA thriller about the underbelly of Manhattan's high society, where nothing is off-limits-not even murder. Aspiring journalist Noa has a secret she's been keeping. Ever since her sister's tragic death...
Bunny will not be quiet!
Tharp, Jason
Paper Book
From the endless imagination of Jason Tharp comes a brand-new, interactive Level 1 Ready-to-Read that's perfect for fans of Mo Willems, Jim Benton, David Milgrim, and for beginning readers who like to giggle! Bunny is being loud. His friend Big keeps asking him to be quiet, but...
Hawkeye
Thompson, Kelly
Paper Book
Remember Hawkeye? No, not that Hawkeye - your favorite Hawkeye, the former Young Avenger, the butt-kicking hero who had to save that other Hawkguy all the time and basically keep his life in some semblance of order. Yup, you know her, it's the dazzling Kate Bishop - making her solo comics debut!...
In search of the color purple : the story of an American masterpiece
Tillet, Salamishah
Paper Book
Mixing cultural criticism, literary history, biography, and memoir in an exploration of Alice Walker's critically acclaimed and controversial novel, The Color Purple Alice Walker made history in 1982 when she became the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, both...
A tale of mirth & magic
Vale, Kristen
An elf jewelry maker finds herself on the run with a gentle half-giant in this spicy and cozy fantasy romance--perfect for fans of Legends & Lattes and The Spellshop. Elikki may not have a family, but she has her fierce independence, boundless charm,...
Sweaterweather : & other short stories
Varon, Sara
Paper Book
Back before Odd Duck, before Robot Dreams, Sara Varon created Sweaterweather. This endearing, quirky volume is a captivating look into Varon's creative process. It combines short comics stories, essays, and journal entries, and invites the reader into the world of Sara Varon:...
The color purple
Walker, Alice
Paper Book
Read the original inspiration for the new, boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, now in a beautiful Penguin Vitae edition...
Music mavens : 15 women of note in the industry
Walker, Ashley
Paper Book
Nothing moves us like music.  Music Mavens transports readers around the world (and beyond)--to a jazz performance in Genoa, an instrument lab in London, a Tokyo taiko dojo, a New York City beatbox battle, and even a film scoring session aboard the starship...
Harold and the purple crayon : a new adventure
West, Alexandra
Paper Book
Harold and the Purple Crayon is coming to the big screen in summer 2023, featuring stars Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, and Ravi Patel! Join Harold, Porcupine, and Moose as they surf the ocean's waves, get lost in the big city, learn to ride a motorcycle, and discover a...
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