2026-2027 Texas Bluebonnet Award List

Each year, 20 books are chosen by a Texas Library Association committee of school and public librarians for the Texas Bluebonnet Award List. The list includes titles for grades 3 – 6. Students around the state are encouraged to read a minimum of five books from the list. In January, those students vote for their favorite title. The author of the book receiving the most votes wins the Texas Bluebonnet Award, which is presented at the TLA Annual Conference in the spring.

Updated April 7, 2026
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Speak up, Santiago! : a Hillside Valley graphic novel
Anta, Julio
Paper Book
Welcome to Hillside Valley! 12 year-old New York city kid Santi is heading upstate, in the debut of this irresistible contemporary graphic novel series about friends, family, community and identity--just right for fans of Mexikid and the Click series! Named one of the...
Pocket bear
Applegate, Katherine
Paper Book
An instant New York Times Bestseller! Meet Pocket, created as a good luck charm for soldiers going into battle, whose bravery and loyalty lives on long after the war. From Katherine Applegate, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Odder and...
The library of unruly treasures
Birdsall, Jeanne
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . In this funny, winning, and unexpected adventure from the New York Times bestselling, National Book Award-winning author of the Penderwicks series, a girl finds herself an unlikely hero when she stumbles upon a big secret about little creatures.
Introducing Sandwina : the strongest woman in the world!
Conrad, Vicki
Paper Book
A Booklist Editor's Choice No one believed a woman could be stronger than a man, until Katie Brumbach-also known as Sandwina-displayed her show-stopping feats as a circus strongwoman. 100 pounds . . . 200 pounds . . . 300 pounds! Katie Brumbach became the...
The Black Mambas : the world's first all-woman anti-poaching unit
Crull, Kelly
Paper Book
Head out on patrol with the Black Mambas, South Africa's first women-led anti-poaching unit. This anti-poaching team is unlike any other: they carry no weapons. Instead, they keep animals safe with frequent patrols and a keen eye for footprints, snares, and other clues that poachers are...
Gabby Torres gets a billion followers
Dominguez, Angela.
Paper Book
A new series that's perfect for emerging readers who love graphic novels and are ready to read chapter books! Join Gabby as she navigates the inevitable disasters of fourth grade and social media. Gabby Torres is nine years old and ready to conquer the world. She...
I'm a dumbo octopus! : a graphic guide to cephalopods
Lambelet, Anne
Paper Book
A GNCRT Outstanding Comics Award Honor Book A Booklist Editor's Choice Graphic Novel List A Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year Meet Grimpy! He's a dumbo octopus, and he...
The trouble with heroes
Messner, Kate
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller! A USA Today bestseller! Read with Jenna Jr. Summer Reading List Pick! "Genuinely moving." --The New York Times Book Review "Explores the healing power of...
Will's race for home : a western
Rhodes, Jewell Parker
Paper Book
★ Winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award! ★ ★ A New York Times bestseller! ★ ★ "Rhodes deftly captures a unique ­aspect of this historical event, with a perspective...
Another
Tremblay, Paul
Paper Book
The bone-chilling, instantly New York Times bestselling tale of an unsettling, unbreakable friendship--from acclaimed horror author Paul Tremblay. "All the questions we ask as kids about who we are and what we're worth take a terrifying turn in this spooky tale of a...
Fowl play
Tubb, Kristin O'Donnell
Paper Book
Knives Out meets Finding Orion in this funny and heartwarming middle grade mystery by award-winning author Kristin O'Donnell Tubb about a girl investigating the recent death of her uncle only to find the healing power of family. Chloe Alvarez has never been to the reading of a last will...
Lola
Valenti, Karla
Paper Book
A simmering tale of magic, adventure, and the extraordinary bond between a brother and sister who'd journey to the ends of the Earth to save each other. From the acclaimed author of Loteria comes a heartfelt story rooted in Mexican magical realism. A PURA BELPR AUTHOR WINNER ....
A strange thing happened in Cherry Hall
Warga, Jasmine
Paper Book
From the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of A Rover's Story and Other Words for Home comes an extraordinary story about two friends, a ghost, a missing painting, and a turtle named Agatha. The perfect next read for fans of The Swifts, Kate DiCamillo, and Erin...

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