2026 High School Nutmeg Nominees

Updated April 25, 2025
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The 9 09 Project
Parsons, Mark H.
Paper Book
A thoughtful exploration about finding oneself, learning to hope after loss, and recognizing the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others. It has been two years since his mom's...
For Lamb
Cline-Ransome, Lesa.
Paper Book
An interracial friendship between two teenaged girls goes tragically wrong in this powerful historical novel set in the Jim Crow South. For Lamb follows a family striving to better their lives in the late 1930s Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb's mother is a hard-working,...
Gather /
Cadow, Kenneth M.,
Paper Book
Winner of the Kirkus Prize A National Book Award Finalist A Michael L. Printz Honor Book "A heartfelt novel about the challenges of youth and the value of community." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a...
The girls I've been /
Sharpe, Tess.
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller * A USA Today Bestseller * In this feminist, suspenseful thriller the daughter of a con artist is taken hostage in a bank heist--and will need to tap into all her skills in order to survive. "If you're looking for a queer YA contemporary book...
The lesbiana's guide to Catholic school /
Reyes, Sonora.
Paper Book
National Book Award Finalist * William C. Morris YA Debut Award Finalist * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Walter Honor Award Winner * Pura Belpré Honor Book * Lambda Literary Award Winner for LGBTQ+ Young Adult A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer...
The silence that binds us /
Ho, Joanna,
Paper Book
"A grieving teen fights Asian hate by finding her voice in this complex, timely story." --Kirkus (starred review) "With a layered, sensitive voice, Ho's weighty novel delves into themes of racism, classism, loss, and healing." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) ...
Spin /
Caprara, Rebecca,
Paper Book
A Chicago Public Library Teen-Approved Best Book of 2023 "A powerful feminist retelling of an ancient tale about empathy and defiance, written in beautiful verse from a truly unique viewpoint." --Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Surrender Tree...
Throwback
Goo, Maurene.
Paper Book
A REESE'S YA BOOK CLUB PICK! "No one can blend family, humor, satire, and love into a single perfect story like Maurene Goo can." --Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Skyhunter "Funny and big-hearted, romantic, and delightfully...

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