Mark Twain Readers Award
Every year, Missouri students from 4th to 6th grade vote on their favorite book from a list of nominated titles. The list is prepared by librarians and volunteer readers. The Mark Twain Award is awarded to the author of the book that the students chose by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.
2024 Winner
Rosie and Baker need to keep up the illusion that their Great Grammy is alive before the Grim Hesper takes away the only home they have ever known.
Mark Twain Award Nominees 2024-2025
Built to explore Mars, Resilience begins to develop human-like feelings as he learns from the NASA scientists who assembled him, and as he blasts off and explores Mars, Resilience must overcome different obstacles as he explores the red planet.
After twelve-year-old John Boarhog’s mom dies, the last thing he wants is to be schlepped off to the Jersey Home for Boys, where kids are forced to make skinny jeans for hipsters and are fed nothing but kale. Instead, he makes himself a snug home in the ceiling of the New York Museum of Natural History, where he reads anything he get his hands on and explores the artifacts afterhours. But when a rare Egyptian ruby–the highlight of the museum’s new exhibit–goes missing, John is accused of the crime. That is until the unpredictable Inspector Toadius McGee sweeps in to wrestle control of the case, certain that the true culprit is a notorious criminal he’s been tracking for years. John quickly becomes the Watson to Toadius’s Holmes as they race from Broadway to back alleys to a speak-easy that only serves root beer. And along the way, John uncovers secrets about his own past, including that he’s a lot more involved in this web of endearing ne’er-do-wells than he ever could have imagined.
When 12-year-old Max is sent to live with his eccentric grandfather for the summer, he finds himself on an unlikely quest to uncover an enchanted book that contains the key to defeating an unearthly nemesis.
If you have a graphic novel fan in your life, Freestyle would make a perfect gift! From one of the illustrators of the popular Baby-Sitters Club Graphic Novel Series, this full-color graphic novel about friendship, dance, and middle school is sure to engage graphic novel fans. You may even want to include a yo-yo with this one! While preparing for the last major dance competition before they graduate from eighth grade and go to separate high schools in NYC, Cory must balance the expectations of his parents, school, crew and his new friend as pressure mounts from all sides
A heartwarming story infused with a dash of magic, Natalie Lloyd’s tale of a girl searching for her best friend and a place to belong is sure to resonate with readers. When twelve-year-old homeschooler Olive, who suffers from brittle bone disease, finally attends in-person school, she soon discovers fitting in is not that easy. If she can find the magical wish-granting hummingbird that supposedly lives nearby and prove herself worthy, maybe it will grant her deepest wish.
Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family’s history and herself.
After her home is attacked by shapeshifting vampires, twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng is sent to live with her aunt and cousin in Maryland, but the aspiring vampire hunter discovers that middle school is harder than it appears on television, especially when she has to avoid detention and turn her classmates into warriors before they become vampire food.
Loretta and her twin brother, Waylon, are headed to middle school. Loretta has always been quick with her fists and her wits. Since Waylon is on the small side, Loretta doesn’t let anyone mess with him. But now she worries he won’t survive without her by his side. Her secret plan: bulk him up with muscle over the summer. Little does she know that Waylon has a plan of his own. He’ll show his sister he can take care of himself. As each puts their strategy in motion, Loretta and Waylon spend the summer going into the woods behind their house, even sneaking there in the dead of night. That’s where they first encounter Louie, who is about their age but noticeably bigger. Louie is homeschooled, he explains when Loretta gives him the third degree. Loretta, Waylon, and Louie soon fall into a comfortable friendship and continue their nightly forest adventures. When they unearth a mysterious box, the past collides with the present, propelling the trio on a quest that will forever change their lives.
Celeste knows she should be excited to spend two weeks at her grandparents’ lake house with her brother, Owen, and their cousins Capri and Daisy, but she’s not. Bugs, bad cell reception, and the dark waters of the lake… no thanks. On top of that, she just failed her swim test and hates being in the water- it’s terrifying. But her grandparents are strong believers in their family knowing how to swim, especially having grown up during a time of segregation at public pools. And soon strange things start happening-the sound of footsteps overhead late at night. A flickering light in the attic window. And Celete’s cousins start accusing her of pranking them when she’s been nowhere near them!
When lonely Ravani Foster discovers his new friend Virginia and her six mysterious runaway companions are in danger, he must fight to keep them safe, or lose the only person who has ever understood him.
A heroic girl in Mumbai fights for her belief that water should be for everyone.
Of her two granddaughters, Grandma Yvette clearly prefers Ruby Taylor’s perfect–and perfectly Jewish–cousin, Sarah. They do everything together, including bake cookies and have secret sleep overs that Ruby isn’t invited to. Twelve-year-old Ruby suspects Grandma Yvette doesn’t think she’s Jewish enough. The Jewish religion is matrilineal, which means it’s passed down from mother to child, and unlike Sarah, Ruby’s mother isn’t Jewish. But when Sarah starts acting out–trading in her skirts and cardigans for ripped jeans and stained t-shirts, getting in trouble at school–Ruby can’t help but be somewhat pleased. Then Sarah suddenly takes things too far, and Ruby is convinced Sarah is possessed by a dybbuk, an evil spirit… that Ruby may or may not have accidentally released from Grandma Yvette’s basement. Ruby is determined to save her cousin, but a dybbuk can only be expelled by a “pious Jew.” If Ruby isn’t Jewish enough for her own grandmother, how can she possibly be Jewish enough to fight a dybbuk?
Gateway Readers Award
The purpose of the Gateway Readers Award is to promote literature, literacy and reading in Missouri high schools, and to recognize authors and illustrators of books that are favorites of Missouri students in these grades. Each year, Missouri students in grades 9-12 vote for their favorite book from a list of nominated titles. The Gateway Readers Award is awarded to the author of this book by the Missouri Association of School Librarians.
2022 Winner
After a fatal car accident that reveals Emory’s brother Joey’s opioid addiction, Emory struggles to help him on his road to recovery and make herself heard in a town that insists on not listening.
Gateway Award Nominees 2024-2025
It’s been a year–a year of missing Nina. A year of milestones–holidays, birthdays, everything without her. Leo feels like she should remember what happened that night. But all she knows is that she left the party and got into a car with Nina and Nina’s boyfriend, East. East, who once promised Nina he’d watch out for her younger sister. East, who has been trying to keep that promise every day since. But East won’t give Leo the one thing she wants–the one thing she needs. He won’t tell her anything about the accident. He won’t talk about that night at all. As the days tumble one into the next, Leo’s story comes together while her world falls apart. The only constant is the one person who can help her bear the enormous weight of her love for Nina–and East might be carrying too heavy a load of his own.
Eighteen-year-old Roxie agrees to help her sister Skylar uncover her boyfriend’s killer, but they discover that everyone in Whistler, Indiana, is hiding something and some ghost stories are best left untold.
A family extending from Pakistan to California deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness.
Putting their trust in one another, two boys, Andrew and Jamie, search for civilization in a world ravaged by a deadly pathogen, but their secrets could cost them everything as they try to find the courage to fight for the future, together.
In this riotous young adult romp, a teen girl has the worst Valentine’s Day ever — only to relive it over and over again. After living through a dumpster fire of a Valentine’s Day, Emilie Hornby escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort and a consolation pint of Ben & Jerry’s. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed-and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another nightmare V-Day. Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh, cheat on her day after day. In addition to Josh’s recurring infidelity, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into — sometimes literally — in unfortunate ways. How many days can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?
Seventeen-year-old Jani and her little sister Zosa secure jobs at a glamorous magical hotel, but when Jani realizes that their staff contracts are unbreakable, she embarks on a mission to unravel the mystery of the magic at the heart of the hotel and free Zosa–and the other staff–from the cruelty of the ruthless maître d’hôtel.
In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country.
High school senior Bel Maier has an aptitude for engineering and teams up with robotics team captain, Mateo Luna, but after a rough start together the nights of after-school work lead to romance.
Brynn Gallagher uses her internship at a new true crime show to investigate the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher, uncovering secrets about her school, her teacher and her ex-best friend.
Jay discovers that mountain resort where he lives and works with his friends and family is also a doomsday oasis for the rich and powerful who expect top-notch customer service even as the world outside the resort’s walls disintegrates.
When the president’s son, Lennon, is kidnapped and pushed out of an airplane over the Q, a vast quarantine zone, Maisie gives him a seventy-two-hour vaccine, and together the two teenagers attempt to fight their way through the Q to survive.
Transgender demigod Teo is unexpectedly selected for the Sunbearer Trials, a fierce competition among demigod heroes where the winner sacrifices the loser to Sol, their blood fueling the Sun Stones that protect Reino del Sol.
When Springville residents–at least the ones still alive–are questioned about what happened on prom night, they all have the same explanation . . . Maddy did it. An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she’s dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage. Until the morning a surprise rainstorm reveals her most closely kept secret: Maddy is biracial. She has been passing for white her entire life at the behest of her fanatical white father, Thomas Washington. After a viral bullying video pulls back the curtain on Springville High’s racist roots, student leaders come up with a plan to change their image: host the school’s first integrated prom as a show of unity. The popular white class president convinces her Black superstar quarterback boyfriend to ask Maddy to be his date, leaving Maddy wondering if it’s possible to have a normal life. But some of her classmates aren’t done with her just yet. And what they don’t know is that Maddy still has another secret . . . one that will cost them all their lives.
When sixteen-year-old Lily Larkin’s older sister, Alice, begins struggling with her mental health, Lily attempts to keep everything together and perfect, despite her growing anxiety.
Hannah shattered her ankle and her Olympic dreams in one bad soccer play. These days she’ll do anything to keep the painful memories of her recent past at bay, including the string of bad decisions that landed her at boarding school for a year. With its mini golf course, bowling alley, and arcade– not to mention coworker Patrick– a job at the local entertainment multiplex Bonanza seems like the perfect way to stay distracted. Then her boss announces a staff competition that brings her past Olympic nightmares crashing back into her present.