Black Eyed Susan Book Award

The Black-Eyed Susan Book Award is a student choice award for the state of Maryland that has been awarded each year since 1992. The award seeks to promote literacy and lifelong reading habits by encouraging students to read quality, contemporary literature. 

To participate, a student must read, or have read to them, a minimum number of books in each category.  For Novels and Graphic Novels, students need to read at least 3 in a category (no mixing and matching).

Each time you read one of the titles, please fill out this Google Form. Students who read at least 3 Novels or 3 Graphic Novels will be invited to vote for their favorite book in the category in April. 

🍦Students who read at least 3 books will also be invited to our Ice Cream Party. 🍦

2025-2026 Nominees

🌻Novels 2025-26🌻

• Another First Chance by Robbie Couch

• Boys of the Beast by Monica Zepeda

• Forever is Now by Mariama J. Lockington

• Killer House Party by Lily Anderson

• Love Radio by Ebony LaDelle

• Rez Ball by Byron Graves

• Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

• Sky's End (Above the Black, Book 1) by Marc J. Gregson

• Thieves' Gambit (Thieves' Gambit, Book 1) by Kayvion Lewis

• Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Click on this link to read descriptions of each book.

🌻Graphic Novel Nominees 2025-26 🌻

• Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined by David Walker and Marcus Kwame Anderson

• Bunt! Striking Out on Financial Aid by Ngozi Ukazu, illustrated by Mad Rupert

• The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

• Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks

• The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu

• Insomniacs After School, Book 1 by Makoto Ojiro

• Karate Prom by Kyle Starks

• Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by LeUyen Pham

• Through the Elder Woods (Nothing Special, Book 1) by Katie Cook

• The Worst Ronin by Maggie Tukuda-Hall, illustrated by Faith Schaffer

Click on this link to read descriptions of each book.

2024-2025 Nominees

Winners:  Lore by Alexandra Bracken AND Promise Boys by Nick Brooks 

Graphic Novel Winner: The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz 

• Accountable: The True Story of a Racist Social Media Account and the Teenagers Whose Lives it Changed  by Dashka Slater

• Four for the Road by K. J. Reilly

• Goth Girl, Queen of the Universe by Lindsay S. Zrull

• Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed

• The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

• Lore by Alexandra Bracken

• Love in English by Maria E. Andreu

• Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal

• Promise Boys by Nick Brooks

• We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds

Graphic Novel Nominees:

• Cursed Princess Club, Volume 1 by LambCat

• Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, illustrated by Erica Henderson

• Hollow by Shannon Watters and Branden Boyer-White, illustrated by Berenice Nelle

• Kaiju No. 8, Book 1 by Naoya Matsumoto

• Knee Deep, Book 1 by Joe Flood

• Northranger by Rey Terciero, illustrated by Bre Indigo

• Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo

• The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Deya Muniz

• Project Nought by Chelsey Furedi

• Twelfth Grade Night — Arden High, Book 1 by Molly Horton Booth and Stephanie Kate Strohm, illustrated by Jamie Green

2023-2024 Nominees

Winners: Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly DeVos AND I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys 

• The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson 

• All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir 

• Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit by Colby Cedar Smith 

• Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly deVos 

• Golden Boys by Phil Stamper 

• House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland 

• I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys 

• Mamo by Sas Milledge 

• Me (Moth) by Amber McBride 

• Messy Roots: a graphic memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao 

2022-2023 Nominees

Winner:  The INHERITANCE GAMES!

Read as many as you can to vote in April.  All who vote will get a prize and be invited to the awards party when the winner is announced in May!

• Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, and Nicola Yoon

• Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley 

• The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe 

• The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes 

• Last Girls by Demetra Brodsky 

• Legendborn by Tracy Deonn 

• Long Way Down: the graphic novel by Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff

• Pumpkin by Julie Murphy 

• Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko 

• White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson

2021-2022 Nominees 

 Winner:   Jackson, Holly – A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

• Acevedo, Elizabeth – Clap When You Land

• Brown, Roseanne – A Song of Wraiths and Ruin

• Callender, Kacen – Felix Ever After

• Chee, Traci – We Are Not Free

• Jackson, Holly – A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

• Johnson, Leah – You Should See Me in a Crown

• Khorram, Adib – Darius the Great Is Not Okay

• Klune, T.J. – The House in the Cerulean Sea

• Longo, Jennifer – What I Carry

• Rowell, Rainbow; Hicks, Faith Erin, illus – Pumpkinheads