KBA Book List 2019-2020

The Kentucky Bluegrass Award is a program designed to encourage students to read widely from lists of current, well-reviewed literature that reflects a variety of experiences and points of view. Each year, a KBA committee for each grade band chooses the books for each of the five voting Master Lists (Preschool, K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12) in a year-long process. These committees are made up of volunteers and include school librarians, public librarians, and classroom teachers from across the state. Students should read books from a Master List before voting for their favorite title on that list. The specific voting process is determined at the individual school/library level. All the ballots are counted by an on-site coordinator (usually a teacher or librarian) and the results are transferred to an online tally sheet made available on the KASL website in March of the contest year. Votes are counted after the cutoff date (April 1st) and a winner is declared for each level during the first week of April.

2019 KBA Books for K-2

Different? Same! / Heather Tekavec / illus. Pippa Curnick/ Kids Can Press. 2017.

Readers will discover similarities in even the most different of animals in this exploration of animals and their characteristics.

Giraffe Problems. / Jory John / illus Lane Smith / Random House. 2018.

Can you guess what's making this giraffe self-conscious? Could it be . . . HIS ENORMOUS NECK?? Yes, it's exactly that--how on earth did you figure it out?

The Itchy Book / LeUyen Pham, Mo Willems / Hyperion Books. 2018.

Triceratops has an itch. . . so does Pterodactyl. . . and Brontosaurus. . . and T-Rex! But DINOSAURS DO NOT SCRATCH. There is a rule written in stone. What is an itchy dinosaur to do?!

Misunderstood Shark / Ame Dyckman / illus Scott Magoon / Scholastic. 2018.

Some people think there's nothing more terrifying than a shark! But are sharks really that scary, or are they just misunderstood?

Natsumi! / Susan Lendroth / illus Priscilla Burris / G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. 2018.

When Natsumi's family practices for their town's Japanese arts festival, Natsumi tries everything. But her stirring is way too vigorous for the tea ceremony, her dancing is just too imaginative, and flower arranging doesn't go any better. Can she find just the right way to put her exuberance to good use?

Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist / Jess Keating / Marta Alvarez Miguens / Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. 2017.

Eugenie fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium.

She couldn’t imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures and

in the process earned the nickname, “Shark Lady.”

Thank You, Omu! / Oge Mora / Little Brown Books for Young Readers. 2018.

When the aroma of Omu’s homemade stew fills the air, her neighbors arrive one by one, for a taste until all is gone except for her generous spirit.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates / Ryan T. Higgins / Disney-Hyperion. 2018.

It's the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can't wait to meet her classmates. But it's hard to make human friends when they're so darn delicious!

What Do They Do With All That Poo? / Jane Kurtz / illus Allison Black / Beach Lane Books. 2018.

There’s lots and lots of poo at the zoo, in many shapes and sizes. Some poo at the zoo is big and brown… but some of it surprises!

What If / Samantha Berger / illus Mike Curato / Little Brown Books. 2018.

This girl is determined to express herself! If she can't draw her dreams, she'll sculpt or build, carve or collage. If she can't do that, she'll turn her world into a canvas.

2019 KBA Books for 3-5

Bob / Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead / Feiwel and Friends, 2018.

Visiting her grandmother in Australia, ten year-old Livy is reminded of the oath she made five years before to Bob, a strange, green creature in a disheveled chicken suit who cannot recall who or what he is. This magical story follows the rekindling of a friendship between Livy and Bob as she fulfills her promise to help him get home.

Chasing Augustus / Kimberly Newton Fusco / Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.

Rosie lives with her father who runs a donut shop and shares his love of reading until one day he has a stroke and everything changes. Rosie is placed in the care of her prickly grandfather, and her estranged mother gives away her beloved dog, Gus. Rosie is determined, however, to get Gus back no matter where her journey to find him takes her.

Ivy / Katherine Coville / Alfred A. Knopf, 2017.

Ivy’s animal-healing grandmother is going to need all the help she can get to clean up her overgrown yard if their town, Broomsweep, is going to win the title of “best town” in the kingdom. Getting things in order proves to be even more challenging when an injured griffin and a dragon with a cold unexpectedly descend upon grandmother’s cottage.

Lions and Liars / Kate Beasley / illustrated by Dan Santat / Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2018.

Frederick Frederickson has a food-chain theory about life: there are lions, like the school bullies and there are gazelles, like the bullied kids. There are meerkats, too, but fifth-grader Frederick sees himself as a flea on the butt of a meerkat. That status changes as he finds himself at a camp for troubled boys and has to navigate the challenges of living a lie and preparing for a Category 5 hurricane that is barreling toward their camp.

Mac B, Kid Spy: Mac Undercover / Mac Barnett / illustrated by Mike Lowery / Orchard Books, imprint of Scholastic, 2018.

One day, Mac, the smartest boy in his class in a small town in California, receives a telephone call from the Queen of England, recruiting him to find the crown jewels (well, actually just the Coronation Spoon). Soon, Mac embarks on his first adventure as a secret agent which will take him to France and eventually the Soviet Union with the Queen’s corgi, Freddie, to help him through his hilarious encounters that include the King of France and a KGB officer.

Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess / Shari Green / Pajama Press, 2017.

Macy, a sixth grader who is deaf, is about to have her life upended: her mom is remarrying, she is about to have six-year-old twins as stepsisters, and she is moving into a new house. Frustrated Macy, who has just been given a challenging genealogy school assignment, is told that she must help her elderly neighbor Iris, who is also getting ready to move to a nursing home. Despite their language barrier (Iris doesn’t know sign language), an unusual but sweet friendship develops that may be just what Macy needs to help her face all the changes in her life.

The Mad Wolf’s Daughter / Diane Magras / Kathy Dawson Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, 2018.

In 1210 Scotland, 12-year-old Drest must rescue her father, the Mad Wolf of the North, and her beloved brothers who make up his fearsome war-band after they are captured by raiding knights. Drest sets off with a wounded knight as her captive to trade for her family’s freedom in this daring medieval adventure.

Pass Go and Collect $200: The Real Story of How Monopoly Was Invented / Tanya Lee Stone / illustrated by Steven Salerno / Henry Holt and Company, 2018.

Lizzie Magie, who lived in the late 1800s, was a clever and charismatic woman with a strong sense of justice. In 1903, she created the Landlord’s Game to bring attention to the unfairness of the landlord-tenant relationship in urban areas. Uncover the hidden history of of this game and its transformation into the beloved entertainment that Monopoly still brings to millions today.

Saving Winslow: a Novel / Sharon Creech / Joanna Colter Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2018.

Ten-year-old Louie, missing his brother Gus who is serving in the military, is determined to save an ailing newborn mini-donkey that he names Winslow. Nora, Louie’s newcomer neighbor, is more pessimistic about Winslow’s chances of survival due mostly to her own personal losses. A lonely, optimistic boy and a girl who’s afraid to love will form a friendship that helps them navigate the new challenges posed by a donkey living in a place he doesn’t belong.

Superstar / Mandy Davis / HarperCollins Publishers, 2017.

Fifth-grader Lester, space enthusiast and homeschool kid, suddenly finds himself thrust into the world of public elementary school. Lester faces the ups and downs of making friends, meeting bullies, learning about his autism diagnosis, and finding joy - and heartbreak - in the science fair. Join Lester on a journey to find his way in school and to discover that what is most important isn’t what you can do, but who you are.