The Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award is given to the book from that year's Master List that earns the highest number of student votes.
Nominations are submitted by teachers/librarians in the categories of adult and young adult fiction and non-fiction titles. These nominees are vetted by the nomination committee.
Popularity is a factor, but the primary focus remains on the quality of the work. Annually, a panel of high school librarians, teachers, public librarians, and students compile the twenty-title master list.
How to Participate
1. Read a book from the selected list of Lincoln Award nominees and fill out the 2025 Abe Reader Submission Form for each title read.
2. You will receive a prize for each book that you read!
3. After reading at least four books, you will be invited to a Voting Pizza Party! Each forms will be used as an entry in a raffle for prizes. All forms must be submitted by March 4, 2024.
All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown
Putting their trust in one another, two boys, Andrew and Jaime, 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.
Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Nineteen-year-old orphan Signa Farrow confronts Death --and her own deathly powers--when she investigates the mysterious murder of a relative at the Thorn Grove Estate.
Chaos Theory by Nic Stone
A senior at Windward Academy, Shelbi, who has a diagnosed mental illiness, keeps to herself until she forms a connection with Andy Criddle, who is battling addiction. But the closer they get, the more the past threatens to pull them apart.
Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach
Isaiah loves football. In fact, football saved Isaiah's life, giving him structure and discipline after his sister's death tore his family apart. But when Isaiah get knocked out cold on the field, he learns there's a lot more to lose than football.
Dear Medusa by Olivia A. Cole
Sixteen-year-old Alicia, who feels isolated and alone after being sexually abused by a teacher, is cast as the slut who asked for it, until she receives mysterious letters hinting at another victim, forcing her to face her trauma and fight back.
The Getaway by Lamar Giles
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.
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed
After discovering the body of fourteen year-old Jawad Ali in Jackson Park, seventeen-year-old journalism student Safiya Mirza begins investigating his murder and ends up confronting white supremacy in her own high school.
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy
A memoir by iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy about her struggles as a former child actor; including eating disorders, addiction, and a complicated relationship with her overbearing mother and how she retook control of her life.
Little Thieves by Margaret Owen
Posing as a royal to rob the nobles blind, seventeen year-old Vanja Schmidt is thrilled by her luck until she crosses the wrong god and is cursed to turn into the jewels she covets unless she can pay back her debts - quickly.
Love in English by Maria E. Andreu
Feeling blocked after moving from Argentina to New Jersey, a sixteen year-old poet finds herself torn between a cute American boy in her math class and a Greek student who understands the struggles she is facing in an ESL class.
More Than Just a Pretty Face by Syed M. Masood
When self-proclaimed “not very bright” nineteen year-old Danyal is chosen for a prestigious academic contest, he hopes to impress a potential arranged marriage match, only to begin falling for the girl helping him study instead.
Numb to This: a Memoir of a Mass Shooting by Kindra Neely
Author Kindra Neely recounts her journey to healing after surviving a mass shooting during her first year of college.
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich by Eliza Muniz
Cam disguises herself as a man to inherit her father's money and estate, and though she tries to keep a low profile, she ends up falling for Crown Princess Brie.
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
The exiled Princess Shiori must unravel the curse that turned her six brothers into cranes, and she is assisted by her spurned betrothed, a capricious dragon, and a paper bird brought to life by her own magic.
Skyhunter by Marie Lu
Talin is a Striker, a member of an elite fighting force that stands as the last defense for Mara, the only free nation in the world, but when a mysterious prisoner is brought from the front to Mara's capital, Talin senses there is more to him than meets the eye.
Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby
In 2199, 17-year-old Jessica Mathers wakes up on a desolate, post-extinction planet 14 light years from Earth and must make sense of the bloody destruction around her, as well as the questionable intentions of a familiar stranger.
This Golden State by Marit Weisenberg
Seventeen-year-old Poppy takes a home DNA test and unravels her parents' identities and their decades of careful work to keep their family anonymous, allowing the past to come dangerously close to catching up to them.
Victory Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommy Smith
A groundbreaking and timely graphic memoir from one of the most iconic figures in American sports-and a tribute to his fight for civil rights.
We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride
When hospitalized for her clinical depression, Whimsy connects with a boy named Faerry, who also suffers from the traumatic loss of a sibling, and together they work to unearth buried memories and battle the fan-tastical physical embodiment of their depression.
We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds
When seventeen-year-old Avery moves to rural Georgia to live with her ailing grandmother, she encounters decade-old family secrets and a mystery surrounding the town's racist past.