2022-2023
The 2022-2023 Winners are here!
The Nebraska Golden Sower Award committee is delighted to announce the 2022-23 winners!
We’d like to thank the Nebraska youth who read and voted for their favorite nominees of the school year. We tallied 63,553 votes — that’s a whole lot of reading! This would not be possible without the educators, librarians, parents, and guardians who foster a positive reading environment and provide access to books like the Golden Sower nominees. A special thank you to the wonderful authors and publishers that make these great books for kids and teens!
Here are this year's winners!
Picture Book Category:
Winner: The Box Turtle - Vanessa Roeder
Honor: This Way, Charlie - Caron Levis and Charles Santoso
Honor: On Account of the Gum - Adam Rex
Chapter Book Category:
Winner: The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter - Aaron Reynolds
Honor: Stella - McCall Hoyle
Honor: Twins - Varian Johnson and Shannon Wright
Novel Category:
Winner: The Inheritance Games - Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Honor: Unplugged - Gordon Korman
Honor: Millionaires for the Month - Stacy McAnulty
For reference, the full list of nominees is still available on this page for a bit longer before it will be added to the past winners document.
Our 2023-24 nominees have already been announced so you and your students can keep reading all summer long. If you’d like to contribute to the 2023-2024 manual, please contact nlagoldensower@nebraskalibraries.org.
PS Have you heard? We’ve changed the names of our reading levels to reflect kid-friendly, Nebraska-themed wildlife! Will you help us name our brand new Young Adult category?
2022-2023 Nominees
2022-2023 Picture Book Nominees
How to Catch a Clover Thief by Elise Parsley, illustrated by the author
Lift by Minh Lê, illustrated by Dan Santat
Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor, illustrated by the author
On Account of the Gum by Adam Rex, illustrated by the author
Outside, Inside by LeUyen Pham, illustrated by the author
The Box Turtle by Vanessa Roeder, illustrated by the author
The Perfectly Perfect Wish by Lisa Mantchev, illustrated by Jessica Courtney-Tickle
The Three Billy Goats Buenos by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Miguel Ordóñez
This Way, Charlie by Caron Levis, illustrated by Charles Santoso
Trees Make Perfect Pets by Paul Czajak, illustrated by Cathy Gendron
2022-2023 Chapter Book Nominees
Brave Like That by Lindsey Stoddard
Clues to the Universe by Christina Li
Every Missing Piece by Melanie Conklin
Letters from Cuba by Ruth Behar
Stella by McCall Hoyle
The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter by Aaron Reynolds
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead
The Million Dollar Race by Matthew Ross Smith
The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman
Twins by Varian Johnson, illustrated by Shannon Wright
2022-2023 Novel Nominees
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson
Coop Knows the Scoop by Taryn Souders
Dragon Ops by Mari Mancusi
Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden
Golden Arm by Carl Deuker
Millionaires for the Month by Stacy McAnulty
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Unplugged by Gordon Korman