About the Award  Past Winners

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Little Bluestem Nominees

• Bear in a Bathrobe by Maddie Frost
• Don't Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson
• I’m Sorry You Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Julie Kwon
• Mr. Fox’s Game of No! by David LaRochelle, illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
• Not Perfect by Maya Myers, illustrated by Hyewon Yum
• Pop! Goes the Nursery Rhyme by Betsy Bird, illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
• The Hare Who Wouldn’t Share by Steve Small
• The Quacken by Justin Colon, Illustrated by Pablo Pino
• That Always Happens Sometimes by Kiley Frank, illustrated by K-Fai Steele
• Ursula Upside Down by Corey R. Tabor

Honeybee Nominees (Grades 3-5)

• And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps
• Answer to Dog by Pete Hautman
• Carter Avery’s Tricky Fourth-Grade Year by Rob Buyea
• Curveball by Pablo Cartaya. Illustrated by Miguel Diaz Rivas
• Majestica by Sarah Tolcser
• Old School by Gordon Korman
• Popcorn by Rob Harrell
• The Sherlock Society by James Ponti
• Trouble at the Tangerine by Gillian McDunn
• Will’s Race for Home by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Meadowlark Nominees (Grades 6-8)

• Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows
• Exit Nowhere by Juliana Brandt
• Not Nothing by Gayle Forman
• Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
• Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better by Mylisa Larsen
• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
• The No-Brainer’s Guide to Decomposition by Adrianna Cuevas
• The Secret Language of Birds by Lynne Kelly
• The Wrong Way Home by Kate O’Shaughnessy
• Very Bad at Math: A Graphic Novel by Hope Larson

Bald Eagle Nominees (Grades 9-12)

• Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo
• Diet Soda Club by Chaz Hayden
• Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
• Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green
• Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell
• Six Truths and a Lie by Ream Shukairy
• Such Charming Liars by Karen M. McManus
• Twelfth Knight by Alexene Farol Follmuth
• Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...: A Love Story by Jason Reynolds
• With Love, Miss Americanah by Jane Igharo

Become a reader!

Selection group volunteers are adults who discuss potential Golden Sower nominees, then select nominees at an annual meeting. The last day to join as a Reader and to sponsor new titles for this cycle is May 15th. Fill out this form to sign up to volunteer!

Download the free 2026-2027 Golden Sower Award nominee bookmarks today!

2024-25 Manual Feedback Form

For general feedback on this year's manual, which is used to better further editions and future resources, please visit: https://nebraskalibraries.org/form.php?form_id=32&c=1

Golden Sower - Teachers Pay Teachers

This Teachers Pay Teachers store is run by a group of Nebraska educators and librarians and offers resources connected to the Nebraska Golden Sower Award, including manuals, bookmarks, logo packs, and materials organized by grade bands from PK–12.

Visit the Teachers Pays Teachers page