Texas Bluebonnet List 2025-26

Created on November 18, 2024, 12:39 pm

Last Updated December 26, 2024, 11:14 am

The Texas Library Association's Texas Bluebonnet Award program encourages reading for pleasure for students in grades 3 - 6. Each year, 20 books are chosen for the Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List of nominees and are announced by Texas students at the Texas Book Festival. Schools and libraries around the state participate in the program, encouraging students to read a minimum of five books from the list. In late January 2026, students vote for their favorite title. The author of the book receiving the most votes wins the Texas Bluebonnet Award (TBA) which is presented during the TLA Annual Conference in the spring.

1) A game of Noctis

Author

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

Paro questions the system she once believed in and joins the Seafoxes, a ragtag team of players seeking to win the deadly Noctis games, to save her grandfather.

2) A plate of hope: the inspiring story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen

Author

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

"A biography about chef José Andrés, who, through his World Central Kitchen organization, is fulfilling a vision to feed people in need all over the world"--

3) A Plate of Hope: The Inspiring Story of Chef José Andrés and World Central Kitchen

Author

Lombana, Luis Carlos de La

Description

This moving biography about world-renowned chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen organization is sure to inspire kids to help out in their own communities.

4) Un plato de esperanza: la inspiradora historia del Chef José Andrés y World Central Kitchen

Author

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eAudiobook

Description

"A biography about chef Jose Andres, who, through his World Central Kitchen organization, is fulfilling a vision to feed people in need all over the world"--

5) Un plato de esperanza (A Plate of Hope Spanish Edition): La inspiradora historia del chef José Andrés y World Central Kitchen

Author

Formats:

Description

Un conmovedor libro biográfico sobre el chef José Andrés, quien, junto con su organización World Central Kitchen, seguramente inspirará a los niños a ayudar en sus propias comunidades.
El amor de José Andrés por la cocina comenzó cuando era un niño en España, mientras recogía la leña para hacer el fuego que cocinaría la paella perfecta. A José...

6) Un plato de esperanza (A Plate of Hope Spanish Edition): La inspiradora historia del chef José Andrés y World Central Kitchen

Author

Lombana, Luis Carlos de La

Description

This moving biography about world-renowned chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen organization is sure to inspire kids to help their community. Spanish edition.

Author

Applegate, Katherine

Series

Dogtown books volume 1

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, Talking Book, Playaway, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

In Dogtown, a shelter for unwanted canine and robot dogs, an extraordinary bond develops between Chance, a longing three-legged dog, Metalhead, an empathetic robot, and Mouse, their friendly ally, as they strive to find forever homes.

8) Doña Quixote: rise of the knight

Author

Series

Dona Quixote volume 1

Formats:

Graphic Novels & Manga, Kindle, eComic, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days

Description

"Middle schooler by day. Monster hunter by (k)night. Lucia Castillo dreams of being a hero like her grandfather. But to the people in their Texas town, he was just a strange old man who dressed up as a knight and claimed to save the world from monsters only he could see. Now, years later, when Lucia and her best friend--and trusty squire--Sandro discover the town mayor is secretly a shape-shifting beast of Mexican lore, her parents think she is imagining...

9) Erno Rubik and His Magic Cube

Author

Formats:

Book, eBook, Kindle

Description

"This first picture book biography of Erno Rubik, creator of the Rubik's Cube, reveals the obsession, imagination, and engineering process behind the creation of a bestselling puzzle that will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024"--

10) Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature

Author

Formats:

Book, eBook, eAudiobook

Description

"These gross and engrossing haiku highlight thirteen animals (and a few fungi) and the exceptionally icky things they do! Accompanied by bonus facts that will delight--and disgust--readers of all ages"--

11) Hannah Sharpe cartoon detective

Author

Tashjian, Janet

Series

Hannah Sharpe volume 1

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle

Description

"Hannah Sharpe, an eleven-year-old cartoonist with Autism spectrum disorder, uses her curiosity, creativity, and amazing memory to investigate her family's newest Airbnb resident."--

12) Invisible Isabel

Author

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, Playaway, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

"Isabel Beane is a shy girl who lives in a home full of havoc and hubbub and hullabaloo. With five siblings, there is always too much too much-ness. At school, there's a new girl who is immediately popular, but she's also not very nice to one person--Isabel. Isabel has never felt more invisible. She begins to get bombarded by fears, like being abandoned by her classmates and taking the upcoming Extremely Important standardized test. Her fears feel...

13) It came from the trees

Author

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

Convinced that a Bigfoot-like creature took her best friend during a scouting trip, eleven-year-old Jenna sets out into the woods to find her.

14) Wrath of the rain god

Author

Series

Legendarios volume 1

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle

Description

"Nine-year-old twins, Emma and Martin, couldn't be more different in their personalities, interests, and even their looks. But one thing they absolutely agree on is that moving from Cuernavaca, Mexico, to Illinois is a terrible idea. Unfortunately, they're not given a choice when their dad lands his dream job as a middle school principal in Chicago. To help the twins stay connected to their Mexican heritage, their abuela gifts them a book of Mexican...

15) La ira de Tláloc

Author

Series

Legendarios volume 1

Description

Nine-year-old twins Emma and Martín travel into a book of legends where they must try to stop the rain god's flood.

16) Magnolia Wu unfolds it all

Author

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, Talking Book, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

New York Times bestselling author and artist Chanel Miller tells a fun, funny, and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on returning all the lonely only socks left behind in her parents' NYC laundromat.

Author

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle, eAudiobook

Description

"Nimbus had a rough start as a kitten. But her fortunes changed the day she met Fletcher. The boy nursed her back to health from a life-threatening injury and adopted her. But when Fletcher's aunt brings home a mysterious jar, an ancient nightmare demon is unwittingly unleashed. Despite battling the monster to save her friend, Fletcher's superstitious aunt blames Nim for the attack and secretly abandons her at a dump. There, Nim is befriended by a...

18) Pedro's yo-yos: how a Filipino immigrant came to America and changed the world of toys

Author

Peänas, Roberto

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle

Description

"The story of businessman Pedro Flores, inventor of the yo-yo."--

19) Welcome to scare school

Author

Lerner, Jarrett

Series

Scare School diaries volume 1

Formats:

Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, eBook, Kindle

Description

Bash is a young ghost who has never been good at scaring people is nervous about his first day at scare school, where he will learn to master the necessary skills to become a successful ghost.

20) Stuntboy: In-between time

Author

Reynolds, Jason

Series

Stuntboy volume 2

Formats:

Book, Bluebonnet Books - 14 Days, Playaway, Kindle, eComic, eAudiobook

Description

Portico Reeves--or Stuntboy, the greatest superhero people have never heard of--tries to manage his frets and navigate his new normal with divorced parents, bullies in his building, and a newfound friend.