VTPL 2024-25 Young Hoosier Book Awards

"Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There's George: the brain, Sara: the loner, Dayara: the tough kid, Nico: the rich kid and Miguel: the athlete. And they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same...just five Spanish-speaking kids. Then they meet someone who truly needs their help,...

In a future shaken by climate disasters, Yolanda Cicerón knows that nature is something to be feared. From the crops that don't grow to the terrifying creatures that roam the countryside, Yoly's life in the Valley is brutal and harsh. She dreams of leaving her farm to live in Silo--the most advanced town for miles around. But first, Yoly will need to prove she belongs in a place where only the smartest and most useful are welcomed. Between her razor-sharp...

"Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family is taken. Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse--or even a doctor. Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father's imprisonment, as the war's longest battle stretches on and on. Elsa, from Germany, hopes her homing pigeon might one day bring her a friend from...

"Eleven-year-old Maizy Chen visits her estranged grandparents, who own and run a Chinese restaurant in Last Chance, Minnesota; as her visit lengthens, she makes unexpected discoveries about her family's history and herself."--

Crumbling under the pressure at her elite school on the moon, misfit Myra Hodger discovers a lab full of toxic plants and uses her botanical magic to weed out its secrets, but quickly discovers some will do anything to take those secrets to the grave. Centuries ago, Earth's plants turned toxic, rendering life on the planet impossible, and humanity took to space to cultivate new homes. Myra Porter is in her first year at an elite school on the Moon...

"After awakening to find that her pet ferret is now pet feet, a young girl discovers that the letter "R" has disappeared and its absence is causing chaos throughout her town"--

Five ice cream cones are eager to get picked — until they realize what it means!

Fudge, Mint, Berry, Bean, and Candy each think they are the MOST delicious ice cream cone around. But when Rocky Road arrives to deliver the scoop that "getting picked" means getting eaten, these silly cones earn their just desserts!

"Pampered, nap-loving kitty Poopsie makes her way through a jungle after a pushy narrator pressures her toward adventure"--

"Punky loves to do a lot of things--except meeting new friends. She doesn't feel brave enough. So when her grandmother asks her to go out and grab butter for her famous banana bread, Punky hesitates. But with the help of her grandmother's magical sunglasses, and with a lot of aloha in her heart, Punky sets off on a BIG adventure for the very first time"--

Tired of sitting all day on the Nature Finds shelf in Room 214, a rock named Rick escapes the classroom for the great outdoors, only to discover that sometimes the greatest adventure in life is friendship.