Book challenges and awards
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan grades 6-8 nominees, 2025-2026
These twenty books, ten novels and ten graphic novels, are the 2025-26 Black-Eyed Susan nominees for middle school students in Maryland. Preview some of the older-reading ones.
Copied from the Maryland Association of School Librarians' 2025-2026 Black-Eyed Susan nominee list as posted by Howard County Public Schools, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
Aniana Del Mar Jumps In
Jasminne Mendez · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Fire, the Water, and Maudie McGinn
Sally J. Pla · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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It Came from the Trees
Ally Russell · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Labors of Hercules Beal
Gary D. Schmidt · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Medusa (The Myth of Monsters, Book 1)
Katherine Marsh · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Mid-Air
Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Mona Lisa Vanishes: A Legendary Painter, A Shocking Heist, and the Birth of a Global Celebrity
Nicholas Day, illustrated by Brett Helquist · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman
Gennifer Choldenko · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Wrecker
Carl Hiaasen · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Wrong Way Home
Kate O'Shaughnessy · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Happy Shop
Brittany Long Olsen · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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How It All Ends
Emma Hunsinger · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Maelstrom: A Prince of Evil
Lorian Merriman · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Next Stop
Debbie Fong · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Pearl
Sherri L. Smith, illustrated by Christine Norrie · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Plain Jane and the Mermaid
Vera Brosgol · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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The Terrifying Tales of Vivian Vance
Josh Ulirch · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Uprooted: A Memoir About What Happens When Your Family Moves Back
Ruth Chan · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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We Are Big Time
Hena Khan, illustrated by Safiya Zerrougui · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
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Wildful
Kengo Kurimoto · Ages 11-14
2025-26 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan nominee, grades 6-8 (the last ten are graphic novels).
Buy: Bookshop.org · Amazon
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Newbery Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
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Newbery Medal winners worth reading before middle school
Newbery winners go back to 1922, and many older ones feel dated.
Caldecott Medal winners, 2017 to 2026
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Caldecott Honor Books, 2022 to 2026
Honor books are the Caldecott committee's runners-up, and many of them are the ones children ask to hear again.
Caldecott Medal winners from 1980 to 2016 that are still shelf favorites
Older Caldecott winners are the ones many families already own.
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winners, 2019 to 2026
The Geisel Award goes to the best book for beginning readers each year.
Geisel Honor Books, 2023 to 2026
The Geisel committee also names honor books, which is where many of the funniest early readers show up.