2021-2022 Truman Readers Award Finalists (PDF)

The Truman Readers Award honors a book that is selected by Missouri junior high students. To be eligible to vote, students must read at least four of the finalists. Voting will occur at participating schools early next spring. While the winner won’t be announced until April 2022, this is a great list of summer reads for students in grades sixth through eighth.

“The Line Tender” by Kate Allen
Lucy Everhart is the daughter of a rescue-diver father; her marine biologist mother died suddenly when Lucy was only seven. She is spending the summer before eighth grade with her best friend, Fred, when locals and experts alike are shocked by a dead great white shark washing up in their small coastal town.

“Verify” by Joelle Charbonneau
When Meri Beckley looks at the peaceful Chicago streets, she feels pride in the era of unprecedented hope and prosperity. But when her mother is killed, Meri suddenly has questions that no one else seems to be asking.

“The Crossover (Graphic Novel)” by Kwame Alexander, illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile
Twin brothers Josh and Jordan, sons of a basketball legend, rule the court, especially when they cooperate. But when the two find themselves growing further apart, as hormones increase and a girl enters the picture, life on and off the court falls into chaos.

“The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise” by Dan Gemeinhart
For the past five years, 12-year-old Coyote Sunrise and her father, Rodeo, have traveled all over the U.S. Once upon a time, they lived in Washington state, but when her mother and two sisters died in an automobile accident her father, changed their names and took off, determined to put painful memories behind them.

“The Unteachables” by Gordon Korman
Teacher Zachary Kermit has been haunted by scandal for the last 27 years . So when he is assigned a class of students with behavior issues and learning difficulties, he is unfazed, only a year away from retirement. But when Mr. Kermit unexpectedly stands up for one of his students, the kids notice.

“It’s the End of the World as I Know It” by Matthew Landis
Ever since his mother was killed in the line of duty in Iraq, Derrick has been convinced that the apocalypse is coming. When his next-door neighbor, Misty, reappears after a long bout with a rare kidney disease, confusion settles in like a low-grade fever.

“The Bone Houses” by Emily Lloyd-Jones 
Ever since the dead have started coming back to life, gravedigger Ryn has been out of work. Desperate to clear her family’s debts to a greedy landlord, Ryn connects with Ellis, a lost mapmaker, who will pay her to guide him into the mountains.

“Free Lunch” by Rex Ogle
Recounting his childhood experiences in sixth grade, Rex Ogle’s memoir chronicles the punishing consequences of poverty and violence on himself and his family.

“Right as Rain” by Lindsey Stoddard  
Following the death of her brother, 10-year-old Rain and her family leave Vermont for New York City. Rain struggles to adjust to life in a big city, but eventually bonds with her new neighbor.

“Tiger Queen” by Annie Sullivan  
Sixteen-year-old Princess Kateri’s desert kingdom is suffering from a drought, and the king is having to ration their water, which is also being stolen by a rebel gang. Kateri longs to help her people, but first she must fight through the arena and prove her right to rule.

“Other Words for Home” by Jasmine Warga 
Sent to live with a relative in Cincinnati after civil war comes to Syria, Jude worries for the family members who were left behind as she adjusts to a new life.

“Genesis Begins Again” by Alicia D. Williams 
Thirteen-year-old Genesis has a turbulent home life, and when her father moves their Black family to an upscale, mostly-white suburb, she has to find her footing in a new environment.

2021-22 Gateway Award Finalists (PDF)

The Gateway Readers Award honors a young adult novel that is selected by Missouri high school students. To be eligible to vote, students must read at least three of the finalists. Voting will occur at participating schools early next March, so you can use the summer months to get a head start on this list! The winner will be announced in April 2022.

“With the Fire on High” by Elizabeth Acevedo
As both a senior in high school and a mother, Emoni must balance her schoolwork and family with her culinary aspirations.

“Internment” by Samira Ahmed
Muslim citizens, including Layla and her parents, are forced into internment camps. Layla, with the help of fellow internees and an unlikely alliance with a guard, leads a resistance movement.

“The Lovely and the Lost” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When a little girl is lost in a park, a family of search-and-rescue professionals reunites and generations of secrets are uncovered.

“I Know You Remember” by Jennifer Donaldson
After moving back to Anchorage and discovering the mysterious disappearance of her best friend, high school senior Ruthie embarks on a search that reveals dark secrets.

“The Speed of Falling Objects” by Nancy Richardson Fischer
When Danny’s dad invites her to join him to film the next episode of his popular survivalist show, Danny jumps at the chance to prove she’s not the disappointment he left behind.

“Ordinary Hazards” by Nikki Grimes
Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters and shunted from foster family to foster family.

“The Grace Year” by Kim Liggett
At the age of 16, Tierney James and the other girls in her society must endure a dangerous year in the wild, struggling to survive, before they can return home to marry or perform menial labor.

“Heroine” by Mindy McGinnis
When a car crash sidelines Mickey just before softball season, she has to find a way to keep her spot as the catcher for the team.

“SLAY” by Brittney Morris
An honors student at Jefferson Academy, Keira enjoys developing and playing SLAY, a secret, multiplayer online role-playing game celebrating black culture, until her two worlds collide.

“Fireborne” by Rosaria Munda
Annie and Lee were just children when a brutal revolution changed their world. Now they are both rising stars and rivals in the new Regime.

“Where I End & You Begin” by Preston Norton
As a punishment, Ezra, his crush Imogen, his best friend and Imogen’s best friend Wynonna must all perform in the school play. Just before the first rehearsal starts, Ezra and Wynonna wake up in each other’s bodies!

“The Field Guide to the North American Teenager” by Ben Philippe
As the new kid, Norris finds himself cataloging everyone he meets: the Cheerleaders, the Jocks and the Loners. But those labels soon become actual people.

“Patron Saints of Nothing” by Randy Ribay
Jay Reguero learns that his cousin, and former best friend, was murdered as part of President Duterte’s war on drugs. Jay travels to the Philippines, hoping to uncover more about the murder, and is forced to face a larger truth.

“Field Notes on Love” by Jennifer E. Smith
Two teens, Hugo and Mae, are strangers until they share a cross-country train trip that teaches them about love, each other and the futures they can build for themselves.

“The Escape of Light” by Fred Venturini
Teenage burn survivor Wilder Tate faces the challenges of high school, but Wilder’s scars run far deeper than just physical damage: he’s haunted by a secret.