In this edition of Nutmeg News & Updates, you will find:

Information on the 2025 voting process with voting forms, printable ballots, and submission links
Announcement of the 2026 Nutmeg Book Award nominees
Information on purchasing promotional materials on our website
Ways you can get involved with the Nutmeg Book Award
Where to send book concerns regarding nominees

We hope you have had an amazing year reading and talking about the 2025 Nutmeg Books with your community!

Voting for the 2025 Nutmeg Book Awards takes place from April 1-30. There are two ways to collect votes from your students/patrons: Google Form ballots or paper ballots. Personalize the templates below to use in your community. Remember student votes count for each level even if they are not in that grade. When student voting is over, please use the Librarian Submission Forms below to submit your school/library votes by May 2nd. Winners will be announced on May 15th.

Google Form Templates:
Click the links below to personalize a copy for your own School / Library. Readers can submit their responses using the form. View and compile the results, then submit them 1 time from your School / Library using the Librarian Submission Forms below.

Paper Ballot Option:
Print and cut paper ballots for your students/patrons to fill out in-house, ensuring only 1 vote per level per person. Count and compile the results, then submit 1 time from your School / Library using the Librarian Submission Form below.

Librarian Submission Forms:
Please submit ONLY 1 Submission from your School / Library with the total number of votes for each book voted on per level. Forms must be submitted no later than May 2nd for the votes to count. This form will open on April 1.

For questions regarding voting, email nutmegbookaward1993@gmail.com.

We are thrilled to announce our 2026 Nutmeg Book Award Nominees!

Remember that the lists provided in this newsletter and on nutmegaward.org are now public for readers and educators. While the titles are no longer secret as of this announcement, we do not want to take away from the excitement of the 2025 Winner Announcement on May 15th. The Nutmeg Book Award advises that full promotion of the new titles does not happen until the May 1 launch date.

The Nutmeg Book Award aims to encourage children to read quality literature. By releasing the list of nominees to the general public, we hope to build excitement about and participation in the Nutmeg Book Award process while still providing ample time for libraries and schools to order the titles in time for the May 1 launch date of the new Nutmeg Book Award year.

Please note: As of the 2026 reading year, all levels of the Nutmeg Book Award consist of 10 books. This is a change from the Elementary level consisting of 15 titles in previous years.

We Couldn't Have Done It Without Them!

A huge THANK YOU to our Selection Committee Chairs and all the Selection Committee Members for reading and working together to make these amazing nominee lists!

2026 Elementary Grades 2-3 Co-Chairs:
Michele Kaminski and Sarah Prattson
2026 Intermediate Grades 4-6 Chairs:
Meg Klein and Kristina Lareau
2026 Middle School Grades 7-8 Co-Chairs:
Ashley Ewert and Kristen Finnegan
2026 High School Grades 9-12 Chairs:
Cathy Andronik and Meg Glasgow

Color Flyers Available Here:

2026 Elementary Nominees Flyer

2026 Intermediate Nominees Flyer

2026 Middle School Nominees Flyer

2026 High School Nominees Flyer

...And the 2026 Nominees Are:

2026 Elementary Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:

Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular by Polly Owen, art by Gwen Millward
The Egg Incident by Ziggy Hanaor, art by Daisy Wynter
Feathers Together by Caron Levis, art by Charles Santoso
Great Carrier Reef by Jessica Stremer, art by Gordy Wright
Henry, Like Always by Jenn Bailey, art by Mika Song
The Iguanodon's Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again... and Again by Sean Rubin
Just Harriet by Elana K. Arnold, art by Dung Ho
The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish by Chloe Savage
The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen
The World's Best Class Plant by Liz Garton Scanlon & Audrey Vernick, art by Lynnor Bontigao

2026 Intermediate Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:

Air by Monica Roe
The Carrefour Curse by Dianne K. Salerni
The Dog Knight by Jeremy Whitley, art by Bre Indigo, colors by Melissa Capriglione
Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, art by Wallace West
Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, art by Rose Bousamra
Grounded by Aisha Saeed, Huda Al-Marashi, Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, & S.K. Ali
It Found Us by Lindsay Currie
Moongarden by Michelle A. Barry
Speak Up! by Rebecca Burgess
Trex by Christyne Morrell

2026 Middle School Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:

Alone by Megan E. Freeman
Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Don't Want To Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander
Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf
The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera
The Lost Year by Katherine Marsh
Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow
Team Chu and the Battle of Blackwood Arena by Julia C. Dao
What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

2026 High School Nutmeg Book Award Nominees:

The 9:09 Project by Mark H. Parsons
For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome
Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow
The Girls I've Been by Tess Sharpe
The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang & Leuyen Pham
The Silence That Binds Us by Joanna Ho
Spin by Rebecca Caprara
The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew Joseph White
Throwback by Maurene Goo

2026 Promotional Materials:

Leveled stickers are available to purchase on our website. The nominee stickers are solid colors with the words Nutmeg Book Award and the level nominee. There is a different color for each level. See examples here:

Nominee bookmarks and award winner foil seals are also available to purchase online. We allow electronic credit card or PayPal payments through our website. For more information on this, please go to our promotional materials page.

If you still prefer to print, fill out and send a check, you will be able to access that form on our website soon.

For questions regarding the orders of Promotional Materials, please contact Kristin Raiche, Nutmeg Book Award Treasurer at: kraiche@enfield.org.

Nutmeg Book Award Highlights From Around CT:

Are you or your library doing something extra special to highlight the Nutmeg Book Awards? We want to hear about it! Send your highlight to the Nutmeg Book Award Steering Committee at nutmegbookaward1993@gmail.com to be featured in our next newsletter.

Book Nominee Concerns:

Selecting the books for the Nutmeg Book Award is a long and challenging process that includes the input of librarians, educators, and students from across the state. We understand that these selections may not match the preference of every individual, but hope that encouraging reading across all ages and interests stays at the forefront of this Award. Should you have concerns about a title, please contact the appropriate committee chairs. The Nutmeg Book Award Selection Committee Chairs can be found here: Committee Members Directory.

Nutmeg Book Award

104 Middle Rd.

Enfield, CT 06082-4595

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