Dear CT Librarians,

The March Nutmeg Newsletter was released on Friday, March 20. Please read below for the latest Nutmeg news! To receive future newsletters, sign up here! Thank you for your support of the Nutmeg Book Award!

We hope you've had a wonderful year reading and talking about the 2026 Nutmeg Books with your community! Now it's time to make your voices heard.

Voting takes place from April 1 through April 30. You can collect votes from your students or patrons using either a Google Form ballot or a paper ballot — whichever works best for your community. Personalize the templates below for your school or library. Remember, student votes count at each level regardless of grade. Once voting is complete, use the Librarian Submission Forms below to submit your school or library's votes by May 1st. Winners will be announced on May 15th.

Student Voting Google Forms: 

Click the links below to make a personalized copy for your school or library. Students submit their responses through the form; you view and compile the results, then submit once using the Librarian Submission Forms below.

Elementary Student Voting Form (Grades 2-3)

Intermediate Student Voting Form (Grade 4-6)

Middle School Student Voting Form (Grade 7-8)

High School Student Voting Form (Grade 9-12)

Student Voting Printable Ballots:

Print and cut paper ballots for students or patrons to fill out in person, ensuring one vote per level per person. Count and compile the results, then submit once using the Librarian Submission Forms below.

Elementary Printable Ballot (Grades 2-3)

Intermediate Printable Ballot (Grade 4-6)

Middle School Printable Ballot (Grade 7-8)

High School Printable Ballot (Grade 9-12)

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 1st for the votes to count.

Elementary Librarian Submission Form (Grades 2-3)

Intermediate Librarian Submission Form (Grade 4-6)

Middle School Librarian Submission Form (Grade 7-8)

High School Librarian Submission Form (Grade 9-12)

2027 Nutmeg Nominees:

We are thrilled to share this year's nominees with you! The lists in this newsletter are now public — readers and educators are welcome to explore them. While the titles are no longer a secret, we'd love to preserve the excitement of the 2026 Winner Announcement on May 15th. We ask that full promotion of the 2027 titles wait until the May 1 launch date.

Thank you for your patience while we finalized this year’s list. We are happy to share that all titles have now been confirmed and reprinted by publishers. If you encounter any purchasing delays, please utilize the Library Service Center for discussion sets and interlibrary loan. Thank you for your continued support!

2027 Elementary Nominees (Grades 2-3)

• Amina Banana and the Formula for Friendship by Shifa Saltagi Safadi, art by Aaliya Jaleel

• Bear and Bird: The Picnic and Other Stories by Jarvis

• Detective Beans & the Case of the Missing Hat by Li Chen

• Ernö Rubik and His Magic Cube by Kerry Aradhya, art by Kara Kramer

• How This Book Got Red by Margaret Chiu Greanias, art by Melissa Iwai

• Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan

• Listen: How Evelyn Glennie, a Deaf Girl, Changed Percussion by Shannon Stocker, art by Devon Holzwarth

• Millie Fleur's Poison Garden by Christy Mandin

• Perfect by Waka T. Brown, art by Yuko Jones

• This Is How We Talk: A Celebration of Disability and Connection by Jessica Slice and Caroline Cupp, art by Kayla Harren

2027 Intermediate Nominees (Grades 4-6)

• Creature Clinic by Gavin Aung Than

• The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

• Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case

• Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller

• The Myth of Monsters: Medusa by Katherine Marsh

• The Partition Project by Saadia Faruqi

• The Queen of Ocean Parkway by Sarvenaz Tash, art by Ericka Lugo

• Select by Christie Matheson

• Squire & Knight by Scott Chantler

• Tig by Heather Smith

2027 Middle School Nominees (Grades 7-8)

• Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack

• Boy 2.0 by Tracey Baptiste

• The Fire, the Water and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla

• Half Moon Summer by Elaine Vickers

• The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

• Louder Than Hunger by John Schu

• Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

• The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett

• Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf

• The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman by Gennifer Choldenko

2027 High School Nominees (Grades 9-12)

• Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole

• The Color of a Lie by Kim Johnson

• Dungeons and Drama by Kristy Boyce

• Fitting Indian by Jyoti Chand, art by Tara Anand

• Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell

• Rez Ball by Byron Graves

• Sky's End by Marc J. Gregson

• Swarm by Jennifer D. Lyle

• Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis

• Youth Group by Jordan Morris, art by Bowen McCurdy

2027 Nutmeg Flyers

2027 Elementary Level Flyer (Grades 2-3)

2027 Intermediate Level Flyer (Grade 4-6)

2027 Middle School Level Flyer (Grade 7-8)

2027 High School Level Flyer (Grade 9-12)

We Couldn't Have Done It Without Them!

A huge thank you to our Selection Committee Chairs and all the Selection Committee Members who read widely and worked together to build these outstanding nominee lists!

Elementary Level Chairs: Leah Smith & Allyson Bolton

Intermediate Level Chairs: Jen Kistner & Kristina Garner

Middle School Level Chairs: Melissa Victoria & Patricia Moore

High School Level Chairs: Karen Pfeffer & Carlos Chuquizuta

Promotional Materials:

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

Nominee bookmarks and award winner foil seals are also available online. We accept electronic credit card and PayPal payments through our website as a form to pay by check. Visit our promotional materials page for more information.

Questions about promotional materials orders? Contact Kristin Raiche, Nutmeg Book Award Treasurer, at kraiche@enfield.org.

Borrow Nutmeg sets at the Library Service Center!

Would you like to borrow a multicopy set of books for a Nutmeg Book Club? Nutmeg Awards sets can be borrowed for 45 days from the CT State Library! Browse the circulating collections from the Middletown Library Service Center to reserve yours today. Contact the Children and YA Consultant Kymberlee Powe for any questions at kymberlee.powe@ct.gov.

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.