The Volunteer State Book Award is sponsored annually by the Tennessee Library Association and the Tennessee Association of School Librarians. Each year, students across Tennessee are asked to read books from a list of nominated titles. The Volunteer State Book Award has four divisions--Primary

(Pre-K-2nd Grade), Intermediate (Grades 3rd-5th), Middle School (Grades 6-8), and high school (grades 9-12). In the spring, those students who read or listened to at least three of the titles from the list will be eligible to vote for their favorite titles. These votes will be tabulated and sent to the state organization. The book with the most votes state-wide will win the award. The author of the book receives a plaque and will be invited to Tennessee to receive the award.

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2020-2021 Volunteer State Book Award—Intermediate Division Grades 3-5

• Arden, Katherine. Small Spaces. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2018.

• Auxier, Jonathan. Sweep: The Story of a Girl and Her Monster. Storey Publishing, 2018.

• Beasley, Kate. Lions and Liars. Candlewick Press, 2018. 

• Cervantes, Angela. Me, Frida, and the Secret of the Peacock Ring. Scholastic Press, 2018. 

• DiCamillo, Kate. Louisiana’s Way Home. Candlewick Press, 2019. 

• Fletcher, Susan. Journey of the Pale Bear. Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2018. 

• Gemeinhart, Dan. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise. Henry Holt, 2019. 

• Hiranandani, Veera. The Night Diary. Kokila, 2018 

• Hollingsworth, Alyssa. The Eleventh Trade. Roaring Brook Press, 2018. 

• Hood, Susan. Lifeboat 12. Simon & Schuster, 2018.  

• Kelly, Erin Entrada. You Go First. Greenwillow Books/ HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018. 

• Mass, Wendy and Rebecca Stead. Bob. Feiwell & Friends, 2018. 

• McAnulty, Stacy. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Random House, 2018 

• Messner, Kate. The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs. Chronicle Books, 2018.  

• Paquette, Ammi-Joan. The Train of Lost Things. Philomel Book, 2018. 

• Pyron, Bobbie. A Pup Called Trouble. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018. 

• Saeed, Aisha. Amal Unbound. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018. 

• Tubb, Kristen O’Donnell. A Dog Like Daisy. Harper Collins, 2017.

• Woodson, Jaqueline. Harbor Me. Nancy Paulsen Book, 2018. 

• Yang, Kelly. Front Desk. Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic Inc., 2018.

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2020-2021 Volunteer State Book Award—Middle School Division Grades 6-8

• Baldwin, Cindy. Where the Watermelons Grow. HarperCollins, 2018.

• Blake, Ashley Herring. Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World. Little, Brown Books for
  Young Readers, 2018.

• Calejo, Ryan. Charlie Hernàndez and the League of Shadows. Aladdin, 2018.

• Callender, Kheryn. Hurricane Child. Scholastic Press, 2018.

• Charles, Tami. Like Vanessa. Charlesbridge Publishing, 2018.

• Chase, Paula. So Done. Greenwillow Books, 2018.

• Connor, Leslie. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.

• Craft, Jerry. New Kid. HarperCollins, 2019.

• Hendrix, John. The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler. Amulet
  Books, 2018.

• Johnson, Jaleigh. Door to the Lost. Delacorte Press, 2018.

• Maldonado, Torrey. Tight. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018.

• McAnulty, Stacy. The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl. Random House Books for
  Young Readers, 2018.

• Medina, Meg. Merci Suàrez Changes Gears. Candlewick Press, 2018.

• Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Ghost Boys. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018.

• Saeed, Aisha. Amal Unbound. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018.

• Schwab, Victoria. City of Ghosts. Scholastic Press, 2018.

• Swanson, James L. Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
  Assassin. Scholastic Press, 2018.

• Tyre, Lisa Lewis. Hope in the Holler. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2018.

• Wang, Jen. The Prince and the Dressmaker. First Second, 2018.

• Yang, Kelly. Front Desk. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2018. 

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2020-21 Volunteer State Book Award—High School Division Grades 9-12

• Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X. Harperteen, 2018.

• Adeyemi, Tomi. Children of Blood and Bone. Henry Holt & Company, 2018.

• Blake, Ashley Herring. Girl Made of Stars. Houghton Mifflin, 2018.

• Bowman, Erin. Contagion. Harperteen, 2018.

• Giles, Lamar. Spin. Scholastic Press, 2019.

• Ireland, Justina. Dread Nation. Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, 2018.

• ackson, Tiffany D. Monday’s Not Coming. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.

• Johnson, Maureen. Truly Devious. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.

• Kemmerer, Brigid. More Than We Can Tell. Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2018.

• Khorram, Adib. Darius the Great is Not Okay. Dial Books, 2018.

• Krosoczka, Jarrett. Hey, Kiddo. Graphix, 2018.

• Lee, Mackenzi. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy. Katherine Tegen Books, 2018.

• Mafi, Tahereh. A Very Large Expanse of Sea. HarperCollins, 2018.

• McCullough, Joy. Blood Water Paint. Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2018.

• Pan, Emily X.R. The Astonishing Color of After. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2018.

• Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults): A True Story of the Fight for Justice. Delacorte Press, 2018.

• Shusterman, Neal & Jarrod Shusterman. Dry. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2018.

• Stevens, Courtney. Four Three Two One. Harperteen, 2018.

• Stamper, Vesper. What the Night Sings. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2018.

• Thomas, Angie. On the Come Up. Balzer & Bray/Harperteen, 2019.