2023-2024 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List

The Beatryce prophecy

DiCamillo, Kate,


Booklist starred, May2021. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, September2021. Horn Book Starred, September2021. Kirkus Starred, August2021. Library Media Connection, August2021. New York Times, September2021. Pub Weekly, July2021. School Library Journal, October2021. "When a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing, Brother Edik nurses her back to health, but when he uncovers her dangerous secret, she is sent away into the world with a goat and a boy"--BTCat.
Date Published:2021

Booklist starred, May2021. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, September2021. Horn Book Starred, September2021. Kirkus Starred, August2021. Library Media Connection, August2021. New York Times, September2021. Pub Weekly, July2021. School Library Journal, October2021. "When a mysterious child appears at the monastery of the Order of the Chronicles of Sorrowing, Brother Edik nurses her back to health, but when he uncovers her dangerous secret, she is sent away into the world with a goat and a boy"--BTCat.

Date Published:2021

Blue : a history of the color as deep as the sea and as wide as the sky

Brew-Hammond, Nana Ekua,


Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre. Pub Weekly. School Library Journal. Booklist, October2021. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, January2022. Horn Book, January2022. Kirkus Review, September2014. Library Media Connection, January2015. Pub Weekly, January2022. School Library Journal, August2014. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), October2014. This picture book follows one color's journey throughout history--from ancient Afghan painters to 1905, when a chemical blue dye was created--and around the world, as it becomes the blue we know today.
Date Published:2022

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre. Pub Weekly. School Library Journal. Booklist, October2021. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books starre, January2022. Horn Book, January2022. Kirkus Review, September2014. Library Media Connection, January2015. Pub Weekly, January2022. School Library Journal, August2014. Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.), October2014. This picture book follows one color's journey throughout history--from ancient Afghan painters to 1905, when a chemical blue dye was created--and around the world, as it becomes the blue we know today.

Date Published:2022

The dirt book : poems about animals that live beneath our feet

Harrison, David L. (David Lee), 1937-,


Includes notes about dirt and the organisms that live in it. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), May2021. Kirkus Review, May2021. School Library Journal, June2021. "A collection of poems about dirt and the many organisms that live there such as grubs, trap door spiders, moles, earthworms, chipmunks, and doodlebugs"-- Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2023

The first cat in space ate pizza. Book one /

Barnett, Mac,


Statement of responsibility from front cover. v. numbering from spine. Booklist, April2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), April2022. Horn Book, July2022. Kirkus Review, March2022. Pub Weekly, April2022. School Library Journal starred, May2022. "Something terrible is happening in the skies! Rats are eating the MOON! There's only ONE hero for the job, a bold and fearsome beast bioengineered in a secret lab to be the moon's savior and Earth's last hope! And that hero is--a cat. A cat who will be blasted into space! Accompanied by the imperious Moon Queen and LOZ 4000, a toenail clipping robot, the First Cat in Space journeys across a fantastic lunar landscape in a quest to save the world. Will these unlikely heroes save the moon in time? Can a toenail-clipping robot find its purpose in the vast universe? And will the First Cat in Space ever eat some pizza?"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2022

Statement of responsibility from front cover. v. numbering from spine. Booklist, April2022. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), April2022. Horn Book, July2022. Kirkus Review, March2022. Pub Weekly, April2022. School Library Journal starred, May2022. "Something terrible is happening in the skies! Rats are eating the MOON! There's only ONE hero for the job, a bold and fearsome beast bioengineered in a secret lab to be the moon's savior and Earth's last hope! And that hero is--a cat. A cat who will be blasted into space! Accompanied by the imperious Moon Queen and LOZ 4000, a toenail clipping robot, the First Cat in Space journeys across a fantastic lunar landscape in a quest to save the world. Will these unlikely heroes save the moon in time? Can a toenail-clipping robot find its purpose in the vast universe? And will the First Cat in Space ever eat some pizza?"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2022

Gladys the magic chicken

Rubin, Adam, 1983-,


Junior Library Guild. In Ancient Times, Gladys the dancing chicken goes on an epic adventure when she is mistaken for a magical chicken who grants wishes to those she encounters.
Date Published:2021

Haven : a small cat's big adventure

Lloyd, Megan Wagner,


Booklist, July2022. Kirkus Review, May2022. Publishers Weekly Annex, August2022. "When her cherished Ma Millie falls ill, a timid housecat ventures into the wild to seek help in this adventure about love, loss, and finding the truest version of ourselves"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2022

Indelible Ann : the larger-than-life story of Governor Ann Richards

Browne, Meghan P., 1985-,


Booklist, June2021. Kirkus Starred, April2021. Publishers Weekly, May2021. School Library Journal, August2021. "A folksy, larger-than-life picture book biography about Ann Richards, the late governor of Texas who has inspired countless women in politics today"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2021

Invisible

Gonzalez, Christina Diaz, 1969-,


Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There's George: the brain Sara: the loner Dayara: the tough kid Nico: the rich kid And Miguel: the athlete And they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same... just five Spanish-speaking kids. Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help... or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.
Date Published:2022

Can five overlooked kids make one big difference? There's George: the brain Sara: the loner Dayara: the tough kid Nico: the rich kid And Miguel: the athlete And they're stuck together when they're forced to complete their school's community service hours. Although they're sure they have nothing in common with one another, some people see them as all the same... just five Spanish-speaking kids. Then they meet someone who truly needs their help, and they must decide whether they are each willing to expose their own secrets to help... or if remaining invisible is the only way to survive middle school.

Date Published:2022

The last beekeeper

Cartaya, Pablo,


Booklist. Kirkus Review. Publishers Weekly. Booklist, June2022. Kirkus Review, May2022. Publishers Weekly, May2022. To prove that she belongs in a place where only the smartest and most useful are welcomed, twelve-year-old Yolanda learns that her survival rests on the rediscovery of a long-extinct beehive that could be the answer to everything.
Date Published:2022

The last mapmaker

Soontornvat, Christina,


Booklist, February 2022. Horn Book, March 2022. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Starred, February 2022. Library Media Connection, March 2022. New York Times, April 2022. Pub Weekly, February 2022. School Library Journal starred, May 2022. "In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman's struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman--and in a kingdom where the status of one's ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn't the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands--a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining--she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old"--Provided by the publisher.
Date Published:2022

Booklist, February 2022. Horn Book, March 2022. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Starred, February 2022. Library Media Connection, March 2022. New York Times, April 2022. Pub Weekly, February 2022. School Library Journal starred, May 2022. "In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman's struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon's most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman--and in a kingdom where the status of one's ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn't the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands--a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining--she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old"--Provided by the publisher.

Date Published:2022

Leave it to Plum

Phelan, Matt,


Junior Library Guild. Every day at the Athensville Zoo the peacocks are allowed to wander freely among the visitors, delighting and guiding kids and grownups alike, and kind, curious Plum is the peacock most proud of their responsibility.
Date Published:2023

The legend of Gravity : a tall basketball tale

Palmer, Charly,


Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), December2021. Horn Book Starred, January2022. Junior Library Guild. Kirkus Review, December2021. School Library Journal, April2022. "A tall tale about a local basketball hero nicknamed Gravity"--Provided by the publisher.
Date Published:2022

The Marvellers

Clayton, Dhonielle,


Eleven-year-old Ella is the first Conjuror to attend the Arcanum Training Institute, a magic school in the clouds where Marvellers from around the world practice their cultural arts. When a dangerous criminal known as the Ace of Anarchy escapes prison, supposedly with a Conjurors's aid, Ella becomes the target of suspicion.
Date Published:2022

Once upon a Tim

Gibbs, Stuart, 1969-,


Booklist, March2022. Kirkus Review, May2022. Kirkus, May 01,2022. New York Times, February2022. Publisher's Weekly, January 31,2022. Publishers Weekly, January2022. School library journal, March 01,2022. School Library Journal, March2022. With no knightly experience but plenty of pluck and an impressive vocabulary, a twelve-year-old peasant, hoping to improve his station in life, volunteers to help a cowardly prince and his not very powerful wizard rescue a princess from an evil, foul-smelling monster.
Date Published:2022

Booklist, March2022. Kirkus Review, May2022. Kirkus, May 01,2022. New York Times, February2022. Publisher's Weekly, January 31,2022. Publishers Weekly, January2022. School library journal, March 01,2022. School Library Journal, March2022. With no knightly experience but plenty of pluck and an impressive vocabulary, a twelve-year-old peasant, hoping to improve his station in life, volunteers to help a cowardly prince and his not very powerful wizard rescue a princess from an evil, foul-smelling monster.

Date Published:2022

The polter-ghost problem

Uhrig, Betsy,


Kirkus Starred, June2022. Best friends Aldo, Pen, and Jasper stumble onto an abandoned orphanage and discover that freeing a houseful of imprisoned ghosts from an angry poltergeist could get them into serious trouble.
Date Published:2022

Solimar : the sword of the Monarchs

Ryan, Pam Muñoz,


Booklist, December 2021. Bulletin (Center for Children's Books), January 2022. Kirkus Review, May 2022. Publishers Weekly, December 2021. School Library Journal, February 2022. "On the brink of her Quinceañera, and her official coronation, Princess Solimar is given a magical gift that sets her life on a new path"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2023

Thirst

Bajaj, Varsha,


Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity-an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there's even a rooftop swimming pool.
Date Published:2022

Minni lives in the poorest part of Mumbai, where access to water is limited to a few hours a day and the communal taps have long lines. Lately, though, even that access is threatened by severe water shortages and thieves who are stealing this precious commodity-an act that Minni accidentally witnesses one night. Meanwhile, in the high-rise building where she just started to work, she discovers that water streams out of every faucet and there's even a rooftop swimming pool.

Date Published:2022

Unbound : the life and art of Judith Scott

Scott, Joyce,


"This is a Borzoi book"--Colophon. Judith Scott was born with Down syndrome. She was deaf, and never learned to speak. She was also a talented artist. Judith was institutionalized until her sister Joyce reunited with her and enrolled her in an art class. Judith went on to become an artist of renown with her work displayed in museums and galleries around the world.
Date Published:2021