Picture Books

Suggested grade level for all entries: PS–2
 

Summer Song by Kevin Henkes; illus. by Laura Dronzek (Greenwillow)

The Camping Trip by Jennifer K. Mann (Candlewick)

Johnny’s Pheasant by Cheryl Minnema; illus. by Julie Flett (Minnesota)

Goodnight, Veggies by Diana Murray; illus. by Zachariah OHora (Houghton)

Hike by Pete Oswald (Candlewick)

A New Green Day by Antoinette Portis (Porter/Holiday)

The Old Truck by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey (Norton)

¡Vamos!: Let’s Go Eat by Raúl the Third; color by Elaine Bay (Versify/Houghton)

Jules vs. the Ocean by Jessie Sima (Simon)

Octopus Stew by Eric Velasquez (Holiday)

Easy Readers and Primary Grades

Suggested grade level for all entries: 1–3
 

Chick and Brain: Smell My Foot! by Cece Bell (Candlewick)

Thinker: My Puppy Poet and Me by Eloise Greenfield; illus. by Ehsan Abdollahi (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)

What About Worms!? [Elephant & Piggie Like Reading!] by Ryan T. Higgins; with additional illustrations by Mo Willems (Hyperion)

A Girl like Me by Angela Johnson; illus. by Nina Crews (Millbrook)

Snail & Worm All Day by Tina Kügler (Houghton)

Ants Don’t Wear Pants! [Giggle and Learn] by Kevin McCloskey (TOON)

Juana & Lucas: Big Problemas by Juana Medina (Candlewick)

See Me Play [I Like to Read] by Paul Meisel (Holiday)

The Quiet Boat Ride and Other Stories [Fox + Chick] by Sergio Ruzzier (Chronicle)

Charlie & Mouse Outdoors by Laurel Snyder; illus. by Emily Hughes (Chronicle)

Intermediate

Suggested grade level for all entries: 4–6
 

Up Verses Down: Poems, Paintings, and Serious Nonsense by Calef Brown (Ottaviano/Holt)

Comics: Easy as ABC!: The Essential Guide to Comics for Kids by Ivan Brunetti; illus. by the author and various artists (TOON)

Stella Díaz Never Gives Up by Angela Dominguez (Roaring Brook)

The Dragon Thief by Zetta Elliott; illus. by Geneva B (Random)

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen: The Body Under the Piano by Marthe Jocelyn; illus. by Isabelle Follath (Tundra)

Lalani of the Distant Sea by Erin Entrada Kelly; illus. by Lian Cho (Greenwillow)

Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai (Holt)

Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis with Traci Sorell (Tu/Lee & Low)

Clean Getaway by Nic Stone; illus. by Dawud Anyabwile (Crown)

Stargazing by Jen Wang; color by Lark Pien (First Second/Roaring Brook)

Middle School

Suggested grade level for all entries: 6–8
 

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander; illus. by Dawud Anyabwile (Houghton)

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick)

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi (Make Me a World/Random)

Maximilian & the Curse of the Fallen Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller [Max’s Lucha Libre Adventures] by Xavier Garza (Cinco Puntos)

Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley; color by Whitney Cogar (RH Graphic/Random)

The Magnificent Migration: On Safari with Africa’s Last Great Herds by Sy Montgomery; photos by Roger Wood and Logan Wood (Houghton)

Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park (Clarion)

Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers by Celia C. Pérez (Kokila/Penguin)

Born to Fly: The First Women’s Air Race Across America by Steve Sheinkin; illus. by Bijou Karman (Roaring Brook)

The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas (Tu/Lee & Low)

High School

Suggested grade level for all entries: 9 and up
 

Love from A to Z by S. K. Ali (Salaam/Simon)

Wicked as You Wish by Rin Chupeco (Sourcebooks Fire)

It’s a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman (Knopf)

Again Again by E. Lockhart (Delacorte)

SLAY by Brittney Morris (Simon Pulse)

Cast Away: Poems for Our Time by Naomi Shihab Nye (Greenwillow)

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (Philomel)

This Place: 150 Years Retold by various authors; illus. by various artists (HighWater)

The Enigma Game by Elizabeth Wein (Little, Brown)

Frankly in Love by David Yoon (Putnam)

These titles were featured in the 2020 Summer Reading list.