2019 RI Teen Book Award Nominees

The 57 Bus
2019 Honor Book

by Dashka Slater

One teenager in a shirt. One teenager with a lighter. Both from Oakland, CA, but from seemingly different worlds. One moment that changes both of their lives forever.

Allegedly

by Tiffany Jackson

When Mary, a teenager living in a group home, becomes pregnant, authorities re-examine the crime for which Mary was convicted when she was nine years old.

The Education of Margot Sanchez

by Lilliam Rivera

Margot Sanchez is paying off debts by working in her family's grocery store, but she must make the right choices about friends, family, and boys.

Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

by Julia C. Dao

The stars say Xifeng is destined for greatness, meant to be Empress of Feng Lu, but only if she embraces the darkness within her and hurts the one she loves.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

by Mackenzi Lee

Vowing to make his yearlong escapade across Europe his last hurrah before taking over the family estate, Henry 'Monty' Montague and his best friend Percy, find themselves in the middle of a dangerous manhunt involving pirates and highwaymen.

Girl in the Blue Coat

by Monica Hesse

On 1943 Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, Hanneke--a 'finder' of black market goods--is tasked with finding a Jewish girl who has seemingly vanished into thin air, and is pulled into the resistance activities and secrets as she attempts to solve the mystery and save the missing girl.

2019 Winner

The Hate U Give

by Angie Thomas

After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahill died.

I Believe in a Thing Called Love

by Maurene Goo

Desi Lee decides to tackle her romance disasters by watching Korean television dramas, where the hapless heroine always seems to end up with her true love. Desi goes after a moody artist -- utilizing boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car accidents.

Kat and Meg Conquer the World

by Anna Priemaza

Kat's anxiety and Meg's ADHD makes it difficult for them to find and maintain friendships. Can a random science project pairing and the discovery of a mutual love of an online star help them get out of their heads to find a real friend?

The Language of Thorns

by Leigh Bardugo

In this short story collection, travel to a world of dark moonlit bargains, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a love-struck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

The Lie Tree

by Frances Harding

On an island off the coast of Victorian England, Faith investigates the death of her father. She discovers a tree that bears fruit only when she whispers a lie to it---and the fruit, in turn, delivers a hidden truth. Does the tree hold the key to her father's death?

Lighter Than My Shadow

by Katie Green

A graphic novel documenting the author's struggle with eating disorders, and sexual abuse and her road to recovery.

Long Way Down
2019 Honor Book

by Jason Reynolds

As Will, fifteen, sets out to avenge his brother Shawn's fatal shooting, seven ghosts who knew Shawn board the elevator and reveal truths Will needs to know.

Moxie: a novel

by Jennifer Mathieu

In a small Texas town where high school football reigns supreme, Viv, sixteen, starts a feminist revolution using anonymously-written zines.

My Sister Rosa

by Justine Larbalestier

When his father's business takes the family to New York City, a seventeen-year-old Australian boy must balance his desire to protect his ten-year-old sister, a diagnosable psychopath, from the world with the desperate need to protect the world from her.

This Is Our Story

by Ashley Elston

When a hunting accident claims a boy's life, his best friends all come under investigation.

Undefeated

by Steve Sheinkin

A great American sport and Native American history come together in this true story how Jim Thorpe and Pop Warner created the legendary Carlisle Indians football team.

Warcross

by Marie Lu

When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

We Are Okay

by Nina LaCour

After leaving her life behind in California to go to college in New York, Marin must face the truth about the tragedy that happened in the final weeks of summer when her friend Mabel comes to visit.

When Dimple Met Rishi

by Sandhya Menon

When Dimple Shah and Rishi Patel meet at a Sanford University summer program, Dimple is avoiding her parents' obsession with 'marriage prospects' but Rishi hopes to woo her into accepting arranged marriage with him.

Wonder Woman: Warbringer