Award of the Week: The Magnolia Book Award

The Magnolia Book Award began in 2010 and is sponsored by the Mississippi Library Commission and the University of Southern Mississippi. Its purpose is to introduce the children of Mississippi to current children’s literature and instill a love of reading. Students in grades PreK-12 are eligible to vote.

2019 Winners

PreK-2nd Grade

	Give Me Back My Book! By: Travis Foster and Ethan Long Two friends, Redd and Bllo, argue over the possession of one special book with a green cover, hard cover, a nice spine, and pages turn from right to left–but unite when Bookworm walks off with it.

3rd-5th Grade

	Not So Different: What you really want to ask about having a disability By: Shane Burcaw Not So Different offers a humorous, relatable, and refreshingly honest glimpse into Shane Burcaw’s life. Shane tackles many of the mundane and quirky questions that he’s often asked about living with a disability, and shows readers that he’s just as approachable, friendly, and funny as anyone else. Shane Burcaw was born with a rare disease called spinal muscular atrophy, which hinders his muscles’ growth. As a result, his body hasn’t grown bigger and stronger as he’s gotten older—it’s gotten smaller and weaker instead. This hasn’t stopped him from doing the things he enjoys (like eating pizza and playing sports and video games) with the people he loves, but it does mean that he routinely relies on his friends and family for help with everything from brushing his teeth to rolling over in bed.

6th-8th Grade

	The Road to Ever After By: Moira Young Ordered to leave his hometown, young Davy, an orphaned artist, escorts elderly Miss Flint to her childhood home, where she plans to die.

9th-12th Grade

	You Bring the Distant Near By: Mitali Perkins From 1965 through the present, an Indian American family adjusts to life in New York City, alternately fending off and welcoming challenges to their own traditions.