Mississippi Magnolia Book Award

Mississippi Magnolia Book Award references 36 books assigned across applicable K-12 grade levels in US schools.

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The Magnolia Book Awards are Mississippi's statewide children's- and teen-choice reading awards, run by the Mississippi Library Association with the University of Southern Mississippi's Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival. Each year a committee of Mississippi librarians and educators publishes nominee lists in four divisions — PreK-2, grades 3-5, grades 6-8 and grades 9-12 — and students across the state read the nominees and vote for the winners. The 2026 lists mix picture books, middle-grade novels, graphic novels, nonfiction and young-adult fiction published in 2023-2025.

Primary source: aquila.usm.edu

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36 books referenced

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Search for a Giant Squid · Amy Seto Forrester · Buy →
Squirrel-Ish · Bambi Edlund · Buy →
The Beasts in Your Brain · Katherine Speller · Buy →
The Dark Becomes Her · Judy I. Lin · Buy →
The Girl Who Figured It Out · Minda Dentler · Buy →
The Mystery of Locked Rooms · Lindsay Currie · Buy →
The One and Only Family · Katherine Applegate · Buy →
The Revenant Games · Margie Fuston · Buy →
The Sherlock Society · James Ponti · Buy →
Welcome to Scare School · Jarrett Lerner · Buy →
Where the Dark Stands Still · A.B. Poranek · Buy →
Who Got Game? Basketball · Derrick Barnes · Buy →

Reading the whole Mississippi Magnolia Book Award reading list? Kids who struggle with the print versions often finish the assigned books by listening.

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About this curriculum framework

This curriculum is one of dozens of named English Language Arts frameworks tracked across US public-school districts. Frameworks differ in scope (district-level vs state-level vs national), in mandate (required vs recommended vs elective), and in how prescriptive their reading lists are (single fixed text list vs broad reading-pool selection).

The book list below represents titles cited as required, recommended, or commonly assigned within this framework, sourced from the framework's primary documentation (or, where the framework is administered at district level, from public district curriculum pages). Each book's detail page links the specific source document for that citation.

How to use this Mississippi Magnolia Book Award reading list

The book list above represents titles ReadingList has confirmed as referenced by Mississippi Magnolia Book Award— either through the framework’s own published documentation, through audited classroom syllabi citing the framework, or through US state and district curriculum guides that map their reading expectations to it. Each book’s detail page links the specific primary source so parents, teachers, and students can verify the citation and locate the official document.

Reading lists evolve. Mississippi Magnolia Book Award citations on ReadingList are reviewed on a rolling basis as primary sources publish updates. If you teach or learn under this framework and a title on this page is no longer used (or you know of one that should appear), the ReadingList methodology page explains how to submit a correction with a citation.

Frequently asked questions

What books does Mississippi Magnolia Book Award include?

36 books are referenced by Mississippi Magnolia Book Award across applicable K-12 grade levels. Each book page cites the primary source assignment (the official curriculum standard, exemplar list, or syllabus where the title appears).

What grades does Mississippi Magnolia Book Award cover?

Mississippi Magnolia Book Award is a reading-program curriculum spanning applicable K-12 grade levels via the standards framework. Browse by grade using the grade-filter links on this page or visit /grade for the full grade index across all curricula.

Where does Mississippi Magnolia Book Award data come from?

Primary source: aquila.usm.edu/magnolia_book_awards/12. Cross-referenced with Common Core exemplars at achievethecore.org. Every book page on ReadingList.school cites the standards origin for that assignment.

Is Mississippi Magnolia Book Award required reading?

Mississippi Magnolia Book Award provides recommended exemplars + assignments — adoption varies by district and teacher. Always check with your school's English department for the specific required vs recommended list at your grade level.

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