Mark Twain Readers Award

Mark Twain Readers Award references 29 books assigned across applicable K-12 grade levels in US schools. The Mark Twain Readers Award is Missouri's statewide children's-choice book award for grades 4-6, administered by the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) since the early 1970s. Each year a committee selects about a dozen nominees; students across Missouri read from the list and vote for their favorite. Its decades-long winner list is read in Missouri classrooms and libraries statewide and features widely loved middle-grade reading such as Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie, The Lightning Thief, Wonder, Maniac Magee, Out of My Mind, and Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library.

Primary source: maslonline.org

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29 books referenced

Show all 29 titles

The War That Saved My Life · Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom · Louis Sachar
Wenny Has Wings · Janet Lee Carey
White Bird · R.J. Palacio
Wonder · R.J. Palacio

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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 Mark Twain Readers Award reading list

The book list above represents titles ReadingList has confirmed as referenced by Mark Twain Readers 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. Mark Twain Readers 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 Mark Twain Readers Award include?

29 books are referenced by Mark Twain Readers 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 Mark Twain Readers Award cover?

Mark Twain Readers 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 Mark Twain Readers Award data come from?

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

Is Mark Twain Readers Award required reading?

Mark Twain Readers 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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