Kentucky Bluegrass AwardGrades 9-12

Given by Kentucky Association of School Librarians (KASL)

276 Works 0 Books
How does the Kentucky Bluegrass Award program work?

Each year, a KBA committee for each grade band chooses the books for each of the five voting Nominee Lists (Preschool, K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) show more in a year-long process. These committees are made up of volunteers and include school librarians, public librarians, and classroom teachers from across the state. Students should read books from a Nominee List before voting for their favorite title on that list. The specific voting process is determined at the individual school/library level. All the ballots are counted by an on-site coordinator (usually a teacher or librarian) and the results are transferred to an online tally sheet made available on the KASL website in March of the contest year. Votes are counted after the cutoff date (April 1st) and a winner is declared for each level during the first week of April.

The Kentucky Bluegrass Award is a program designed to encourage students to read widely from lists of current, well-reviewed literature that reflects a variety of experiences and points of view. Students are not restricted in their reading in any way in the KBA program. Schools, libraries, parents, and community organizations participating in the KBA should select books from these lists for inclusion in collections and programs that they feel are appropriate for the needs and interests of their patrons or students. These groups may provide some or all of the titles and develop local initiatives to promote the Kentucky Bluegrass Award.

Books on the Nominee Lists can be purchased as a set from several vendors or individually from bookstores, catalogs, and online sources. All titles on a current year's Nominee List have been published within the last 3 years.




Who can participate?

Students from Preschool - 12th grade can read and rate the books on the Nominee Lists.

Each Nominee List has a grade level recommendation, but students may read/vote from multiple Nominee Lists. If a student has read two books from a list, they are eligible to vote.​​

​Adults can nominate books for inclusion on the Nominee Lists, serve on KBA Committees, and encourage participation by students.​

Schools, libraries, bookstores, literacy groups, and individuals can help promote the program and help students participate in this program.




When does KBA take place?

Students can begin reading as soon as the Nominee Lists are released and submit ballots throughout the year.

​Some schools and districts incorporate KBA books into Summer Reading promotions.

All tallied votes must be submitted by April 1 of each year. Winners are announced in April.

Books for upcoming Nominee Lists can be nominated by adults through the KASL website.

New Nominee Lists are finalized in mid-February of each year.

In September, one of the winning authors is invited to come to Kentucky and speak at the KLA/KASL Joint Conference.




Why participate in KBA?

The Kentucky Bluegrass Award program promotes student reading and critical thinking.

It offers students a chance to give feedback and express their thoughts and opinions.

The KBA program is designed to provide a wide range of new reading materials to students and it should be implemented in a way that is simple and fun for students, parents, and schools.

By all means, feel free to make this program broadly inclusive!
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Stages:
All, Winner (129), Nominee (1,981)
Categories:
All, Grades 3-5 (332), Grades 3-8 (39), Grades 4-8 (342), Grades 6-8 (303), Grades 9-12 (276), Grades K-2 (273), Grades K-3 (351), Preschool (70)
Years:
All, 2024 (10), 2023 (10), 2022 (10), 2021 (10), 2020 (10), 2019 (10), 2018 (10), 2017 (10), 2016 (10), 2015 (10), 2014 (10), 2013 (10), 2012 (10), 2011 (10), 2010 (13), 2009 (15), 2008 (15), 2007 (15), 2006 (16), 2005 (15), 2004 (16), 2003 (1), 2002 (18), 2001 (12)

Winner 23

Nominee 275

WorkYear
Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed2024
What We Harvest by Ann Fraistat2024
The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho2024
Five Survive by Holly Jackson2024
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh2024
Me (Moth) by Amber McBride2024
Victory. Stand! Raising My Fist for Justice by Tommie Smith2024
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir2024
Hotel Magnifique by Emily J. Taylor2024
Nothing Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk2024
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys2023
Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley2023
Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton2023
If These Wings Could Fly by Kyrie McCauley2023
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds2023
Roxy by Neal Shusterman2023
We Are Not from Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez2023
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang2023
Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon2023
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner2023
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson2022
Legendborn by Tracy Deonn2022
Golden Arm by Carl Deuker2022
Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko2022
Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson2022
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo2022
How to Build a Heart by Maria Padian2022
Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington2022
Hard Wired by Len Vlahos2022
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi2022
Paul, Big, and Small by David Glen Robb2021
With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo2021
The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes2021
Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach2021
Heroine by Mindy McGinnis2021
The Athena Protocol by Shamim Sarif2021
Bloodleaf by Crystal Smith2021
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith2021
Price of Duty by Todd Strasser2021
They Called Us Enemy by George Takei2021
Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal2020
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo2020
Hide with Me by Sorboni Banerjee2020
The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger2020
Losers Bracket by Chris Crutcher2020
Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen2020
I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall2020
Seafire by Natalie C. Parker2020
Dry by Neal Shusterman2020
Sadie by Courtney Summers2020
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas2019
The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty2019
Far from the Tree by Robin Benway2019
Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson2019
Night Witches: A Novel of World War Two by Kathryn Lasky2019
Warcross by Marie Lu2019
The Free by Lauren McLaughlin2019
A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck2019
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds2019
Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin by James L. Swanson2019
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon2018
Meet Me Here by Bryan Bliss2018
The Reader by Traci Chee2018
The Distance from Me to You by Marina Gessner2018
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton2018
The Skeleton Tree by Iain Lawrence2018
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco2018
A List of Cages by Robin Roe2018
Desert Dark by Sonja Stone2018
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork2018
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard2017
Mosquitoland by David Arnold2017
NEED by Joelle Charbonneau2017
The Rig by Joe Ducie2017
None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio2017
Not After Everything by Michelle Levy2017
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven2017
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds2017
Jackaby by William Ritter2017
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys2017
Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens2016
The Nazi Hunters: How a Team of Spies and Survivors Captured the World's Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb2016
I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios2016
Inhuman by Kat Falls2016
The Walk On by John Feinstein2016
Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn2016
Above by Isla Morley2016
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski2016
The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith2016
The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos2016
Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff2015
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson2015
Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown2015
How to Love by Katie Cotugno2015
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan2015
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch2015
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson2015
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider2015
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Genevieve Tucholke2015
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey2015
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga2014
The Diviners by Libba Bray2014
Just One Day by Gayle Forman2014
Every Day by David Levithan2014
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry2014
October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman2014
The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir by Gaby Rodriguez2014
The Final Four by Paul Volponi2014
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein2014
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson2014
Divergent by Veronica Roth2013
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green2013
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson2013
DJ Rising by Love Maia2013
Recovery Road by Blake Nelson2013
What can(t) wait by Ashley Hope Perez2013
Boy21 by Matthew Quick2013
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs2013
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys2013
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor2013
Room by Emma Donoghue2012
Split by Swati Avasthi2012
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi2012
You by Charles Benoit2012
Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen2012
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher2012
Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride2012
Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu2012
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins2012
Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick2012
The Maze Runner by James Dashner2011
Hate List by Jennifer Brown2011
Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas2011
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow2011
If I Stay by Gayle Forman2011
King of the Screwups by K. L. Going2011
Liar by Justine Larbalestier2011
In the Path of Falling Objects by Andrew Smith2011
If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser2011
Funny How Things Change by Melissa Wyatt2011
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins2010
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson2010
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury2010
Graceling by Kristin Cashore2010
Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles2010
The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner2010
Ten Mile River by Paul Griffin2010
No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin2010
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson2010
Unwind by Neal Shusterman2010
Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith2010
Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee2010
Impossible by Nancy Werlin2010
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher2009
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie2009
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson2009
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah2009
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker2009
Before I Die by Jenny Downham2009
Slam by Nick Hornby2009
Firestorm by David Klass2009
Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready2009
Red Glass by Laura Resau2009
General Winston's Daughter by Sharon Shinn2009
First Shot by Walter Sorrells2009
The Arrival by Shaun Tan2009
Trigger by Susan Vaught2009
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr2009
Impulse by Ellen Hopkins2008
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn2008
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney2008
Saint Iggy by K. L. Going2008
La Linea by Ann Jaramillo2008
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga2008
Sold by Patricia McCormick2008
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock2008
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult2008
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone2008
Knights of the Hill Country by Tim Tharp2008
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld2008
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang2008
Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood by Koren Zailckas2008
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak2008
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer2007
Lovesick by Jake Coburn2007
Invisible by Pete Hautman2007
I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: A Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor by Laura Hillman2007
Letting Go of Bobby James: Or How I Found My Self of Steam by Valerie Hobbs2007
Crank by Ellen Hopkins2007
Strong at the Heart: How It Feels to Heal from Sexual Abuse by Carolyn Lehman2007
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar2007
Caught in the Act by Peter Moore2007
Eyes of the Emperor by Graham Salisbury2007
Finding Lubchenko by Michael Simmons2007
Black and White by Paul Volponi2007
Full Service by Will Weaver2007
A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb2007
Poison by Chris Wooding2007
Looking for Alaska by John Green2006
Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson2006
Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti2006
Last Shot by John Feinstein2006
Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn2006
Playing in Traffic by Gail Giles2006
Godless by Pete Hautman2006
Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta2006
The Hedge Knight by George R. R. Martin2006
The Hedge Knight - Second Edition [Graphic Novel] by George R. R. Martin2006
Gothic: Ten Original Dark Tales by Deborah Noyes2006
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult2006
Can't Get There from Here by Todd Strasser2006
Inside Out by Terry Trueman2006
Double Helix by Nancy Werlin2006
The Messenger by Markus Zusak2006
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman2005
Daddy's Little Girl by Mary Higgins Clark2005
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly2005
Breakout by Paul Fleischman2005
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn2005
America by E. R. Frank2005
Fat Kid Rules the World by K. L. Going2005
A Parchment of Leaves by Silas House2005
Out of Order by A. M. Jenkins2005
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson2005
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things by Carolyn Mackler2005
Acceleration by Graham McNamee2005
Bottled Up by Jaye Murray2005
Fault Line by Janet Tashjian2005
10th Grade by Joe Weisberg2005
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold2004
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson2004
Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers2004
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher2004
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn2004
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos2004
Damage by A. M. Jenkins2004
You Don't Know Me by David Klass2004
Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge2004
A Perfect Snow by Nora Martin2004
Blind Sighted by Peter Moore2004
Born Blue by Han Nolan2004
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye2004
Big Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates2004
Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia2004
One Hot Second by Cathy Young2004
Monster by Walter Dean Myers2002
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky2002
Many Stones by Carolyn Coman2002
You Hear Me?: Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys by Betsy Franco2002
On the Fringe: Stories by Donald Gallo2002
Conquering the Beast Within: How I Fought Depression and Won . . . and How You Can, Too by Cait Irwin2002
My Life, Take Two by Paul Many2002
Cut by Patricia McCormick2002
Night Flying by Rita Murphy2002
145th Street: Short Stories by Walter Dean Myers2002
The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer by Gary Paulsen2002
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci2002
The Sterkarm Handshake by Susan Price2002
Head Above Water by S. L. Rottman2002
Dreamland by Sarah2002
Players by Joyce Sweeney2002
Affrilachia: Poems by Frank X. Walker2002
Playing Without the Ball by Rich Wallace2002
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson2001
Violet & Claire by Francesca Lia Block2001
Burning Up by Caroline B. Cooney2001
Romiette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper2001
The Way Things Never Were: The Truth About the "Good Old Days" by Norman H. Finkelstein2001
Jason's Gold by Will Hobbs2001
Heaven by Angela Johnson2001
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver2001
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King2001
Good Night, Maman by Norma Fox Mazer2001
Witches and Witch-Hunts : A History of Persecution by Milton Meltzer2001
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones2001

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