Minnesota Book Awards 2026 FinalistsLike this list

36 items

• All the Stars in the Sky

  Coulson, Art, 1961-

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  Children's Literature Finalist: When Clay asks his Elisi (grandmother) for help to become the most important person in school, he’s surprised by her answer: No one person is more important than his family and his community. Clay learns that we are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dear Acorn (Love, Oak)

  Letter Poems to Friends

  Sidman, Joyce,

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  Children's Literature Finalist: What is it like to be little? What is it like to be big? Whether it’s a small bubble writing to the enormous sky, or a mighty oak reassuring its tiny acorn, these surprising and delightful poems examine how we’re all…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Revolutions Are Made of Love

  the Story of James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs

  Shin, Sun Yung,

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  Children's Literature Finalist: Paired poems celebrate the lives of activists James Boggs and Grace Lee Boggs, highlighting key moments in their partnership and fight for fair housing, jobs, food, fair labor practices, urban gardens, and more. …Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Saturday Morning at the 'Shop

  Jones, Keenan,

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  Children's Literature Finalist: Inspired by the author’s childhood memories, a young boy is excited to head over to the barbershop on a Saturday morning where he finds community, friendship, fun, wisdom, and joy. Keenan Jones is an author,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Enchanted Plants

  a Treasury of Botanical Folklore & Magic

  Ventura, Varla, 1958-

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  General Nonfiction Finalist: In this exploration of mystical, magical, and folkloric gardens, Ventura brings together the forgotten lore of plants, including excerpts from fairy tales and a discussion of each plant’s legendary magical and medicinal…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Gentlemen of the Woods

  Manhood, Myth, and the American Lumberjack

  Brown, Willa Hammitt, 1985-

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  General Nonfiction Finalist: The glorified image of the lumberjack as a naturalist hero receives a correction in this cultural history of the real lumberjack and his true place in American history. Brown brings to life the experiences of these…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• It's Their World

  Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence

  Walsh, Erin, 1981-

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  General Nonfiction Finalist: This book dives into the core developmental tasks of adolescence, guiding the reader through the big questions around identity and purpose every teen must navigate. With insights from the latest research, the book…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sea of Grass

  the Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie

  Hage, Dave,

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  General Nonfiction Finalist: The North American prairie is an ecological marvel, home to some of the nation’s most iconic creatures—bison, elk, wolves, pronghorn, prairie dogs, and bald eagles. This portrait of its transformation into some of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Apostle's Cove

  a Novel

  Krueger, William Kent,

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  Genre Fiction Finalist: Cork O’Connor receives a call from his son Stephen telling him that decades ago, Cork was responsible for sending a man to prison for a brutal murder that Stephen is certain he did not commit. Cork feels compelled to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Broken Fields

  Rendon, Marcie R.,

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  Genre Fiction Finalist: Cash Blackbear is doing fieldwork for a local farmer—until she finds him dead in the property’s rented farmhouse. The tenant and his wife are nowhere to be found, but Cash discovers their young daughter cowering under a bed.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Codebreaker's Daughter

  Green, Amy Lynn,

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  Genre Fiction Finalist: Dinah Kendall's role for the Office of Strategic Services isn't the thrilling espionage career she dreamed of. But after learning that her mother was once a codebreaker, Dinah and her mother find themselves working together…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Quiet Librarian

  Eskens, Allen, 1963-

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  Genre Fiction Finalist: Hana Babic is a quiet, middle-aged librarian. When her best friend is murdered, Hana knows the past has come for her. Thirty years before, Hana was someone else: the deadly Night Mora. Now, someone is hunting Hana, and her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Beard

  a Memoir of a Marriage

  Lundquist, Kelly Foster,

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  Memoir & Creative Nonfiction Finalist: Kelly Foster Lundquist was nineteen when she met Devin at church camp. Immediately inseparable, they eventually married and divorced, after Devin confirmed he was gay. Beard revisits this relationship twenty…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Book of Kin

  on Absence, Love, and Being There

  Bowen, Jennifer Eli,

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  Memoir & Creative Nonfiction Finalist: Drawing on her experiences as a mother, daughter, and founder of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, Bowen examines the spectrum of shapes care can take. She investigates connection and its lack, driven by a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lonely Veteran's Guide to Companionship

  Lemer, Bronson,

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  Memoir & Creative Nonfiction Finalist: In this collection of interrelated essays, Bronson Lemer explores companionship through the lens of a queer veteran, focusing on the difficulty of forming true connections with others. Lemer uses lessons from…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Weirder and Harder to Relate to

  Lucia, Mary, 1970-

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  Memoir & Creative Nonfiction Finalist: What’s it like to be in the public spotlight when it just might get you killed? For Mary Lucia, becoming a wildly popular rock DJ meant connecting with a multitude of fans through a shared love of music and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The House on Rondo

  Stone, Debra J, 1952-

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  Middle Grade Literature Finalist: When thirteen-year-old Zenobia’s grandparents’ house on Rondo Avenue is targeted for demolition, she takes a stand on behalf of her community and joins her no-nonsense neighbor in a protest, ultimately getting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Scattergood

  Bouwman, H. M.,

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  Middle Grade Literature Finalist: Growing up a farm girl, Peggy’s life has never been particularly exciting. But a lot changes in 1941. Her friend Joe starts acting strange around her. The Quaker hostel nearby reopens to house Jewish refugees,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Weird Sad and Silent

  McGhee, Alison, 1960-

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  Middle Grade Literature Finalist: Daisy has been invisibilizing herself—ever since living with her mother’s violent ex-boyfriend, and now to avoid the school bullies. She keeps a low profile, eating lunch with the librarian instead of in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• What Happened Then

  Downing, Erin Soderberg,

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  Middle Grade Literature Finalist: Avery and Jax learn that the island that’s been a part of their family for generations is going up for sale. Forced to stay together with their estranged family, the cousins begin to dig through the history of the…Read moreRead more of this annotation