The 2020 nominees for the Colorado Blue Spruce Awards are out! Let your voice be heard.
The Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adults Book Award recognizes the most popular books amongst middle and high school students in the state of Colorado. The award is unique in being entirely nominated and voted for by teens. It’s time to let your voice be heard and vote for the best book of 2020!
Teens in grades 6-12 have until December 31, 2020 to cast their vote for the 2020 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award. To vote, you must have read at least three of the nominated titles. And the nominees are:
Allies by Allen Gratz
June 6, 1944: the Nazis are terrorizing Europe on their evil quest to conquer the world. The only way to stop them? The biggest, most top-secret military operation ever, with the Allied nations coming together—by land, sea, and air—to storm German-occupied France. – Scholastic Press
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch . . .- Knopf Books for Young Readers
Bloom by Kevin Panetta and Savanna Ganucheau
Beautiful artwork depicts characters coping with life’s increasing responsibilities and is especially sumptuous when focusing on the yummy desserts. This is both a delicious foray into the world of baking and young love, and an endearing, realistic tale of two teens helping one another grow.
–School Library Journal
Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
This gripping, often haunting, historical novel offers a memorable portrait of fascist Spain.- Publishers Weekly
Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
In this fast-paced debut by Australian author Scholte, a thief and a messenger engage in a race against time to unravel a conspiracy aimed at murdering the four queens who rule their nation, Quadara.- Publishers Weekly
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
Raina Telgemeier once again brings us a thoughtful, charming, and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face — and conquer — her fears. – Graphix
How We Roll by Natasha Friend
Quinn is a teen who loves her family, skateboarding, basketball, and her friends, but after she’s diagnosed with a condition called alopecia which causes her to lose all of her hair, her friends abandon her. Jake was once a star football player, but because of a freak accident—caused by his brother—he loses both of his legs. Quinn and Jake meet and find the confidence to believe in themselves again, and maybe even love. – Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
Author Mariko Tamaki and illustrator Rosemary Valero-O’Connell bring to life a sweet and spirited tale of young love in Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me, a graphic novel that asks us to consider what happens when we ditch the toxic relationships we crave to embrace the healthy ones we need.- First Second.
Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian
“A book for warriors, divas, artists, queens, individuals, activists, trend setters, and anyone searching for the courage to be themselves.” – Mackenzi Lee, New York Times bestselling author of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
Lovely War by Julie Berry
A sweeping, multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II, where gods hold the fates–and the hearts–of four mortals in their hands. – Viking Books for Young Readers
A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (Book Three in the Ember in the Ashes series)
“…Tahir has created another compelling story that defies readers to stop turning the pages. Credit her mastery of the suspense-inducing cliff-hanger, heightened by the three alternating points of view: Elias, Laia, and the Blood Shrike. As for her readers’ point of view, Tahir’s legions of fans will be delighted to find an inconclusive ending, which promises a fourth volume. The saga continues.”
– Booklist starred (May 15, 2018)
Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson
New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson weaves a delicate tale of murder and mystery in the first book of a striking new series, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and E. Lockhart.
– HarperCollinsPublishers
I can’t wait to see what you pick! Enjoy the journey!
Until next time,
All the best,
-Renée