Bluestem Award

Given by Association of Illinois School Library Educators (AISLE)

Other Names: ISLMA Bluestem Award, AISLE Bluestem Award
280 Works 407,698 Books 18,139 Reviews 4.1
The Bluestem Award: Illinois' Grades 3-5 Readers' Choice Award

In the spring of 2008, the ISLMA board approved establishing a committee to explore the possibility of a new book award that would fit show more between the Monarch and Rebecca Caudill Awards. Interested library media specialists met in June, and an outline of the proposed new award was presented to the board in August. In September, a survey about the new award was conducted, and 92% of respondents favored the creation of a new award. The ISLMA board approved the new award at their October meeting.

The award is designed for students in grades 3-5 who are ready for longer titles than found on the Monarch list, but not quite ready for the sophistication of some of the Rebecca Caudill titles. Named in honor of Big Bluestem which is the state prairie grass, the award may include both timeless classics and current titles, as well as books that have appeared on Monarch and Rebecca Caudill lists.

Click Here for Nominees show less
Stages:
All, Winner (23), 2nd Place (5), 3rd Place (5), Nominee (280)
Years:
All, 2024 (20), 2023 (20), 2022 (20), 2021 (20), 2020 (20), 2019 (20), 2018 (20), 2017 (20), 2016 (20), 2015 (20), 2014 (20), 2013 (20), 2012 (20), 2011 (20)
Announced:
2024-03-22: Winner2024 Upcoming

Winner 23

3rd Place 5

2nd Place 5

Nominee 280

WorkYear
Amari and the Night Brothers by B. B. Alston2024
The Magical Imperfect by Chris Baron2024
Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book by Keila V. Dawson2024
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing2024
Long Distance by Whitney Gardner2024
Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year by Nina Hamza2024
The Only Woman in the Photo: Frances Perkins & Her New Deal for America by Kathleen Krull2024
Allergic by Megan Wagner Lloyd2024
Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures! by Mike Lowery2024
Shelter by Christie Matheson2024
Chunky by Yehudi Mercado2024
The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London's Poop Pollution Problem by Colleen Paeff2024
The Unforgettable Logan Foster by Shawn Peters2024
The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field by Scott Riley2024
The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead2024
Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom by Matthew Swanson2024
The Elephants Come Home: A True Story of Seven Elephants, Two People, and One Extraordinary Friendship by Kim Tomsic2024
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen A. F. Venable2024
Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson2024
New from Here by Kelly Yang2024
Twins by Varian Johnson2023
Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch by Julie Abe2023
The Spirit of Springer: The Real-Life Rescue of an Orphaned Orca by Amanda Abler2023
The Last Human by Lee Bacon2023
Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1) by Mac Barnett2023
Above the Rim: How Elgin Baylor Changed Basketball by Jen Bryant2023
Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter2023
Shirley Chisholm Is a Verb by Veronica Chambers2023
The Losers Club by Andrew Clements2023
A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi2023
The Amelia Six by Kristin L. Gray2023
History Comics: The Great Chicago Fire: Rising from the Ashes by Kate Hannigan2023
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm2023
Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly2023
Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte2023
Glitch by Laura Martin2023
Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn2023
Becoming Muhammad Ali by James Patterson2023
Tune It Out by Jamie Sumner2023
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford2023
Does It Fart?: A Kid's Guide to the Gas Animals Pass by Nick Caruso2022
One-Third Nerd by Gennifer Choldenko2022
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson2022
The Unstoppable Garrett Morgan: Inventor, Entrepreneur, Hero by DiCicco2022
Blended by Sharon M. Draper2022
What a Waste: Trash, Recycling, and Protecting our Planet by Jess French2022
The Creature of the Pines by Adam Gidwitz2022
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser2022
A Zombie Ate My Homework by Tommy Greenwald2022
The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Rita Lorraine Hubbard2022
Pie in the Sky by Remy Lai2022
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine2022
Handimals: Animals in Art and Nature by Silvia Lopez2022
Because of the Rabbit by Cynthia Lord2022
Klawde: Evil Alien Warlord Cat by Johnny Marciano2022
Accidental Trouble Magnet by Zanib Mian2022
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park2022
Framed! by James Ponti2022
Roll with It by Jamie Sumner2022
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga2022
Wedgie & Gizmo by Suzanne Selfors2021
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander2021
A Whole New Ballgame: A Rip and Red Book by Phil Bildner2021
Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story by Joseph Bruchac2021
Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome2021
The Ambrose Deception by Emily Ecton2021
Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen by Candace Fleming2021
The Van Gogh Deception by Deron R. Hicks2021
Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood2021
Animals by the Numbers: A Book of Animal Infographics by Steve Jenkins2021
Power Forward by Hena Khan2021
Bob by Wendy Mass2021
Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero by Patricia McCormick2021
A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano2021
Click by Kayla Miller2021
Curiosity: The Story of a Mars Rover by Markus Motum2021
Max and the Midknights (Max & The Midknights) by Lincoln Peirce2021
Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere by Barb Rosenstock2021
Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres2021
Hope in The Holler by Lisa Lewis Tyre2021
Real Friends by Shannon Hale2020
Wishtree by Katherine Applegate2020
A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold2020
Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion by Chris Barton2020
The Bad Guys by Aaron Blabey2020
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus by Dusti Bowling2020
The Last Kids on Earth by Max Brallier2020
Martin Brown's Lesser Spotted Animals by Martin Brown2020
Not So Different: What You Really Want to Ask About Having a Disability by Shane Burcaw2020
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers2020
The Great Treehouse War by Lisa Graff2020
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz2020
Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green2020
Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales: One Dead Spy by Nathan Hale2020
The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris2020
You Go First by Erin Entrada Kelly2020
Wet Cement: A Mix of Concrete Poems by Bob Raczka2020
Beauty and the Beak: How Science, Technology, and a 3D-Printed Beak Rescued a Bald Eagle by Deborah Lee Rose2020
Between the Lines: How Ernie Barnes Went from the Football Field to the Art Gallery by Sandra Neil Wallace2020
Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code by Laurie Wallmark2020
Wish by Barbara O'Connor2019
Ms. Bixby's Last Day by John David Anderson2019
Whoosh!: Lonnie Johnson's Super-Soaking Stream of Inventions by Chris Barton2019
Counting Thyme by Melanie Conklin2019
The Secret Subway by Shana Corey2019
Game Changer: John Mclendon and the Secret Game (Carolrhoda Picture Books) by John Coy2019
Moo by Sharon Creech2019
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau2019
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost2019
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff2019
Ugly by Robert Hoge2019
Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood2019
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt2019
Amina's Voice by Hena Khan2019
I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark by Debbie Levy2019
A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord2019
Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park2019
What Was the Great Chicago Fire? by Janet Pascal2019
Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh2019
The Story of Diva and Flea by Mo Willems2019
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson2018
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen2018
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate2018
The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett2018
Soar by Joan Bauer2018
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown2018
Who Was Louis Braille? by Margaret Frith2018
The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea by Brenda Z. Guiberson2018
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix2018
Dash (Dogs of World War II) by Kirby Larson2018
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin2018
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass2018
Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar2018
The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams by Tanya Lee Stone2018
Crossing Niagara: The Death-Defying Tightrope Adventures of the Great Blondin by Matt Tavares2018
Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh2018
A Blind Guide to Stinkville by Beth Vrabel2018
Stick Dog... (a really GOOD story with kind of BAD drawings) by Tom Watson2018
Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks2018
Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick2018
El Deafo by Cece Bell2017
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt2017
The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden2017
The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley2017
Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff2017
The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman2017
Shooting at the Stars by John Hendrix2017
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm2017
The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy2017
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin2017
The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner2017
Wild Born by Brandon Mull2017
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien2017
Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney2017
Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands by Katherine Roy2017
Becoming Babe Ruth by Matt Tavares2017
Justin Case: School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters by Rachel Vail2017
Lulu's Mysterious Mission by Judith Viorst2017
Eddie Red Undercover: Mystery on Museum Mile by Marcia Wells2017
Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger2017
The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths2016
The 100-Year-Old Secret by Tracy Barrett2016
Little Dog, Lost by Marion Dane Bauer2016
Dorko the Magnificent by Andrea Beaty2016
Masterpiece by Elise Broach2016
Matilda by Roald Dahl2016
Fortunately, the Milk by Neil Gaiman2016
How Do You Burp in Space? by Susan E. Goodman2016
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein2016
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise2016
The Adventures of a South Pole Pig: A novel of snow and courage by Chris Kurtz2016
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel2016
Stay: The True Story of Ten Dogs by Michaela Muntean2016
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen2016
Sidekicks by Dan Santat2016
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood2016
The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky by Holly Schindler2016
Rump: The True Story of Rumplestiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff2016
Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird: A True Story by Stephanie Spinner2016
I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 by Lauren Tarshis2016
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate2015
Frindle by Andrew Clements2015
The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi2015
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins2015
The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman2015
The Truth About Poop by Susan E. Goodman2015
Rich: A Dyamonde Daniel Book by Nikki Grimes2015
Small Steps: The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret2015
Chained by Lynne Kelly2015
Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett J. Krosoczka2015
If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche2015
A Dog Called Homeless by Sarah Lean2015
Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard2015
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor2015
Dogs on Duty: Soldiers' Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent2015
Wild River by P.J. Petersen2015
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman2015
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick2015
Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead2015
Niagara Falls, or Does It? by Henry Winkler2015
Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle by Brian Dennis2014
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo2014
Wonder by R. J. Palacio2014
Edgar Allan's Official Crime Investigation Notebook by Mary Amato2014
Seaglass Summer by Anjali Banerjee2014
I Feel Better with a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest Cures by Carlyn Beccia2014
Cheesie Mack Is Not a Genius or Anything by Steve Cotler2014
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis2014
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies2014
A Strong Right Arm: The Story of Mamie "Peanut" Johnson by Michelle Y. Green2014
Calli Be Gold by Michele Weber Hurwitz2014
Bones: Skeletons and How They Work by Steve Jenkins2014
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins by Barbara Kerley2014
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry2014
Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan2014
Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor2014
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker2014
The Knights of the Kitchen Table by Jon Scieszka2014
Pie by Sarah Weeks2014
Little Wolf's Book of Badness by Ian Whybrow2014
Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea2013
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo2013
Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper2013
How Tía Lola Came to [Visit] Stay by Julia Alvarez2013
The Day-Glo Brothers by Chris Barton2013
The Name of This Book Is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch2013
The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter's Wonder by Mark Cassino2013
Redwoods by Jason Chin2013
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech2013
The Familiars by Adam Jay Epstein2013
Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything in It by Sundee T. Frazier2013
The Thing About Georgie by Lisa Graff2013
Honus & Me by Dan Gutman2013
Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord2013
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo2013
Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford2013
GUYKU: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka2013
Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey2013
Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer2013
The Shadows by Jacqueline West2013
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney2012
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar2012
Adventures in Cartooning: How to Turn Your Doodles Into Comics by James Sturm2012
All Stations! Distress!: April 15, 1912: The Day the Titanic Sank by Don Brown2012
The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley2012
Extra Credit by Andrew Clements2012
The Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook by Eleanor Davis2012
14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy2012
Just Grace (The Just Grace Series) by Charise Mericle Harper2012
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah Howe2012
Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise2012
Swindle by Gordon Korman2012
Flight of the Phoenix (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book I) by R. L. LaFevers2012
Rules by Cynthia Lord2012
Animal Heroes: True Rescue Stories by Sandra Markle2012
Passage to Freedom: The Sugihara Story by Ken Mochizuki2012
Faith, Hope, and Ivy June by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor2012
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U. S. Marshal by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson2012
Riding Freedom by Pam Muñoz Ryan2012
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka by Jon Scieszka2012
The BFG by Roald Dahl2011
Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman2011
How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor2011
Ivy + Bean by Annie Barrows2011
Frogs by Nic Bishop2011
No Talking by Andrew Clements2011
Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi2011
Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen2011
Sky Boys by Deborah Hopkinson2011
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell2011
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine2011
The Year of the Dog by Grace Lin2011
Being Teddy Roosevelt by Claudia Mills2011
Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman2011
The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick2011
Dodger and Me by Jordan Sonnenblick2011
Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli2011
Stand Tall, Abraham Lincoln by Judith St. George2011
Oggie Cooder by Sarah Weeks2011
The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles2011

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