Nominated Books for Louisiana Readers’ Choice 2027-2028
The Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards program seeks to foster a love of reading in the children of Louisiana
BATON ROUGE (press release) – The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana announced the nominated books for the 2027-2028 Louisiana Readers’ Choice program.
Organizers share that since the program began in 1999, over half a million K-12 students have read more than 1.6 million books to select winners in the program’s Young Readers and Teen Readers grade-level categories. Last year, more than 26,000 Louisiana students participated, reading over 89,000 books.
“The Louisiana Readers’ Choice program encourages students to pick up a book, discover something new and have a say in choosing the winners,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Giving young people the opportunity to read great books and make their voices heard is a winning combination that benefits them long after they’ve turned the final page. That’s the kind of investment in our kids that pays off for generations.”
Louisiana Readers’ Choice Nominated Books
The 2027-2028 Louisiana Readers’ Choice nominated titles include:
- 86 starred reviews
- 27 Junior Library Guild selections
- Five Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks
- 18 Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children’s Books
- 58 “Best of the Year” selections
- And many more national and regional honorees
Explore the books featured in the July-August issue of Louisiana Life.
Selection Process
Booklists are carefully chosen by committees of school and public librarians across the state, which include a mix of high-quality fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and poetry, providing a variety of genres that cater to different reading preferences.
Louisiana Readers’ Choice nominees are announced a year in advance to allow libraries sufficient time to add the selections to their collections.
Louisiana Readers’ Choice Voting
Students in grades K-12 who reside in Louisiana are eligible to vote after reading or listening to two or three nominated books from the booklist corresponding to their grade level. An award winner and an honor book are chosen in each grade-level category based on student votes, with many students casting their ballots on voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State’s Voter Outreach Division.
“Year after year, the dedication of Louisiana’s school and public librarians drives the success of this program,” said State Librarian Meg Placke. “They spend months identifying books that will challenge, inspire and captivate students at every reading level. The result is a program that meets students where they are and gives them another incentive to keep turning pages.”
The Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards Program webpage provides information on the program, previous winners, nominees in the current voting cycle (2026-2027) and additional free resources for libraries, such as promotional bookmarks, posters and study guides.
