2026-2027 OBOB Title List

Important Notes about Title Selection

• Nominations to Selections: All titles in the book lists are chosen directly from over 300 nominations submitted by the public. We encourage everyone to submit nominations so that our lists reflect the reading excitement of our OBOB community every year. (See Book Nomination for more details.)
• Early Sharing: We release next season’s lists early to support book buyers and librarians preparing for next year and to generate student enthusiasm for reading and OBOB. OBOBers should not feel pressure to rush out and start reading these books. Concentrate on this year’s books until after State!
• Cost Considerations: Title Selection Committees make every effort to choose books that are available in paperback in order to lower costs to schools, libraries, and families. A hardback selection may be included if the book will not be released in paperback, the cost difference is nominal and the title is considered truly exceptional for an OBOB selection.
• ISBN Matters: ISBN numbers will be added to the lists below to indicate the specific edition that the OBOB Question Writing Teams will use as they develop questions for competition. Unless specified, readers should familiarize themselves with the same edition so they can answer any questions that come from edition-specific forwards, author’s notes, end material, etc. Exception: For classic books, you may use any edition you have available – OBOB question writers will only pull from the original text.
• Cover Art: Book covers shown in the slide shows may be different than the final covers of the official editions/ISBNs published

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3rd-5th Grade Division

2026-27 OBOB Annotated Title List Spreadsheet for ISBNs, Publisher, Pages, Lexile, AR, Spanish title and awards details

Caterpillar Summer by Gillian McDunn

Connect the Stars by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague

Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Frindle by Andrew Clements

The Guardian Test by Christina Soontornvat

It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds

A Kind of Spark by Elle McNicoll

Light and Air by Mindy Nichols Wendell

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

The Magic Misfits by Neil Patrick Harris

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher by Dana Alison Levy

Murder at the Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King

Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin

The Witch Boy by Lee Knox Ostertag (formerly known as Molly Knox Ostertag)

Student Vote Selection (to be selected by students at the State Championship, April 11)

• The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett
• The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
• Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf

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6th-8th Grade Division

2026-27 OBOB Annotated Title List Spreadsheet for ISBNs, Publisher, Pages, Lexile, AR, Spanish title and awards details

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Bye Forever, I Guess by Jodi Meadows

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

A Game of Fox and Squirrels by Jenn Reese

Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell

In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington

It’s All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango

The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Saving Sunshine by Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan

The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Thanks a Lot, Universe by Chad Lucas

Wildfire by Breena Bard

Student Vote Selections (to be selected by students at the State Championship, April 11):

• Peak by Roland Smith
• Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
• Ungifted by Gordon Korman

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9th-12th Grade Division

2026-27 OBOB Annotated Title List Spreadsheet for ISBNs, Publisher, Pages, Lexile, AR, Spanish title and awards details

All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

Dan in Green Gables by Rey Terciero and Claudia Aguirre

Everything is Poison by Joy McCullough

Gather by Kenneth M. Cadow

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge

While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai

Student Vote Selections (to be selected by students at the State Championship, April 11):

• Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier
• So Let Them Burn by Kamilah Cole
• To Shape a Dragon’s Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose