Past One Book For Nebraska Kids
and One Book For Nebraska Teens Selections
Looking for the current selection? Jump to: 2025
Beginning in 2013 we have selected both a One Book for Nebraska Kids and a One Book for
Nebraska Teens every year. Prior to 2013 we alternated choosing titles. The "Kids" book is aimed at
grades 4-6 or so and the "Teens" title is often aimed at high school age readers.
Jump to: 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017
2016 2014 2013 2012 2011-12
2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08
Kids: Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang
A middle-grade graphic novel that follows Feng-Li and her siblings as they naviage life alone in a new country. After a fun-filled vacation in California, Mom and Dad
announce that the family is staying and enroll the children in school. When their parents' visas expire, the children are left in their rental house while their parents
return to Taiwan to sort out a legal reentry to the United States.
Teens: Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes
This 2018 companion to Grime's Bronx Masquerade combines verse and prose to explore the thoughts, feelings, and struggles of a diverse class of poets as they prepare
for their school poetry slam. In addition to honing their writing skills, they find friendship and support in each other.
Here are some resources to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Omakayas, or Little Frog, lives with her Ojibwe family near Lake Superior, where their traditional
way of life is being evermore disrupted by the encroachment of settlers. Over the course of a year,
she helps with seasonal activities such as building the summer birchbark house, defending the crops
from crows, and scraping hides to make new garments. Omakayas also gets into plenty of mischief,
including stumbling upon a couple of bear cubs while picking berries! The rhythm of life in her village
is dramatically altered when a stranger visits, bringing illness.
Teens: Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
Maddie lives a quiet life in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with her father.
But the arrival of her childhood friend shatters her solitude and she finds herself
on the run from foreign mercenaries... and her feelings about her friend.
Can she save both their lives and her heart?
Here are some resources to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: The Adventures of Beanboy by Lisa Harkrader
Never underestimate the power of the bean. Tucker MacBean has been drawing comic books almost as long as he’s been reading them.
When his favorite comic has a contest for kids, he hopes he has finally found a way to fix his family—all he has to do is create
the winning superhero sidekick . . . Introducing “Beanboy”—the first comic book character to truly harness the power of the bean for good.
He is strong, he is relentless, he can double in size overnight (if given enough water). With thoughtful characterizations and copious comic book illustrations, this laughout-loud novel will have readers rooting for a superhero with true heart.
Teens: Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach
It’s about a boy. It’s about sports. It’s about being a serious dork. It’s about a paper route. It’s about bullying and the opposite.
It’s about a girl. It’s about hair growth. It’s about a little brother. It’s about piano. It’s about a depressed mother. It’s about learning to be who you are.
It’s about not hiding.
Book 1 of 3: Felton Reinstein trilogy.
Here are some PDF files to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Six kids are invited to spend the last hours of school on Friday in the ARTT Room (A Room To Talk). Their only assignment is to talk to
each other about anything. It starts slowly but before long they are sharing their private concerns and hopes with each other. And all
agree to keep to themselves whatever is said on Friday afternoon. Haley’s father is in prison, and she has never told anyone until now.
Esteban is worried both about his father being deported, and about what that might mean for the rest of his family. Each of them has
something they don’t want other people to know, but by sharing with their group, they learn more about themselves and their worries,
hopes and dreams.
Teens: Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
Jade (16) loves collage art and photography. She is a scholarship student at a mostly white prestigious private school and lives in what others
consider a questionable area of Portland, Ore. She is invited to join the Woman to Woman program and if she stays with it for her last two years
of high school she is guaranteed a college scholarship. During her junior year Jade makes friends with Sam (Samantha) who rides the same city bus
to school. It isn’t long before things begin to chafe her, how her white friend makes excuses for prejudiced behavior and how she feels sometimes
like the school, and even her mentor, Maxine (who is black), thinks she needs saving. She finally works on speaking up for herself. When she
hears about a black girl at a pool party who was beaten by police, she has trouble dealing with it, but finally finds a positive way to respond
(with others) and make a difference.
Here are some PDF files to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
Melody has a sharp brain in a body with cerebral palsy. She is frustrated with learning the alphabet
over and over when she has a photographic memory (or nearly so). Since she cannot talk, the neighbor, Mrs. V.,
rigs up a word and alphabet board on her wheelchair. Finally Melody is sent to "inclusion classes" where
children from room H-5 experience life in a real classroom for certain subjects. Melody loves this chance to learn.
But it isn't until she gets her best "gizmo" ever that she really has a chance to become a part of the class.
Teens: Girl Stolen by April Henry
Waiting for her stepmother to fill a prescription at the pharmacy, Cheyenne wakes from a nap to realize their car is being stolen. Carjacker Griffin
doesn't notice his passenger - he just needs to deliver a car to his dad's chop-shop. Now he's doubled his trouble - not only is Cheyenne blind and sick
wih pneumonia, she's also the daughter of a powerful businessman. How will he convince his dad to let her go when there is the possiblity of a large ransom?
Here are some PDF files to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: A Long Pitch Home by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
When Bilal’s family moves to America, his father must stay in Pakistan, supposedly only for a while.
Bilal faces a new culture, language, and sport. He was one of the best on his cricket team back home
but now he has to start over and learn to play baseball, a very different game. This book introduces
culture shock, the effort needed to find a place in a new home, and his concern for his father – why
did he have to stay and when will he finally be able to come to the U.S.?
Teens: The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
Matt’s mother has just passed away; his father is drinking too much in his grief and ends up in the
hospital after being hit by a car. Mr. Ray offers Matt a job at his funeral home and there is where
he begins to learn how to handle his grief by attending the funerals of others.
Here are some PDF files to help you set up a book discussion:
Kids: Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by
Tommy Greenwald
Charlie Joe Jackson is in middle school and hates to read. He prides
himself on never having read a book. Ever. While he tells of his
experiences in class and with his friends, he also gives the reader 25
hints and explains how his approach has worked for him. But there are
some humorous situations and circumstances that begin to get in the way
of his continuing his record.
Teens: Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac
Named for a legendary Apache heroine, Lozen, 17, is skilled in killing
the giant, genetically engineered monsters that roam the countryside.
Now that the Cloud has caused most machinery to quit, the world is a
different place. Her mother, brother and sister are being held by the
four heads of Haven, the former prison now being used to keep the
monsters out and the slaves in. If Lozen can continue to survive, she
plans to eventually free her family.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Kids: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by
Brandon Sanderson
Alcatraz Smedry kicks off his thirteenth birthday by burning down his
foster mother’s kitchen… and it’s all downhill from there. The arrival
of a small bag of sand and a strange old man claiming to be his
grandfather pulls Alcatraz into the adventure of a lifetime, full of
magic, mayhem, and…a cult of Evil Librarians? While he’s not a “nice
person” by nature, Alcatraz also doesn’t like to be shot at, so he goes
along to help Grandpa Smedry and his band of Freelanders save the world
from the librarians. Along the way, he discovers that the world as he
knows it is a lie perpetrated by the librarians and that his tendency to
be clumsy and break things (or set them on fire) is actually a
superpower. What else will Alcatraz discover about the world and
himself? With offbeat humor, high adventure, and endearing
characterization, this book should appeal to all lovers of the
fantastical.
Teens: The Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen
Bass Reeves is the greatest western lawman you’ve never heard of. While
many people idolize Butch Cassidy, Wyatt Earp, and Billy the Kid, very
little has been said about the former escaped slave who became the most
successful U.S. marshals of his time. Born a slave on the western
prairie, where he lived with his mother and helped wrangle wild cattle,
Bass becomes a fugitive and escapes into Indian Territory after a
dispute with his master. Bass lives with a tribe of Creeks for over 2
decades, until slavery is abolished, and is then recruited to help
capture dangerous outlaws. Gary Paulsen does a masterful job filling in
the unknown details of Bass’s life on the run and his later years as one
of the first African American federal marshals in this fictionalized
biography.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Kids: Stick Dog by Tom Watson
A humorous tale of a group of dogs who plot to steal the hot dogs and hamburgers from a family enjoying their picnic in the park.
Stick Dog is the leader and is very tolerant of the less useable ideas from his friends Karen, Poo-Poo, Mutt and Stripes.
Eventually, after many side trips and discussions, they have a better day than they ever imagined. Lots of white space and the stick
art style of drawing will appeal to readers looking for a quick yarn. This book will be enjoyed by readers in grades 3-6.
Teens: The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die by April Henry
Do you like abduction, escape, and paranoia? Then you’re sure to enjoy
this speedy, suspenseful mystery. Imagine waking up and hearing “Take
her out back and finish her off.” Then the realization you don’t know
who you are. You can fight, drive, troubleshoot your situation, but your
back story is a mystery. Would you help a girl that seems totally
bewildered, out of sorts, and over her head in trouble? Ty did, running
from the guys with guns, stealing cars, and trying to stop a biological
warfare virus from destroying her family.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
One Book For Nebraska Kids and Teens 2015
The program was on hiatus.
Kids: Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
Teens: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Kids: Aliens on Vacation by Clete Barrett Smith
David, nicknamed Scrub, is sent from Florida, where he had all kinds of plans with his best
friend, to Washington to stay with his grandmother for the summer. She has
a bed and breakfast and he is certain a long boring summer is ahead. He
soon learns his grandmother's reputation as a "crazy lady" is well founded
-- her visitors are from other planets. Soon Scrub is helping new arrivals
to touch up their disguises and trying to keep the prying sheriff, who knows
something is off with the place, out of his grandmother's hair. Clever
touches, such as the descriptions of the many - very different - aliens add to the fun.
Certain to appeal to reluctant readers, this looks like the beginning of a wonderful series.
Teens: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Set in an alternate version of World War I, German Central Powers (Clankers) use mechanized war machines opposed by
British Entente Powers (Darwinists) who fabricate living creatures genetically. Heroes are teens Aleksander (15),
son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Deryn (15), a Scottish girl who joins the British Air Service hoping to
serve aboard one of the floating fabricated animals. This award-winning, first-in-series novel epitomizes the
steampunk genre in young adult fiction.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Blank Confession
by
Pete Hautman
Blank Confession by Pete Hautman, is for high school
age teens. Shayne Blank (16) has walked into the police station to
confess to a murder. The detective, George Rawls, is intrigued by his
manner: calm and matter of fact. We hear Shayne's story from two points of
view: the detective, and one of his classmates, Mikey.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Activities
Author Information
http://www.petehautman.com/bio.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Hautman
http://petehautman.blogspot.com/
Discussion Questions
Book Club Kit
Book Review Submission Form
Puzzles:
Clueless Crossword
Answers
Crossword
Answers
Tile Puzzle
Answers
Word Search
Answers
Websites:
The Last Newspaper Boy in America by
Sue Corbett
This year's book is for grades 4-6 or so. Wil David, has just turned 12 and
takes over his brother's newspaper route just in time to find out the newspaper
will no longer be provided to his town, Steele. He is determined to fight it. On
another front, he decides to investigate a new game at the fair, which promises
a $1,000 prize, and he wonders what the catch is. Wil uses the library a lot and
is a good researcher. His determination won him the nickname "Wil of Steele."
Readers will be curious about the outcome of both issues.
Here are some PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Activities
Author Information
Discussion Questions
Book Review Submission Form
Book Club Kit
Puzzles:
Clueless Crossword,
Answers
Crossword,
Answers
Tile Puzzle,
Answers
Word Search,
Answers
Posters:
Poster, legal size
Poster, letter size
Websites:
Websites for the Book
Unwind, by
Neal Shusterman
This year's book is aimed at high school age Nebraska teens.
Unwind, by
Neal Shusterman, tells of a future America
where parents can choose to have their children between the ages of 13 - 18,
"unwound" (their body parts are harvested and given to others). Connor,
16, is shocked when he discovers his parents have decided to have him unwound.
He runs away and strives to survive, encountering others like himself.
Neal Shusterman (author of our One Book for Nebraska Teens 2010-2011, Unwind)
Visited Nebraska!
Website:
http://www.storyman.com
Video by Neal Shusterman on
Unwind:
http://www.storyman.com/books/unwind.html?animate=1 (and scroll down)
Fan page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Neal-Shusterman/75447650405
BLOG:http://nstoryman.wordpress.com
Book Club Kit
Here are some
PDF files to help you setup a book discussion:
Puzzles:
Activities
Author Information
Discussion Questions
Clueless Crossword,
Answers
Crossword,
Answers
Word Search,
Answers
Tile Puzzle,
Answer
Customizable poster, legal size
Customizable poster, letter size
Websites:
Websites for Unwind
The Green Glass Sea by
Ellen Klages
This year's book was aimed at upper elementary age Nebraska children, grades
4-6. It is about Dewey Kerrigan, 11,
who travels to New Mexico in 1943 and meets up with her father, who lives on a
secret base and is working on a top
secret project with a number of other scientists, including J. Robert
Oppenheimer.
Ellen Klages toured Nebraska in October 2009: Kimball, Scottsbluff,
Alliance, North Platte, Gothenburg, Grand Island, Hastings, Seward, Norfolk,
Prague, Clarkson, Wayne, West Point, Scribner, Louisville, Lincoln, Elmwood,
Plattsmouth, and Omaha.
Resources:
Activities
Author Information
Puzzles:
Clueless Crossword Puzzle
/
Answers
Definitive Puzzler /
Answer
Discussion Questions
Recommended Web Pages
World Search Puzzle,
/
Answers
The Book Thief
by
Markus Zusak
Narrated by Death,
The Book Thief tells of Liesel (age 10 at the beginning of the book),
who travels to Molching, Germany to live with foster parents; and the effects World War II has on the home
front in Germany, and on the people the Nazis are rounding up. To cope, Liesel begins to steal books,
even before she has learned to read.
Puzzles:
Crossword,
Answer
Cryptogram,
Answer
Discussion Questions,
Tile Puzzle,
Answer
Word Search
Answer
Rescue Josh McGuire by
Ben Mikaelsen
This year's book is aimed at fourth to sixth graders. It is about a boy who
risks a lot to try to rescue a bear cub.
Resources:
Flyer
Details
Puzzles:
Word Search,
Word Search Answers
Clueless Crossword,
Clueless Crossword Answers
Acrostic Puzzle,
Acrostic Puzzle Answers
Acrostic Crossword Puzzle,
Acrostic Crossword Puzzle Answers
Sponsored by the Nebraska Library Commission & the
Regional Library Systems