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Award Winners and Finalists

Current Finalists, last year's Winners, this year's Nominees
Past Finalists and Winners by Year, 1988-2008
Minnesota Book Artist Award
Kay Sexton Award
Readers' Choice
Other Special Awards

Finalists for the 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards

Chosen on Saturday, January 30, by 24 judges from around the state, the finalists in the following categories are:

JUMP TO CATEGORY:

Children’s Literature
General Nonfiction
Genre Fiction
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
Minnesota
Novel & Short Story
Poetry
Young People’s Literature

Children’s Literature, sponsored by Books For Africa:

	The Longest Night Marion Dane Bauer Ted Lewin, Illustrator After seeing the sun go down and disappear, the animals and birds of the woods are worried the sun has vanished forever. The winter night seems awfully long and cold, so they all decide to find the sun and bring it back to the sky. However, only one of them has the power to do so. Marion Dane Bauer has won many awards including a Newbery Honor, a Jane Addams Book Award, and the Kerland Award. She is also on the staff of Vermont College’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program.
	Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors Joyce Sidman Pamela Zagarenski, Illustrator This imaginative book describes the changing colors of the seasons with beautiful poems and vivid illustrations. Color becomes more than just what you see; it becomes something that you can hear and smell – something that has its own thoughts, feelings, and actions. Joyce Sidman is also the author of Songs of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems which won the Caldecott Honor.
	Song of Middle C Alison McGhee Scott Menchin, Illustrator A young girl spends hours practicing and memorizing her piano piece, “Dance of the Wood Elves.” The night of the recital she feels confident and prepared in her lucky hat, shoes, and underwear, despite being the last performer on stage. But what happens when her fingers forget the song? Alison McGhee has written many picture books, poems, and young adult novels including Someday which was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
	Stampede! Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School Laura Purdie Salas Steven Salerno, Illustrator In this collection of eighteen comical and imaginative poems the “wild side,” or rather the animal side, of children is revealed. A girl feels like a mouse in a maze trying to find her classes; a boy turns into a fox in his desk when he wants to be alone; and children thunder out of school like elephants when the last bell of the day rings. Laura Purdie Salas has written several other poetry and nonfiction books for children.

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General Nonfiction, sponsored by Minnesota AFL-CIO:

	Drink This: Wine Made Simple Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl This thorough and informative, yet fun and witty guide to wine teaches its reader everything: from pairing food and wine to understanding the complete process involved in winemaking, and the basics of tasting wine. Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl is senior editor of Minnesota Monthly and editor in chief of Real Food. She also regularly contributes to other publications and has won four James Beard Awards for her “Dear Dara” columns, which cover restaurant criticism and wine.
	I Go to America: Swedish American Women and the Life of Mina Anderson Joy K. Lintelman I Go to America traces the story of writer Mina Anderson, who emigrated from Sweden to Wisconsin and then to the Twin Cities where she worked as a domestic servant. It explores her move to rural Mille Lacs County where she and her husband worked a farm, raised seven children, and contributed widely to rural Swedish community life through her poetry, fiction, and letters to Swedish American newspapers. Joy K. Lintelman is a professor of history at Concordia College in Moorhead.
	Journeywell: A Guide to Quality Aging Trish Herbert Trish Herbert’s book is composed of seven thoughtful and unique chapters to help guide the reader to realize who they are, what has been most important in their life and how to create a rewarding existence for what is left of life. It also explores ideas of the afterlife and planning for your final days on earth. Trish Herbert attended Carleton College and is a licensed psychologist living in Minneapolis with her husband.
	Richard Parkes Bonington: The Complete Paintings Patrick Noon Only 25 years old at the time of his death in 1828, Richard Parkes Bonington was an important figure in the development of modernism in 19th-century French painting. This book sets Bonington’s achievements in context of the intellectual, social, and artistic ferment of high romanticism in Paris and London and shows the profound effect of his style on other artists. Patrick Noon is the Patrick and Aimee Butler Chair of Paintings and Sculpture at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

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Genre Fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management, Inc.:

	Frag Box Richard A. Thompson Herman Jackson runs a bail bond business in St. Paul and is surprised when his murdered client Charlie Victor leaves behind a will naming Jackson as the sole heir. The race is on as both Victor’s killers and Jackson try to find Victor’s secret stash of cash called his frag box. Richard Thompson is a former construction manager who traded his hard hat for a laptop and now writes full time.
	Jelly’s Gold David Housewright In 1933, Frank “Jelly” Nash was suspected of masterminding a daring robbery of gold bars, and left the treasure somewhere in St. Paul. Two graduate students and two thugs are in competition to find the legendary stash of gold. Rushmore McKenzie, a retired St. Paul policeman, gets involved in the search for the treasure – and also a killer – when the hunt turns deadly. David Housewright has won both an Edgar and a Minnesota Book Award for his crime fiction.
	Rough Country John Sandford While competing in a fishing tournament in a remote area of Minnesota, Virgil Flowers of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehensions is called on to investigate a murder at a nearby resort. The resort is for women only to relax, exercise, recover from plastic surgery, and commune with nature – but Flowers soon discovers an undercurrent of jealousy, blackmail, greed, anger and fear, and that this isn’t the first murder. John Sandford is the author of 19 Prey novels and eight other books including two Virgil Flowers novels.
	The Silent Governess Julie Klassen Moving, mysterious, and romantic, the novel takes readers inside the intriguing life of a nineteenth-century governess in an English manor house where all is not as it appears. Olivia Keene has two big secrets to hide – her own and that of her employer which could cause him to lose his reputation and inheritance. Julie Klassen is a fiction editor by day and a novelist by night.

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Memoir & Creative Nonfiction:

	The Bullhead Queen: A Year on Pioneer Lake Sue Leaf In this memoir, the author embarks on a year’s worth of meditations to familiar, ordinary places. While contemplating the beauty and power of what she sees, Leaf reflects on how her relationship to nature has been influenced by her Christian upbringing and what influence the seasons have on religion. She interweaves scientific understanding of humanity’s impact on the environment with graceful prose. Leaf is the president of Wild River Audubon and the author of Potato City: Nature, History, and Community in the Age of Sprawl.
	Going Blind: A Memoir Mara Faulkner, OSB Challenging stereotypes of blindness and the origins and implications of the various cultural metaphors of what it means to be blind,  Mara Faulkner tells the story of her father’s gradual loss of sight and its impact on her and the rest of her family. This thorough and historical journey also interlaces events in history that she and others were “blind” to, including the uprooting of Native Americans in North Dakota by the Garrison Dam and the Irish Famine.  Mara Faulkner, OSB, is an Associate Professor of English at the College of St. Benedict.
	Kevin Kling’s Holiday Inn Kevin Kling This hilarious and touching collection of essays recounts years of disastrous and amusing holidays from Christmas to Memorial Day. Kevin Kling is a gifted writer with a knack for witty storytelling. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s All Things Considered and is a well-known playwright whose plays have been performed at numerous theaters including the Guthrie Theater and the HBO Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
	The Wolf at Twilight: An Indian Elder’s Journey through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows Kent Nerburn Suspenseful, touching, humorous, tragic, and powerful are just a few of the words that could be used to describe Kent Nerburn’s captivating story of his journey to help an elderly Native American man discover what happened to his long lost sister. Nerburn brings light to the complicated friendship between a white American and a Lakota Indian, and the reader is allowed a private and extraordinary glimpse into the life and wisdom of a tribal elder. Kent Nerburn has written a dozen books on spirituality and Native themes, including Chief Joseph and the Flight of the Nez Perce which was featured on the History Channel.

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Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy:

	Honor Bright: A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council Dave Kenney This captivating and richly illustrated collection consists of stories and photographs of the Boy Scouts of America’s first century in central Minnesota and western Wisconsin. From the start of the Boy Scout Movement in 1910 to the Scouts’ contributions to the nation’s war effort in the 1940s, to the growth of Scouting in the 2000s to serve about 100 thousand young people each year – this book covers everything. Dave Kenney is a freelance writer specializing in Minnesota history.
	Jewel of Como: The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory Leigh Roethke and Bonnie Blodgett This beautiful and fascinating book commemorates the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Como Park in St. Paul, and the changes and additions it has undergone since its design in 1915. It also depicts the Conservatory’s major roles as both a sanctuary for plants and a show house for visitors to explore and highlights the work of the donors and volunteers who have helped it endure. Leigh Roethke, the author of several books, lives in Minneapolis and teaches art history at Saint Paul College. Bonnie Blodgett lives in St. Paul and has also written several other books. She is a regular garden columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Midwest Home.
	Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century: The Growth of an American City Iric Nathanson This book illuminates how Minneapolis came to be the city it is today by highlighting noteworthy characters, plotlines, and scenes. Events that allowed the city to shine, as well as darker stories such as police and city hall corruption at the turn of the last century, brutal suppression of Depression-era unions, and reports on anti-Semitism at midcentury are relayed. Iric Nathanson has written and lectured about local history for more than two decades.
	Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving Cary J. Griffith The author recounts the amazing story of Goliath’s Cave in southeastern Minnesota, discovered by recreational cavers in the 1980s. With a mix of adventure, suspense, politics, science, discovery and wonder, Opening Goliath takes readers to a subterranean wilderness where exploration and preservation sometimes coexist – and sometimes collide. Cary J. Griffith is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about the outdoors.

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Novel & Short Story:

	The Annunciations of Hank Meyerson, Mama’s Boy and Scholar Scott Muskin Traversing from Minneapolis to Montana, to the fateful shallows of the St. Croix River, Hank’s story waltzes toward tragedy with dazzling wit, affecting insight, and raw ruminations on everything from duck jokes and the toy industry to art, atonement, and great human frailty. Scott Muskin has published short stories in several journals and was a finalist for the 2005 Flannery O’Connor Award for his collection of short stories.
	The Book of Night Women Marlon James This sweeping and astonishing novel tells the story of Lilith, a slave on a Jamaican sugar plantation who possesses a dark power. A group of slaves who call themselves the “Night Women” are plotting a revolt and assume Lilith’s powers will be the key to success. However, as Lilith begins to assume her identity she chooses a different path which poses a threat to the conspiracy. Marlon James teaches literature and creative writing at Macalester College. His first novel, John Crow’s Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
	A Travel Guide for Reckless Hearts N. M. Kelby This collection of ten stories varies from touching to bizarre, beautiful to hilarious, and everything in between. An eccentric coyote fur-wearing mother, a twisted Girl Scout troop determined to sell the most cookies, and a rock hero who wants to be buried in his 1953 Cadillac Eldorado convertible are just a few of N. M. Kelby’s unforgettable characters. She is the author of several novels including the best seller, In the Company of Angels. N. M. Kelby’s stories have also appeared in New Stories from the South: Best of 2006 and on NPR’s CD, "Travel Tales."
	The Turtle Catcher Nicole Helget This beautifully written, suspenseful and tragic novel artfully combines the experiences of German immigrants in America during WWI with the more personal story of Liesel, a girl with a secret she has kept all her life. When her mentally challenged neighbor, Lester, discovers her secret, Liesel tells a lie, so her brothers will take a deadly revenge on him and her true identity will stay hidden. Nicole Helget won the Tamarack Prize from Minnesota Monthly based on the first chapter of The Turtle Catcher.

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Poetry:

	Faith Run Ray Gonzalez The author’s odes and meditations are in conversation with a wide range of poets such as Elizabeth Bishop, Li-Young Lee and Allen Ginsberg, and with the men and women of his life. This collection’s tender, haunting and transformative poetry contains the minutest of details on big subjects. Ray Gonzalez is the author of several books including ten books of poetry, and he is a professor in the MFA Creative Writing Program at the University of Minnesota.
	I Wish I Had a Heart Like Yours, Walt Whitman Jude Nutter In this collection, the poet invokes, invites and revises Walt Whitman’s civil war poems through contemporary and female perspectives. The poems bridge the gap between past and present, loss and reclamation through passionate lyrics full of clarity, imagination and sureness of vision. Jude has received many national and international awards, including a Minnesota Book Award in 2007 for The Curator of Silence.
	Skirmish Dobby Gibson With wit and keen observation, the poet puts into conflict private and public selves, civil disobedience and civic engagement, fortunes told and fortunes made. The poems move from perception to perception with the speed of a mind forced moment by moment to make sense of distant war and local unrest, global misjudgment and suspicious neighbors, and the splice-cuts of the media and gliding leaves of the Mississippi River. Dobby Gibson is the author of Polar, winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award.
	Unrest Joanna Rawson In this collection, nothing less than the entire world is at risk of catastrophe, risk of both hellish and heavenly transformations. The poems are restless meditations on American life, political borders, lawlessness, parenthood, and the spaces where the natural world and human turmoil come into conflict. Joanna Rawson is the author of Quarry, winner of the Associated Writers and Writing Programs’ Award Series in Poetry.

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Young People’s Literature, sponsored by 3M Company:

	Crows & Cards Joseph Helgerson The year is 1849 and twelve year old Zeb is sent on a steamship to St. Louis to work in a tannery. On the ship he meets a man, Chilly, who tricks travelers into losing their money through rigged card games. Zeb becomes his apprentice, but soon realizes that he too is being deceived by Chilly.  However, Zeb and his Indian chief friend conjure up a plot to beat Chilly at his own game. This fast-paced and playfully adventurous book contains illustrations and even a hilarious glossary of common 19th-century terms. Joseph Helgerson is also the author of Horns and Wrinkles, a BookSense Selection and ABC Best Book.
	Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From Catherine Thimmesh This fascinating and illustrated book contains computer generated images of an ape with some very human like features, named Lucy, whose bones were discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Thimmesh describes the process of recovering the bones, interpreting them and also discusses their importance in discovering who humans are and where we came from. Catherine Thimmesh has won many awards for her books including the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award and the IRA Children’s Book Award.
	The Magician’s Elephant Kate DiCamillo Peter Augustus Duchene is a ten year old orphan who is training to be a soldier in the city of Baltese. He was told his parents and sister are dead, but after a visit to a fortuneteller, he discovers his sister is alive. The fortuneteller tells Peter an elephant will lead him to her, which seems a bit silly and improbable at first; however, when an elephant magically appears, Peter vows to take the elephant and find his sister. DiCamillo won the Newbery Medal for her book The Tale of Despereaux.
	The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind Kirstin Cronn-Mills Morgan is a witty, sarcastic sixteen-year-old who lives in a small town in Nebraska and struggles with an alcoholic dad, a crush on a boy at work, and rumors at school that she is a lesbian. Even worse, she discovers that her Grandma – the person she trusts most – has kept a shocking secret from her. Now she is forced to change her whole life around. Kirstin Cronn-Mills grew up in Nebraska, but now lives in southern Minnesota and teaches English at a college in Mankato. This is her first novel.

Award winners will be announced at the 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards Gala on Saturday, April 17, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in downtown Saint Paul. The opening reception begins at 6:30 p.m., followed by the awards ceremony at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 and are available by clicking here or calling 651-222-3242.

All Minnesotans are invited to take part in voting for the Readers’ Choice Award.  During the month of March, readers can visit TwinCities.com to choose one of the Minnesota Book Award finalists from all eight categories.  The finalist with the most votes will be awarded the Readers’ Choice Award at the Gala. The award is sponsored by the Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com.

Two special awards for contributions to the literary and artistic community in Minnesota will be given on April 17, as well.  Wilber H. “Chip” Schilling is the recipient of the third annual Book Artist Award, presented with Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA).  Schilling is the owner of Indulgence Press, which specializes in hand-bound, letterpress printed fine press books, artist books, and limited edition fine art prints. He has lectured at many universities, juried for several arts organizations, and currently teaches workshops at MCBA.  A reception featuring Schilling’s work will be held on Friday, February 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at MCBA, in the Open Book Literary Arts Center.  The Kay Sexton Award, sponsored by Common Good Books, honors a lifetime contribution to the literary community, and will be announced later in February.

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Readers' Choice

All Minnesotans are invited to take part in voting for the Readers' Choice Award each year in the weeks leading up to the Minnesota Book Awards gala. Please, only one vote per person.

Previous Winners:

In spring of 2009, more than 2,000 readers visited TwinCities.com to vote for their favorite among the 32 Minnesota Book Award finalists. The Readers' Choice Award went to Kao Kalia Yang for her book, The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, published by Coffee House Press. Yang also won the year's Minnesota Book Award for Memoir and Creative Nonfiction.

2008 Minnesota Book Awards Readers' Choice Award:
Jill Kalz – Farmer Cap - Published by Picture Window Books

2007 Minnesota Book Awards Readers' Choice Award:
Matthew Sanford – Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence - Published by Rodale

 

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The Minnesota Book Awards is a project of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the City of Saint Paul. Outreach partners and supporting organizations include: Beaver’s Pond Press; Lerner Publishing; MELSA; Minnesota Center for Book Arts; Minnesota Crime Wave; Minnesota Department of Education—State Library Services; Minnesota Educational Media Organization; Minnesota Library Association; and Library Networks for Literature—a project of the Public Programs Office of the American Library Association. Media sponsors include Pioneer Press, MinnPost.com, Saint Paul Neighborhood Network (SPNN), and TPT-Minnesota Channel. Generous support has been provided by the F.R. Bigelow Foundation, The Harlan Boss Foundation for the Arts, The Huss Foundation, The Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation, a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant, and The Saint Paul Foundation.

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Winners of the 21st Annual Minnesota Book Awards

APRIL 26, 2009 - The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is pleased to announce the winners of the 21st annual Minnesota Book Awards. In addition to winners in eight categories, the Book Awards presented the Readers’ Choice Award, which was selected by over 2,000 online voters from across Minnesota. A sold-out crowd of 700 people attended the gala award ceremony on Saturday, April 25, hosted by Tom Crann of Minnesota Public Radio.

Announced at the gala, the winners of the 2009 Minnesota Book Awards are:

Award for Children’s Literature, sponsored by MLBA Children's Fund: The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson, Illustrated by Beth Krommes Published by Houghton Mifflin Company In this bedtime story, the rhythmic text and glowing pictures explore the origins of light that make a house a home. The book lifts up nighttime things that are both comforting and intriguing to young readers including a key, a bed, a book, a light, and the moon. Susan Marie Swanson has been teaching poetry writing to children for more than 20 years.		Award for General Nonfiction: The Compassionate Carnivore: Or, How to Keep Animals Happy, Save Old MacDonald’s Farm, Reduce Your Hoofprint, and Still Eat Meat by Catherine Friend Published by Da Capo Press/Perseus Books Group Once Catherine Friend and her partner bought a farm and started raising sheep, her attitude about eating meat began to change. The author’s farming and livestock journey offers critical and witty insight, for meat lovers and vegetarians alike, into how our meat is raised, where and from whom we buy it, and why a change in our meat choices is possible and desirable. Friend has written several books for both adults and children..

Award for Genre Fiction, sponsored by Wellington Management, Inc: Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer Published by The Doubleday Publishing Group Twin Cities investigative television reporter, Riley Spartz, discovers that a serial killer is targeting women named Susan, and is killing one on the same day each year. In her attempt to crack the case, Spartz goes up against an uncooperative news director and a politician who fears a serial killer story will hurt Minneapolis’ convention business. Julie Kramer is a freelance television news producer for NBC.		Award for Memoir & Creative Nonfiction: The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang Published by Coffee House Press* Born in a refugee camp in Thailand, Kao Kalia Yang immigrated to Saint Paul when she was six years old. This is the story of her family’s harrowing escape from Laos, their life in refugee camps, and the hardships and joys that came with carving out a life in America. Yang is the co-founder of Words Wanted, an agency dedicated to helping immigrants with writing, translating, and business services.

Award for Minnesota, sponsored by Xcel Energy: Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota by Barbara W. Sommer Published by Minnesota Historical Society Press* The Civilian Conversation Corps, born out of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal at the height of the Great Depression, supplied jobs to more than 77,000 Minnesotans. Hundreds of interviews complement the author’s text in this account of the workers’ lasting legacy, visible today in Minnesota’s thriving forests, state parks, and soil conversation practices. Barbara Sommer is a founder of the Oral History Association of Minnesota.		Award for Novel & Short Story: The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich Published by HarperCollins Publishers The unsolved murder of a farm family haunts the small, white, off-reservation town of Pluto, North Dakota. Bound by love and torn by history, the collective stories of two communities come together in a wrenching truth that is revealed in the novel's final pages. Louise Erdrich is the acclaimed author of novels, volumes of poetry, children’s books, and a memoir. She also owns the independent bookstore, Birchbark Books.

Award for Poetry: National Monuments by Heid E. Erdrich Published by Michigan State University Press The depths of national identities and the real people who live them are explored through these poems. There are arguments with historians, archeologists, William Carlos Williams, and the deeply rooted, conflicting myths of what being American is all about. Heid E. Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibway, won a Minnesota Voices award for her first poetry collection, Fishing for Myth.		Award for Young People's Literature, sponsored by Tarrant, Drummer & Liska, PLLC: Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy Published by Scholastic Press/Scholastic, Inc. Molly Swain is hopelessly in love with Mark, the only thing she finds of interest in their small Minnesota town. She starts to wonder if she and Mark will ever be more than lab partners, and then she discovers they will both be moving to New York following high school graduation. In New York, however, Molly discovers that Mark’s been keeping a secret, and it turns out she’s not his type at all. This is Brian Malloy’s third novel.

The Readers’ Choice Award sponsored by Pioneer Press and TwinCities.com:
The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir
by Kao Kalia Yang
Published by Coffee House Press*

In search of a place to call home, thousands of Hmong families made the journey from the war-torn jungles of Laos to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America, but their history remains largely unknown. Driven to share her family’s story after her grandmother’s death, Kao Kalia Yang’s memoir is a tribute to the remarkable woman whose spirit held them all together.

Beginning in the 1970s, as the Hmong were being massacred for their collaboration with the United States during the Vietnam War, Yang recounts the harrowing story of her family’s captivity in Laos, the daring rescue undertaken by her father and uncles, and their narrow escape into Thailand where Yang was born in the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp.

When she was six years old, Yang’s family immigrated to America. She evocatively captures the challenges of adapting to a new place and a new language, and also gives voice to the dreams, wisdom, and traditions passed down from her grandmother and shared by an entire community.

* Indicates a Minnesota-based publisher

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Nominees for the 22nd Annual Minnesota Book Awards

Nominated book titles, their publishers and authors are listed below.

JUMP TO CATEGORY:

Children’s Literature
General Nonfiction
Genre Fiction
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
Minnesota
Novel & Short Story
Poetry
Young People’s Literature

Children's Literature
Alfred Noble: The Man Behind the Peace Prize (Sleeping Bear Press), by Kathy-jo Wargin. Zachary Pullen, Illustrator
Always (Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), by Alison McGhee. Pascal Lemaitre, Illustrator
B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press), by Patricia Bauer. Illustrated by David Geister
Ballyhoo Bay(Paula Wiseman Books/Simon & Schuster), by Judy Sierra. Derek Anderson, Illustrator
The Bee Book: Where Dreams Begin (Outskirts Press), by Michael Willert. Michelle Dziatzko, Illustrator
Big Brother Has Wheels (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Patrick “Paddy” Mader. Andrew Holmquist, Illustrator
The Christmas Baby (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), by Marion Dane Bauer. Richard Cowdrey, Illustrator
A Farm Country Halloween (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Gordon W. Fredrickson. Michaelin Otis, Illustrator
The Glass Monkey (Calyx Press Duluth), by Cecilia Lieder
If I Were a Farmer: Nancy’s Adventure (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Gordon W. Fredrickson. David Jewell, Illustrator
Henrietta Stays Out All Night! (Tom Broadbent), by Tom Broadbent. Lisa Kosmo, Illustrator
The Longest Night (Holiday House), by Marion Dane Bauer. Ted Lewin, Illustrator
Miss Little’s Gift (Candlewick Press), by Douglas Wood. Jim Burke, Illustrator
Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Noisy Problem (Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing Group), by Chris Monroe
Moose on the Loose (Sleeping Bear Press), by Kathy-jo Wargin. John Bendall-Brunello, Illustrator
Muktar and the Camels (Henry Holt and Company), by Janet Graber. Scott Mack, Illustrator
No Snow for Christmas (Picture Window Books), by Jill Kalz. Sahin Erkocak, Illustrator
Once Upon a Time: Writing Your Own Fairy Tale (Picture Window Books/Capstone Publishers), by Nancy Loewen. Christopher Iyles, Illustrator
Princess Candy Sugar Hero (Stone Arch Press), by Michael Dahl. Jeff Crowther, Illustrator
Q.T. Patootie (Mirror Publishing), by Sally A. Scheckel
Red Sings from Treetops (Houghton Mifflin Children’s Books), by Joyce Sidman. Pamela Zagarenski, Illustrator
Song of Middle C (Candlewick Press), by Alison McGhee. Scott Menchin, Illustrator
Stampede!: Poems to Celebrate the Wild Side of School (Clarion Books), by Laura Purdie Salas. Steven Salerno, Illustrator
Start Saving, Henry! (Viking/Penguin Young Readers Group), by Nancy Carlson
Think Happy! (Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing Group), by Nancy Carlson
The Twelve Days of Christmas in Minnesota (Sterling), by Constance Van Hoven. Mike Wohnoutka, Illustrator
The Ugly Duckling: The Graphic Novel (Capstone Press), by Martin Powell. Aaron Blecha, Illustrator
Y is for Yowl!:  A Scary Alphabet (Capstone Press), by Laura Purdie Salas
Zinc Alloy Coldfinger (Stone Arch Books), by Donald Lemke. Douglas Holgate, Illustrator

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General Nonfiction
Absinthe and Flamethrowers: Projects and Ruminations on the Art of Living Dangerously (Chicago Review Press), by William Gurstelle
Ambassadors from Earth: Pioneering Explorations with Unmanned Spacecraft (University of Nebraska Press), by Jay Gallentine
Approaching God: The Way of Abraham Joshua Heschel (Liturgical Press), by John C. Merkle
Bridge to the Afterlife: A Medium’s Message of Hope & Healing (Llewellyn Worldwide), by Troy Parkinson
Coached for Life (Bronze Bow Publishing), by Ed Flaherty and Jack Uldrich
The Courage of Faith: Some Philosophical Reflections (Liturgical Press), by Steven T. Ostovich
The Crooked Mile: Through Peak Oil, Biofuels, Hybrid Cars, and Global Climate
Change to Reach a Brighter Future (Demontreville Press Inc.), by Kevin Clemens
Cultivating Hope: Weekly Readings to Open Your Heart and Mind (Hazelden), by Karen Casey
Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell’s Kitchen (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Mitch Omer and Ann Bauer
Drink This: Wine Made Simple (Ballantine Books), by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
Feisty Lydia: Memoirs of a German War Bride (Minnesota Heritage Publishing), by Edna Thayer
Glass Ceilings & 100-Hour Couples: What the Opt-Out Phenomenon Can Teach Us about Work and Family (The University of Georgia Press), by Karine Moe & Dianna Shandy
Good Grief: Finding Peace After Pet Loss (Healy House Books), by Sid Korpi
The Happy Medium: Awakening to Your Natural Intuition (Llewellyn Worldwide), by Jodi Livon
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press), by Jeff Hertzberg, M.D. & Zoё François
Homilies for Weekdays: Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials (Liturgical Press), by Don Talafous
The Hooked X: Key to the Secret History of North America (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Scott. F. Wolter
I Go to America: Swedish American Women and the Life of Mina Anderson (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Joy K. Lintelman
Intriguing Owls: Exceptional Images and Insight (Adventure Publications), by Stan Tekiela
Invasion Biology (Oxford University Press), by Mark A. Davis
Journeywell: A Guide to Quality Aging (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Trish Herbert
K-9 Nation Biscuit Book: Baking for Your Best Friend (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Klecko
Launching Your Teen into Adulthood: Parenting Through the Transition (Search Institute Press), by Patricia Hoolihan
Learning from the Children: Reflecting on Teaching (Redleaf Press), by Cindylee Villareale
A Man’s Way Through the Twelve Steps (Hazelden), by Dan Griffin, M.A.
The Northlands Winter Greenhouse Manual: A Unique, Low-Tech Solution to Vegetable Production in Cold Climates (Garden Goddess Publications), by Carol Ford & Chuck Waibel
Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum (Voyageur Press), by Sue Flanders and Janine Kosel
A People’s History of the Hmong (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Paul Hillmer
Prairie Homestead to Wall Street: A History of the Jones Family and Metropolitan Financial Corporation (Hobar Publications/Finney Company), by Hiram M. Drache
Psychic Empowerment for Everyone: You Have the Power, Learn How to Use It (Llewellyn Worldwide), by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke & Joe H. Slate, Ph.D.
Richard Parks Bonington: The Complete Paintings (Yale University Press), by Patrick Noon
Road Show: Art Cars and the Museum of the Streets (Fulcrum Publishing), by Eric Dregni and Ruthann Godollei
We Will Have Gained Ourselves: Narrative Experiences of African Women Pursuing Higher Education in the United States of America (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Mumbi Mwangi
Winners Persevere (Matthew R. Crowe), by Matthew R. Crowe
You Can’t Do That!: Marv Davidov, Nonviolent Revolutionary (Nodin Press), by Carol Masters & Marv Davidov

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Genre Fiction
The Black Minute (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Christopher Valen
Blue Bells of Scotland (Gabriel’s Horn Publishing), by Laura Vosika
Cold Lonely Courage (Black Rose Writing), by Soren Paul Petrek
Deadly Stillwater (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Roger Stelljes
Devils Island (Echelon Press Publishing), by Carl Brookins
Eggs Benedict Arnold (Penguin/Berkley Prime Crime), by Laura Childs
First Come Twins (Harlequin), by Helen Brenna
Frag Box (Poisoned Pen Press), by Richard A. Thompson
From the Outside (Harlequin), by Helen Brenna
A Grand Ol’ Murder (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Brian Landon
Harvest of Souls (E-Booktime, LLC), by Michael Wayne
Heaven’s Keep (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster), by William Kent Krueger
Hogdoggin’ (Bleak House Books), by Anthony Neil Smith
In the Dark (Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press), by Brian Freeman
Jelly’s Gold, (Minotaur Books/St. Martin’s Press), by David Housewright
Magic & Madness (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Amy Gregg
Minnesota Cold (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Cynthia Kraack
The Mirror and the Mask (St. Martin’s Press), by Ellen Hart
Missing Mark (Doubleday/Random House), by Julie Kramer
The Mormon Conspiracy: A Flying Adventure (Seitview Publishing), by Dale M. Seitzer
Murder on Warbler Weekend (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Jan Dunlap
Next Comes Love (Harlequin), by Helen Brenna
Rough Country (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), by John Sandford
The Second Death of Goodluck Tinubu (HarperCollins), by Michael Stanley
September Fair (Midnight Ink/Llewellyn Worldwide), by Jess Lourey
The Sharing Knife (Eos), by Louis McMaster Bujold
Secrets (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by David P. Holmes
Sherlock Holmes: In Search of the Source (Xlibris Corporation), by Jeff Falkingham
The Silent Governess (Bethany House Publishers/Baker Publishing Group), by Julie Klassen
Then Comes Baby (Harlequin), by Helen Brenna
Thy Father’s Will (Kirk House Publishing), by Kirsten Jacobson Stasney
Where’s Billie? (Nodin Press), by Judith Yates Borger
Wicked Prey (G.P. Putnam’s Sons), by John Sandford
Wormwood, Nevada (St. Martin’s Press), by David Oppegaard

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Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
Assembly Required: Notes from a Deaf Gay Life (RID Press), by Raymond Luczak
The Bullhead Queen: A Year on Pioneer Lake (University of Minnesota Press), by Sue Leaf
The Daughter of L’arsenal (SterlingHouse Publisher, Inc.), by Jacqueline Regis
Eat the Grapes Don’t Fight the Battles (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Craig R. Johnson
Everything Happened in Vietnam: The Year of the Rat (Blue Moon Publishing), by Robert Peter Thompson
Farther Up the Mountain: The Death of a Son (Tasora), by Phyllis Jensen Campbell
Fujiyama Trays & Oshibori Towels: Recalling a Time When Passenger Flight was an Adventure and the Boeing Stratocruiser Ruled the Skies  (Lady Skywriter Publications), by Anne Billingsley Kerr
Gentle Trekking: This Wide Land, One Café at a Time (Bearly Artworks Publishing), by Victor John Faith
Getting a Jump on Life: 90 Years of Flying in the Face of Obstacles, Overcoming Hardships and Making My Own Way (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Aileen Fritsch and Jacqueline Mosio
Going Blind (State University of New York), by Mara Faulkner, OSB
I’m Sorry You Feel That Way: The Astonishing but True Story of a Daughter, Sister, Slut, Wife, Mother, and Friend to Man & Dog (G.P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Group), by Diana Joseph
In a good and perfect World…I’m still IMPERFECT and other opinions (SUZ Z Enterprises Incorporated), by Suzi Otto
In Pursuit of Joy (Eloquent Books), by Gary Green
It’s Uphill Most of the Way Down: A Journey of Adventure and Faith (Tate Publishing and Enterprises), by Jodi L. Raisl and Dr. Barry L. Lane
It Was Quite a Ride: Moving Through the Twentieth Century (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Bonnie Graham
Kevin Kling’s Holiday Inn (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Kevin Kling
Knife Island: Circling a Year in a Herring Skiff (Nodin Press), by Stephen Dahl
Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft (New World Library), by Nora Murphy
Let My Words Be Sweet Upon You: Messages from Grandmother God (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Emma Hofstede
Lost and Found: A Memoir of Mothers (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Kate St. Vincent Vogl
Never Trust a Thin Cook and Other Lessons from Italy’s Culinary Capital (University of Minnesota Press), by Eric Dregni
The Nine of Us: A Lighthearted Memoir (AuthorHouse), by Jerry Hines
Purge: Rehab Diaries (Seal Press), by Nicole Johns
Spirits Out of Time: True Family Ghost Stories and Weird Paranormal Experiences (Llewellyn Worldwide), by Annie Wilder
Tenacity Well Directed: The Inside Story of How a Publishing House Was Created and Became a Sleeping Giant in Its Field - Well, Not Exactly (First Avenue Editions/Lerner Publishing Group), by Harry Lerner
Varmints in My Vinegar Cup: A Childhood at Gillette State Hospital 1945-1950 (Duluth Benedictine Books), by Lucille Geisinger
Walking on Air in a Field of Greens: An Italian-American Collage (Nodin Press), by Emilio DeGrazia
The Wild Garden: A Journey of Loss and Renewal (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Peter P. Bundy
The Wolf at Twilight: An Indian Elder’s Journey through a Land of Ghosts and Shadows (New World Library), by Kent Nerburn
What the Poem Wants: Prose on Poetry (Carnegie Mellon University Press), by Michael Dennis Browne

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Minnesota
50 Years of Music: The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (Nodin Press), by Dave Kenney
61 Gems on Highway 61 (Adventure Publications), by Kathryn Mayo and William Mayo
Ant Farm: Glimpses of Daily Life in Minnesota (Nodin Press), by Ben Garvin
The Children Remember: Stories of Minnesota Children During World War II (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Sharon Schulte
The Dakota Uprising: A Pictorial History (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Curtis A. Dahlin
Historic Photos of Minnesota (Turner Publishing), by Susan Marks
Home: Tom Arndt’s Minnesota (University of Minnesota Press), by Tom Arndt
Honor Bright: A Century of Scouting in Northern Star Council (Northern Star Council, Boy Scouts of America), by Dave Kenney
I Love Brett Favre, I Hate Brett Favre (Triumph Books), by Ross Bernstein
Jewel of Como: The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Afton Historical Society Press), by Leigh Roethke and Bonnie Blodgett
Legacies of Faith: The Catholic Churches of Stearns County (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by John Roscoe and Robert Roscoe
Legendary Homes of Lake Minnetonka (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Bette Jones Hammel. Karen Melvin, Photographer
Maroon & Gold Forever: Celebrating 125 Years of Gopher Football (Bernstein Books), by Ross Bernstein
Minneapolis in the Twentieth Century: The Growth of an American City (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Iric Nathanson
The Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway: A Photographic History (University of Minnesota Press), by Don L. Hofsommer
Minnesota County Fairs: Kids, Cows, Carnies, and Chow (University of Minnesota Press), by Susan Lambert Miller
Minnesota Prints and Printmaker: 1900-1945 (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Robert L. Crump
Mr. Environment: The Willard Munger Story (Cloquet River Press), by Mark Munger
The Neighborhood by the Falls: A Look Back at Life in Longfellow (Longfellow Community Council), by Eric Hart
Opening Goliath: Danger and Discovery in Caving (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press) by Cary J. Griffith
Power & Stride: The Nancy Burggraf Story (Pogo Press/Finney Company), by Merrie Sue Holtan
Recounting Minnesota: Blogging the Al Franken Election Saga (Melange Press), by Carl “WineRev” Eeman
Subterranean Twin Cities (University of Minnesota Press), by Greg Brick
Suburban Dawn: The Emergence of Richfield, Edina and Bloomington (Richfield Historical Society), by Frederick L. Johnson with Thomas U. Tuttle
The Twins at the Met (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Bob Showers
Walking Twin Cities (Wilderness Press), by Holly Day and Sherman Wick
Wildflowers of the Boundary Waters: Hiking Through the Seasons (Minnesota Historical Society Press), by Betty Vos Hemstad

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Novel & Short Story
Abercrombie Trail (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Candace Simar
Abraham Lincoln in New Orleans (Rae Katherine Eighmey), by Rae Katherine Eighmey
The Annunciations of Hank Meyerson, Mama’s Boy and Scholar (Hooded Friar Press), by Scott Muskin
The Book of Night Women (Riverhead Books/Penguin Group), by Marlon James
A Christmas Blizzard (Penguin Group), by Garrison Keillor
Dieter Stumpf: A Man Imprisoned by War (Turnpike Press of Northfield), by Jim Reiley
Encampment: A Novel of Race and Reconciliation (Melange Press), by Carl Eeman
Eve (Bantam Books), by Elissa Elliott
Every Boat Turns South (The Permanent Press), by J.P. White
German for Travelers: A Novel in 95 Lessons (Coffee House Press), by Norah Labiner
The Grass: A Young Man’s Journey to the Korean War (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Paul Zerby
Heading North (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Joseph Van Nurden
Heartache & Sin (BookSurge Publishing), by Charles Soto
The Hospital for Bad Poets (Milkweed Editions), by J.C. Hallman
Jennifer Johnson Is Sick of Being Single (HarperCollins), by Heather McElhatton
Men with Their Hands (Rebel Satori Press/Queer Mojo), by Raymond Luczak
My Life with Stella Kane (Regal Crest Enterprises), by Linda Morganstein
Pike Point and the Good Lord’s Earth (Author House), by Greg Suhonen
Pilgrims: A Wobegon Romance (Penguin Group), by Garrison Keillor
The Red Convertible: Selected and New Stories (HarperCollins), by Louise Erdrich
Remedies (G.P. Putnam’s Sons/Penguin Group), by Kate Ledger
Retribution (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Dean Urdahl
The Rose Variations (Soho Press), by Marisha Chamberlain
Somewhere in Lorraine (Capio), by Capio
Total Oblivion, More or Less (Spectra, an imprint of Random House), by Alan DeNiro
A Travel Guide for Reckless Hearts (Borealis Books/Minnesota Historical Society Press), by N. M. Kelby
The Turtle Catcher (Houghton Mifflin), by Nicole Helget
When to Go into the Water (Sarabande Books), by Lawrence Sutin
Whiskey Heart (New Rivers Press), by Rachel L. Coyne
Whiteout (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Brian Duren

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Poetry
Ace (The Word Works), by Richard Carr
All This and More: New and Selected Poems (Nodin Press), by Carol Connolly
Before You Know It: Prose Poems 1970-2005 (Will o’ the Wisp Books), by Louis Jenkins
Between (Nodin Press), by Morgan Grayce Willow
Bird Eating Bird (Perennial), by Kristin Naca
Ceremonies of the Spirit (Plain View Press), by Wendy Brown-Báez
The Chain Letter of the Soul: New and Selected Poems (Milkweed Editions), by Bill Holm
Coal Mountain Elementary (Coffee House Press), by Mark Nowak
Cool Auditor (BOA Editions), by Ray Gonzalez
Dark Dreaming, Global Dimming (Red Dragonfly Press), by Joe Paddock
The Dark Honey: New & Used Poems (Clover Valley Press), by Ellie Schoenfeld
Driving Gravel Roads (Red Dragonfly Press), by Jim Johnson
Faith Run (The University of Arizona Press), by Ray Gonzalez
Fallibility (New Rivers Press) by Elizabeth Oness
Flying (Nodin Press), by Beverly Rollwagen
God Drops and Loses Things (Liturgical Press), by Kilian McDonnell
The Gravity of Flesh (Nodin Press), by Jill Breckenridge
I Wish I Had a Heart Like Yours, Walt Whitman (University of Notre Dame Press), by Jude Nutter
Love or Lust (Two Harbors Press), by Ott Lukk
Obama Rising (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Larry Christianson
Once Upon a Neighborhood (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Evelyn D. Klein
The Plum-Stone Game (Ahsahta Press), by Kathleen Jesme
Radioactive City (Bellday Books), by Richard Robbins
Rock Worn By Water (Plain View Press), by Florence Chard Dacey
Stompin’ at the Grand Terrace: A Jazz Memoir in Verse (Blueroad Press), by Philip S. Bryant
Stone Poems (Starhaven), by Douglas Skrief
Skirmish (Graywolf Press), by Dobby Gibson
South of Contrary  (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Larry Christianson
Unrest (Graywolf Press), by Joanna Rawson
Writer’s Block: Poetry and Food for Thought (AuthorHouse), by Carlotta Arradondo, Chance Arradondo, and K. Caprice Arradondo

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Young People's Literature
Batman: The Man Behind the Mask (Stone Arch Books), by Michael Dahl. Dan Schoening, Illustrator
The Bracelet (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Betsy Johnson-Miller
Chrissa (American Girl Publishing Co.), by Mary Casanova
Chrissa Stands Strong (American Girl Publishing Co.), by Mary Casanova
The Civil War: An Interactive History Adventure (Capstone Press), by Matt Doeden
Climate Fever: Stopping Global Warming (Compass Point Books/Capstone Press), by Rachael Hanel
Crows & Cards (Houghton Mifflin), by Joseph Helgerson
Drive Me Crazy (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), by Erin Downing
The Geek Girl’s Guide to Cheerleading (Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing), by Charity Tahmaseb & Darcy Vance
The Gifted Kids’ Survival Guide (Free Spirit Publishing), by Judy Galbraith
Girl Talk: 52 Weekly Devotions (Zondervan Press), by Lois Walfrid Johnson
How to Draw 104 Cartoons with Gary Harbo (Kutie Kari Books, Inc.), by Gary Harbo
Let’s Meet a Marine Educator! (Winward Publishing, an imprint of Finney Company), by Tasha Jacobson
Lucy Long Ago: Uncovering the Mystery of Where We Came From (Houghton Mifflin Children’s Books), by Catherine Thimmesh
The Magician’s Elephant (Candlewick Press), by Kate DiCamillo. Yoko Tanaka, Illustrator
Mudville (Random House Children’s Books), by Kurtis Scaletta
The Painting that Wasn’t There (Stone Arch Books/Capstone Publishers), by Steve Brezenoff
The Phantom of the North Shore (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by John Koblas
The Secret History of Lake Amikota (North Star Press of St. Cloud), by Jody G. Russell
The Secret of Zoom (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers), by Lynne Jonell
The Sky Always Hears Me and the Hills Don’t Mind (Flux/Llewellyn Worldwide), by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Superman: The Shrinking City, (Stone Arch Books), by Michael Dahl. Gregg Schigiel and Lee Loughridge, Illustrators
TANGO: The Tale of an Island Dog (Bloomsbury U.S.A.), by Eileen Beha
The Tear Collector (Walker & Company), by Patrick Jones
Toby Martin: Pet Detective (Cambridge Books), by Barbara Grengs
Top of the Order (Fiewel and Friends/Macmillan), by John Coy
The White Witch (Roaring Brook Press), by Janet Graber
Will Spring Come? (Royal Fireworks Press), by Esther Allen Peterson
Zillah’s Gift (Beaver’s Pond Press), by Lois West Duffy

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The Minnesota Book Awards is a Capital City project, led by The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library,
in consortium with the Saint Paul Public Library and the Mayor’s office in the City of Saint Paul. 
Outreach partners for the Book Awards include the Metropolitan Library Service Agency (MELSA)
and the Minnesota Library Association (MLA).