Georgia Children’s Book Award 2027: a parent guide to the 20 middle grade finalists

J vs. K

J, an artist, and K, a writer, compete in their school’s story contest. Their fifth grade rivalry slowly turns into a friendship.

Teddy vs. the Fuzzy Doom

Anxious new kid Teddy finds his school overrun by evil, mind-controlling hamsters. Milk can stop them, but milk makes him throw up.

Heads-up: Spooky but silly, with lots of throw-up jokes.

Botticelli’s Apprentice

In Renaissance Florence, girls can’t be painters’ apprentices. Mella tends Botticelli’s chickens and secretly learns to paint.

The Creepening of Dogwood House

Orphaned at 12, Roddie moves into his family’s creepy old South Carolina house. His aunt tells him about family hoodoo traditions and a monster legend.

Heads-up: Roddie’s mom died in a car crash and fire. Real haunted-house scares, plus grief.

The AI Incident

Foster kid Malcolm, 12, wants to be adopted before he turns 13. A school AI robot offers to help, then goes rogue.

Heads-up: Malcolm’s parents died in a car crash. Foster care is shown honestly.

Opal Watson: Private Eye

Opal, 12, investigates strange noises in her Chicago apartment building. She has an eye condition and uses a cane named Pinkerton.

Monster Locker

Sixth grader Pablo finds a monster living in his school locker. Soon an angry Aztec goddess sets monsters loose on his city.

Heads-up: Monsters attack the school, mostly for laughs. Mild language like “crap.”

Spark

A huge wildfire forces eighth grader Finn’s redwood town to evacuate. Back home, he searches for hope and ways to help.

Heads-up: Finn has nightmares and PTSD after the fire. The fire scenes are intense.

Into the Rapids

A storm washes away the bridge that links Addy’s Vermont town to the world. She uses her survival skills to try to get to camp.

Heads-up: Addy’s dad died in a flash flood. Her mom struggles with PTSD, and a classmate has a panic attack.

Impossible Creatures

Visiting his grandfather in Scotland, Christopher finds a hidden world of magical creatures. With Mal, he races to save its fading magic.

Heads-up: A killer hunts Mal, and beloved characters die. Words like “damn” and “hell.”

Dear Jackie

In sixth grade, Jackie and her best friend Milo drift apart. Classmates pressure her to look more like a girl.

Heads-up: Kids mock Jackie’s clothes and body hair. Puberty and body image come up. Her older sibling is gender-nonconforming.

Holding On for Dear Life

Canyon, 13, rides bulls to win $10,000 and get his old dad back. Playing the fiddle helps him heal.

Heads-up: Canyon’s mom died, and his dad is an alcoholic. Expect bull riding injuries and a tearjerker finish.

The Queen Bees of Tybee County

Basketball player Derrick spends the summer with his grandma in small-town Georgia. He discovers a talent for fashion and enters a local pageant.

Heads-up: Derrick explores his sexuality, has feelings for his best friend, and comes out. He competes in drag. Racism and homophobia come up.

I.R.L.

After a winter of online school in Alaska, Lucy finally goes in person. She finds a burned-out ruin instead of a school.

Heads-up: A creepy supernatural tale, with graves bearing her classmates’ names. Lucy was bullied at her old school.

Band Nerd

Seventh grader Lucy starts at an arts school and wants first chair flute. At home, her dad’s drinking gets worse.

Heads-up: Lucy’s dad has a drinking problem and goes to rehab twice. Her parents fight a lot.

The Scott Fenwick Diaries

Seventh grader Millie has a huge crush on Scott Fenwick from social studies. She tracks every moment in a diary.

Heads-up: It is all about a first crush, including a near-kiss. Her dog gets hurt in an accident.

Blood in the Water

Kaylani, 12, spends the summer on Martha’s Vineyard. When a popular teen is found dead, she hunts for the killer.

Heads-up: A teen’s death, a bloody fistfight and other unsolved deaths. Kaylani’s dad is in prison.

The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez

Alex, a seventh grader in special education, dreams of working for NASA. He fights to join a regular science class.

Heads-up: Years ago, a fight put a friend of his in the hospital. He faces a bully and doubting adults.

Will’s Race for Home

In 1889, Will, 12, and his father race to claim land in Oklahoma. His father was once enslaved.

Heads-up: Racism, fistfights, a shootout and a brutal massacre scene.

So Over Sharing

Hadley and Willow, both 12, are tired of being their moms’ social media content. They start a secret account to tell the truth.

Heads-up: A good start for a talk about privacy and posting online.