The Abraham Lincoln Award: Illinois’ Grades 9-12 Readers’ Choice Award

The Abraham Lincoln Readers’ Choice Award winner is awarded to the book from that year’s master list that earns the highest number of student votes.

For a book to reach the master list, adult and young adult fiction and non-fiction titles must be nominated by teachers or librarians and vetted by the nominations committee. While the popularity of a particular title is important, the overall quality of the work is of primary importance. Each year, a panel of high school librarians, teachers, public librarians and students determines the final master list of twenty titles. For more information on this award, visit the ISLMA website.

 

Click on the titles below to view the primary source pairings:

All American Boys, Written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Denton Little’s Deathdate, Written by Lance Rubin

Divided We Fall, Written by Trent Reedy

An Ember in the Ashes, Written by Sabaa Tahir

Exit, Pursued by a Bear, Written by E.K. Johnston

Highly Illogical Behavior, Written by John Corey Whaley

March: Book One, Written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, Illustrated by Nate Powell

Nimona, Written and Illustrated by Noelle Stevenson

Notorious RBG, Written by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik

Out of Darkness, Written by Ashley Hope Pérez

The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Written by Patrick Ness

Salt to the Sea, Written by Ruta Sepetys

The Serpent King, Written by Jeff Zentner

Shadowshaper, Written by Daniel José Older

Six of Crows, Written by Leigh Bardugo

These Shallow Graves, Written by Jennifer Donnelly

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Written by Jenny Han

When We Collided, Written by Emery Lord

The Wrath & The Dawn, Written by Renée Ahdieh

Zeroboxer, Written by Fonda Lee