2024 Lone Star Texas Reading List

Check out the 2024 Texas Lone Star reading list, developed by the Texas Library Association to encourage students in grades 6, 7, and 8 to explore a variety of current books.

Plano Public Library has all 30 Lone Star books available for checkout, and you can visit a library location for information on Texas Library Association reading lists and to browse our Texas 2×2’s, Lone Star, and Bluebonnet titles.

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander. From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family. Print / Playaway / Large print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Plotting the Stars: Moongarden by Michelle A. Barry. The Secret Garden meets The City of Ember as an unlikely heroine confronts loneliness and crippling parental expectations, finding her seed of courage to weed out an intergalactic government conspiracy tied to failed climate change policy in this STEM-inspired series starter. Print / eBook.

The Vanquishers by Kalynn Bayron. In an alternate San Antonio, there have been no known cases of vampirism since a group of masked vampire hunters called the Vanquishers wiped out the last horde of the undead twenty years ago, but twelve-year-old Malika “Boog” Wilson’s parents are not taking any chances, especially when Boog’s new classmate Aaron goes missing. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow. Simon O’Keeffe tells a lot of stories, but the story Simon doesn’t tell is the one he’d do anything to forget: Simon is the only survivor of a school shooting. That story has followed him everywhere — everywhere except his new home in the National Quiet Zone, where the internet is banned so radio astronomers can listen for signs of life in space. Then Simon meets a kid who wants to give the astronomers what they’ve been looking for… and he finally gets the chance to tell a new story about himself. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Carvalho. The grandchildren of two rival Brazilian bakeries fall in love despite their families’ feud in this delicious debut rom-com perfect for fans of Nicola Yoon and Gloria Chao. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

We Still Belong by Christine Day. A thoughtful and heartfelt middle grade novel by American Indian Youth Literature Honor-winning author Christine Day (Upper Skagit), about a girl whose hopeful plans for Indigenous Peoples’ Day (and plans to ask her crush to the school dance) go all wrong–until she finds herself surrounded by the love of her Indigenous family and community at an intertribal powwow. Print / Playaway / eBook / eAudiobook.

The Probability of Everything by Sarah Everett. A heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an aspiring scientist who loves statistics and facts, as she navigates grief and loss at a moment when life as she knows it changes forever. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

The Grace of Wild Things by Heather Fawcett. An inventive and fantastical reimagining of Anne of Green Gables–with magic and witches!–that explores found family, loss, and the power of a girl’s imagination, from the acclaimed author of The Language of Ghosts and The School Between Winter and Fairyland. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

The Puttermans are in the House by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman. Three cousins navigate joy, family and growing up in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

A Duet for Home by Karina Yan Glaser. A triumphant tale of friendship, healing, and the power of believing in ourselves told from the perspective of biracial sixth-graders June and Tyrell, two children living in a homeless shelter. Print / Large print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Dinged by Tommy Greenwald. In the companion novel to the acclaimed hit Game Changer, a star football player watches his father deteriorate from injuries he suffered playing the very same sport. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Unraveller by Frances Hardinge. In a world where anyone can create a life-destroying curse, only one person has the power to unravel them. Kellen does not fully understand his talent but helps those transformed maliciously–including Nettle. Recovered from entrapment in bird form, she is now his constant companion and closest ally. But Kellen has also been cursed, and unless he and Nettle can remove his curse, Kellen is in danger of unravelling everything–and everyone–around him. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

No One Leaves the Castle by Christopher Healy. The Brothers Grimm meets Knives Out in this unexpected, hilarious, and wholly original fantasy-murder-mystery. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Wrecker by Carl Hiaasen. Wrecker needs to deal with smugglers, grave robbers, and pooping iguanas–just as soon as he finishes Zoom school. Welcome to another wild adventure in Carl Hiaasen’s Florida! Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

The Demon Sword Asperides by Sarah Jean Horwitz. A scheming demon sword and a wannabe knight band together on a (possibly wicked) quest in this fantasy. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Lumara by Melissa Landers. Talia must solve a multigenerational mystery and break a curse, all the while being torn between making her family proud and regaining the trust of the boy she loves. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Thieves’ Gambit by Kayvion Lewis. The Inheritance Games meets Ocean’s Eleven in this cinematic heist thriller where a cutthroat competition brings together the world’s best thieves and one thief is playing for the highest stakes of all: her mother’s life. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Los Monstruos: Felice and the Wailing Woman by Diana López. The twelve-year-old daughter of La Llorona vows to free her mother and reverse the curses that have plagued the magical town of Tres Leches in this delightfully sweet and spellbinding adventure. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

Virtually Me by Chad Morris and Shelly Brown. Using personalized avatars, a group of kids look for a fresh start in school when a virtual reality academy opens after a pandemic. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

You Are Here: Connecting Flights, edited by Ellen Oh. Also a 2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet book. A powerful and engaging exploration of contemporary Asian American identity through interwoven stories set in a teeming Chicago airport. Print / Playaway / eBook / eAudiobook.

Ghosts Come Rising by Adam Perry. In the mid-19th century, a religious movement called Spiritualism spread across America. Spiritualists believe that the living could communicate with the dead. This suspenseful book tells the story of twelve-year-old Liza Carroll and her little brother as they try to find answers and hide a secret while staying at a spooky Spiritualist commune. Print / eBook.

The Fire, The Water, and Maudie McGinn by Sally J. Pla. Also a 2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet book. Neurodivergent Maudie is ready to spend an amazing summer with her dad, but will she find the courage to tell him a terrible secret about life with her mom and new stepdad? Print / Playaway / eBook / eAudiobook.

A Seed in the Sun by Aida Salazar. A farm-working girl with big dreams meets activist Dolores Huerta and joins the 1965 protest for workers’ rights in this tender-hearted novel in verse. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat. A middle grade graphic memoir based on bestselling author and Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat’s awkward middle school years and the trip to Europe that changed his life. Print / eBook.

The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt. A seventh grader has to figure out how to fulfill an assignment to perform the Twelve Labors of Hercules in real life–and makes discoveries about friendship, community, and himself along the way. Print / Playaway / eBook / eAudiobook.

Bhai for Now by Maleeha Siddiqui. This fresh and fun spin on the Parent-Trap story features two long-lost brothers who, while they might not like each other, just might need each other. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarksi. An eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga. Also a 2024-2025 Texas Bluebonnet book. The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover, from the Newbery Honor-winning author of Other Words for Home. Print / Playaway / eBook / eAudiobook.

Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell. What if a school’s mascot is seen as racist, but not by everyone? In this compelling middle-grade novel in verse, two best-selling BIPOC authors tackle this hot-button issue. Print / eBook.

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein. When a teen pilot witnesses a plane deliberately knocked out of the sky in what is supposed to be a friendly international air race, she must unravel the mystery before becoming a victim herself. Print / eBook / eAudiobook.