MCBA 23-24 Nominees

Twelve-and-a-half year old Emelyn Ethrige lives with her father in South Carolina, dreams of wheelchair motocross, and makes custom chair bags trying to earn enough money to buy a serious set of wheels. She has been in a wheelchair all her life and is just fine getting around without help, but it seems that since her mother was killed in an accident everyone (father, grandparents, teachers, and classmates) have started treating her differently: urging...

"Find out more than you ever thought possible about creatures both cute and weird, large and small, while discovering new stories about human history from the perspective of our animal companions"--

To protect his friends and family, Abel must figure out what is worth fighting for when he partners with a stolen dragon, an action that has him riding in kin battles and keeping more secrets than a dragon has scales.

"Star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac's parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father's approval by earning a spot on the school's basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short"--

"Paul Marconi and his two friends are amateur detectives and find their biggest case when their neighbor wakes up to lawn full of rubber duckies. The kids set out to discover the culprit"--

Jarell has never quite known where he belongs. He's ignored at home and teased at school for wanting to draw instead of playing sports with the other boys. The only place he's ever felt truly at ease is his local barbershop where the owner hangs Jarell's art up on the walls. When Jarell discovers a hidden portal in the barbershop, he's transported to a magical world that's unlike anything he's seen before. But it's not just the powerful gods and dangerous...

After moving to Sacramento to take over his grandparent's Filipino market, sixth-grader Alex seeks popularity by selling homemade slime at school, while his father insists he join a soccer team.

In Charleston, South Carolina, a young business entrepreneur, newly out as gay, starts his own junior talent agency and signs a thirteen-year-old aspiring drag queen as his first client. Twelve-year-old Mikey Pruitt is a budding entrepreneur. Inspired by his grandfather Pap Pruitt, who successfully ran all sorts of businesses, Mikey is still looking for his million-dollar idea. Unfortunately, most of his ideas--from a roadside general store to croquet...

Knox works to keep his family together as they move from Hong Kong back to northern California during the initial outbreak of the coronavirus.

Three children from a blended Creek-British family follow Peter Pan to an island filled with animals, merfolk, and fairies, but when they discover the dark side of Peter and Neverland they plan their escape.