- Appleblossom the Possum by Holly Goldberg Sloan, illus. by Gary Rosen
- The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
- Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
- Wolf Wilder by Katherine Rundell
- The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
- Pax by Sara Pennypacker, illus. by Jon Klassen
- Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar
- Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
- The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox
- Look Out for the Fitzgerald-Trouts by Esta Spalding, illus. by Sydney Smith