Book Awards

Free Lunch

-  Winner of the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award 

Punching Bag

-  Winner of the 2021 CYBILS Literary Award

Road Home

-  Michael L. Printz Award Honor

-  Stonewall Book Award Honor

- Winner of the CALIBA Golden Poppy 2024 Kids’ Nonfiction Award

Abuela, Don’t Forget Me

-  2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award Finalist

Northranger

-  2023 Harvey Awards’ Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

-  35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Nominee

Dan in Green Gables

-  37th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Nominee

Absent

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

Fruitcake

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  Debuted on ABA’s Indie Bestseller List

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Best Books of 2026 So Far - Amazon

Dan in Green Gables

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  2026 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List

- Best YA Book of 2025 - Kirkus

- Best Book of 2025 - School Library Journal

- Recommended Read for Pride - People.com

-  2026 ALA Rainbow Book List

-  35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Nominee

-  Great Graphic Novel for Teens 2026 - YALSA

-  Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee

-  MSTA Reading Circle Best New Book

- 2026 Children’s Literature Council of Southern California Long List

- 2026 Whippoorwill Award Honor for Rural YA

when we ride

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Best Books of 2025 So Far - Amazon

-  Best Book of the Year, Top 20 Teen & YA 2025 - Amazon

- Best of the Year, YA, 2025 - Audible

-  Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal

-  2026 Spirit of Texas Reading Program

- Best Latino Books of 2025 - Latinidad List

- 2026 TAYSHAS Reading List

- Best Fiction for Young Adults 2026 - YALSA

- 2026 YALSA Amazing Audiobooks List

- 2026 YALSA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers

- Oklahoma Library Association’s Sequoyah Book Award Shortlist

- Land of Enchantment Book Award Nominee

- Green Mountain Book Award Nominee

- ASLA Yellowhammer Book YA Top 10

- Reading the West Book Award YA Shortlist

- Best Children's Books of the Year 2026 - Bank Street College

- 2026 Children’s Literature Council of Southern California Long List

Doña quixote: Flight of the Witch

-  Best Graphic Novels for Children 2024 - ALA GNCRT

- 2025 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List

Pizza face

-  *Starred review - BookPage

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Target Summer Book Club

-  Debut on the Indie Bestsellers List

- Best Graphic Novels for Children 2024 - ALA GNCRT

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection (for Cara de Pizza, the Scholastic en Español edition)

-  Best Children’s Books of 2024 - Amazon

- 2025 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List

- Best Children's Books of the Year 2025 - Bank Street College

- Children’s Book Council: Building a Home Library Book List

- Children’s Book Council: Best New Graphic Novels Book List

- 2025 Children’s Literature Council of Southern California List

Road Home

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Best Book of the Year - Amazon

-  Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal

-  Best Books of the Year - Horn Book Fanfare

-  Best Book of the Year - Chicago Public Library

- Best Book of the Year - Kirkus

- Winner of the CALIBA Golden Poppy 2024 Kids’ Nonfiction Award

- CALIBA Golden Poppy 2024 Mirrors & Windows Award Finalist

-  2024 CYBILS Literary Award for High School Nonfiction Finalist

-  Michael L. Printz Award Honor

-  Stonewall Book Award Honor

- 2025 Garden State Teen Book Award Finalist, Nonfiction Grades 6-12

- 2025 Children’s Literature Council of Southern California List

- 2026 TAYSHAS Reading List

Northranger

-  *Starred review - Shelf Awareness

-  2023 Harvey Awards’ Best Children’s or Young Adult Book Nominee

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List  *Starred Selection

-  2024 ALA Rainbow Round Table, Rainbow Book List, Top 10 Titles for Teen Readers

-  35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Outstanding Original Graphic Novel Nominee

- 2024 Whippoorwill Award Honor for Rural YA

Four Eyes

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Best Books of 2023 So Far, Top 20 Kids List - Amazon

-  Best Books of 2023 So Far, Ages 9-12 List - Amazon

-  2023 Booklist Editor's’ Choice List

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List 

-  2024 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List  *Starred Selection

-  2024 ALA GNCRT’s Best Graphic Novels for Children  

-  Winner of the Pop Culture Classroom 2024 Best in Middle Grade Non-Fiction Graphic Literature

- 2025 Rhode Island Latino Books Award, Grades 3-5 Nominee

- Winner of the 2024-2025 Great Lakes Great Books Award, Grades 6-8

- Winner of the 2026 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award, Junior Division

- Winner of the 2026 Garden State Children’s Book Awards, Graphic Novel

- 2026-2027 IL Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee

- 2026 Sakura Medal Nominee

Abuela, Don’t Forget Me

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Best Book of the Year - School Library Journal

-  2023 YALSA Excellence in Young Adult Nonfiction Award Finalist

-  Winner of the MPIBA Reading the West Book Award for Young Adult Lit

-  Winner of the CLCSC Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Poetry  

-  National Education Association’s Read Across America Recommendation April 2024

-  Magnolia Book Award Honor

- 2023 TAYSHAS Reading List

Punching Bag

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

- Best Book of 2021 - New York Public Library

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List

-  Winner of the 2021 CYBILS Literary Award

- 2023 TAYSHAS Reading List

FREE LUNCH

-  *Starred review - Kirkus

-  *Starred review - Booklist

-  *Starred review - Publisher’s Weekly

-  *Starred review - School Library Journal

-  Best Books of 2019 - Kirkus

-  Top 100 Books of 2019 - Amazon

-  Best 20 Children’s Books of 2019 - Amazon

-  Best Children’s Books of 2019, ages 9-12 - Amazon

-  2020 Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book

-  Best of the Best Books 2019 - Chicago Public Library

-  Junior Library Guild, Gold Standard Selection

-  Winner of the 2020 YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award 

-  2020 Spirit of Texas Reading List

-  Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Nominee 2020-2021

Meg, Jo, Beth, & Amy

-  Debuted on ABA’s Indie Bestseller List

-  2019 CYBILS Literary Award Finalist

-  2020 Texas Library Association’s Little Maverick Graphic Novel List 

-  2020 Texas Library Association’s Maverick Graphic Novel List *Starred Selection

-  2020 YALSA Great Graphic Novel for Teens List 

-  *My first BANNED book! (Huzzah! I feel so cool now. LOL.) 

The Unlucky Lottery Winners of Classroom 13

-  2018 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee