RICBA 2026 Titles

These are my opinions; after previewing the list, as predicted, the kids can't wait to read Wagnificent and They Call Me No Sam!

Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All by Chanel Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this! Fully plan to read it out loud to my students next year and have them create their own personal socks.





Search for a Giant Squid: Pick Your Path by Amy Seto Forrester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well, I never found the damn squid, but what a great combo of science and choose-your-own! My students will love it.

 

Stranded!: A Mostly True Story from Iceland by Ævar Þór Benediktsson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I feel like Mitch Hedberg when he was concerned for the Dufresnes ... did the boatman die? Get kidnapped? Or should he be arrested for endangerment? I need closure! Fun story - near-death aside - with super fun illustrations. After reading for RICBA, I will have the kids do research on Iceland, volcanoes, and Norse mythology.

 

The Life-Changing Magic of Chess: A Beginner's Guide with Grandmaster Maurice Ashley by Maurice Ashley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Life lessons sprinkled in among chess moves. Like "Losing is Learning." (To quote a former student, "Now you're a loser, just like me!")

 

The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class: Emma McKenna, Full Out by Kate Messner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Exactly the kind of books we need more of! Short, illustrated, relatable. Perfect for 3rd grade. I will be buying the entire series.

 

 

Jupiter Nettle and the Seven Schools of Magic: A Graphic Novel by Sangu Mandanna
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Extra star because I could read the lettering and the panels made sense. Kind of predictable story, but for kids who don't have decades of reading books behind them, they will be surprised. And I liked the point that without the earth magic, the rest of the students wouldn't have what they needed. Why did Grim have to be SUCH an a-hole, though?

 

Mixed-Up by Kami Garcia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Honestly, made me wonder how many of my students have unaddressed reading issues and that's why they love graphic novels so much. Very much appreciated the font style and size for my middle-aged eyes.

 

Invisible Isabel by Sally J. Pla
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm still so annoyed that anxiety wasn't a diagnosed thing back when I had stomachaches all the time and threw up a lot. But now I have meds! Yay!

A short, gentle book that I may start as a readaloud to encourage kids to pick up as a RICBA nominee.


The Happy Shop by Brittany Long Olsen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I do like when the point is made that all feelings are valid.

 

Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Enthusiastic text and vibrant illustrations, but if you aren't familiar with the game, a lot will go right over your head. Which I fear will be the case with many of my students. However, many of them speak Spanish as their home language, so that part will resonate.

 
My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story by George Takei
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An important piece of history ... but I feel like this book didn't adequately express the horror of the situation. Granted, these weren't death camps, but I thought it painted too rosy a picture of life behind barbed wire. Today's readers need to know just how nastily the government can treat people. Don't sugarcoat because they are 8. You were only 4.

 

Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills by Billy Mills
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My big takeaway was how far we've come with diabetes monitoring and treatment. Although ... are people on reservations able to take advantage of these improvements? Literally half of them don't even have access to "reliable water sources, clean drinking water, or basic sanitation." But we found tens of millions for a parade yesterday. #gross

 

Haiku, Ew!: Celebrating the Disgusting Side of Nature by Lynn Brunelle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am all about having books about gross stuff in the library, but this one was a bit TOO gross for me. I literally felt ill reading about a couple of the animals. Like baby koalas eating their mom's poop. So I will NOT be doing it as a RICBA readaloud.

Not sure the haiku added much to the book, or that it will be appreciated by the students. But I'm sure they will love knowing that lobsters pee out of their eyes. And I can't believe I never learned that caterpillars dissolve into goop inside their cocoon. Blech.

 

Wagnificent: The Adventures of Thunder and Sage by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not a huge fan of dogs, and the wolf was creepy, but I think I will need more than the two copies I've already ordered to keep up with the demand after previewing the RICBA list.




Picture Purrfect by Hilda Eunice Burgos
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Reminded me of Art Club but not as good. How does the cat know so many words?






Off the Map by Meika Hashimoto
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have to state right off that I'm not a huge fan of nature survival stories ... because you could have just stayed home! I guess this was fine, but not for me. One disastrous situation after another. I was kind of hoping someone would die to make it more interesting.



They Call Me No Sam!: A Graphic Novel by Drew Daywalt
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Sam kind of sucks, and the magic sand oven was disgusting. But I bet my students would love it.

 

Wrath of the Rain God by Karla Arenas Valenti
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I could not suspend my disbelief with the whiny gods.

 

The Racc Pack by Stephanie Cooke
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A Bite Above the Rest by Christine Virnig
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

RICBA Nominees 2025

These are my opinions; it will be interesting to see what the students think.

How Not to Get Eaten: More than 75 Incredible Animal Defenses by D.K. Publishing
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I typed out every cool fact I learned, I would have dozens of bullet points ... my students are going to love this. Stunning photography, concise descriptions, tons of "wow!" moments.



Champion Chompers, Super Stinkers and Other Poems by Extraordinary Animals by Linda Ashman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this one a lot. The meter scans, guessing is fun, and kids love animal facts. If I'm feeling ambitious next year, I might have the students do some research and then write their own mask poems on the topic they looked up.

 

The Last Plastic Straw: A Plastic Problem and Finding Ways to Fix It by Dee Romito
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never stopped and thought about why we call straws "straws." Lots of good historical information, presented simply, which other books in the same vein lack. Will use for Mock Sibert with the problem/solution graphic organizer ... solving the first problems led to an unforeseen one! Interesting!


Shermy and Shake, the Not-So-Nice Neighbor by Kirby Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Really liked the "classic" feeling of this ... not a ton happens, but you get to know the characters, and they experience realistic situations.

However, the blurb for Book 2 says they are entering second grade. They read older than that in this book, especially since they are allowed to wander the neighborhood, so hopefully my upper elementary students will read it for RICBA since age is never mentioned. And be inspired to wander around their own neighborhoods instead of sitting inside.

 

Something Like Home by Andrea Beatriz Arango
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure if I would have blurbed it if I were Barbara O'Connor, because it is SO VERY close to her "Wish," but it's solid. And several of my kids are in Laura's situation - in "foster" care with a relative because their parents can't have them right now.

p. 169: "How can I trust myself / to ever make another decision, / what am I gonna do when I get older / and I'm on my own, / when the first big decision I ever made, / the whole calling 911 thing, / has turned out so horribly horribly wrong?

 

Ellen Takes Flight: The Life of Astronaut Ellen Ochoa by Doreen Rappaport
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Solid biography with relevant quotes from Ochoa sprinkled in. Two issues:

1. I didn't understand the "two more years and she could apply" comment ... what was she lacking?

2. Besides the cover, the illustrations made her mouth look crazy. I almost took away a star for this, but Rappaport's text is very good.


Art Club by Rashad Doucet
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bit didactic, but wow will my kids love this. The vice principal is a butt. Also, since when does admin teach classes? Anyways, love the kids advocating for themselves, building support, and making money doing what they love.

 

Meesh the Bad Demon by Michelle Lam
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The good: I could actually read the text.

The bad: The plot was paced a bit herky-jerky. And I was confused by Nouna saying everything on TV was an act until later, when I realized I was supposed to have realized that her wing was broken. And the cure for the bad lava seemed random and too easy.

Overall, though, great choice for elementary with a cliffhanger to get them to clamor for the next one.

 

The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name by Sandhya Parappukkaran
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

We are going to have four MLL classes next year, and some students may appreciate this. Could also pair it with "Thunder Boy Jr." and talk about name meanings?

 

Lolo's Sari-sari Store by Sophia N. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Nice, but could have used a glossary. I wish I had students from the Philipines to share this with ... I need something similar from Cambodia and the DR.

 

Sejal Sinha Battles Superstorms by Maya Prasad
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Magic cardboard box instead of a school bus. I liked all the facts about hurricanes being woven in, but I could not suspend my disbelief when they were flying around with the Hunters. Or when a scientist cheetah put a harness on an iceberg. And I was hoping Ross Herman was a real person. Extra star because we need more illustrated 100-page chapter books.

 

My Powerful Hair by Carole Lindstrom
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I thought "Nokomis" was the name of the tribe when I first read it, v. the grandmother. But that spread comes after the mention of the mom's hair. I was confused. So mom's is just deemed too wild to be long? Even though the rest of the book talks about how important hair is to their traditions? Rude.

Oh, wait, the author's note says that it was her grandmother's influence on her mom that kept her hair short. Because of the boarding schools. Which I think really needed a couple of pages of explanation.

 

Home Away From Home by Cynthia Lord
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was fine, but I skimmed the second half. I don't know that my students care about birds, and my other Cynthia Lord books don't circulate. But I liked that it showed how social media can go viral and cause issues.

 

Jovita Wore Pants by Aida Salazar
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A little too violent for me to read to my students, and I want to stay far away from discussing a war involving religion.

 

These Olive Trees by Aya Ghanameh
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the second picture book I've read this week where the jacket copy gave information that wasn't in the text. In this case, the year the story was taking place.

This book is ok, but it has problems and will not appeal to my upper elementary students. The RICBA committee seems to have chosen it because of the current issues in Gaza; I don't want to have to explain decades of conflict to my kids.

Some things that bothered me:

• "Or maybe, Oraib ponders, they were pleasantly surprised by its acidity." What a strange sentence in a book for kids.
  
  
• "A makeshift canvas house" ... isn't that just a tent? I looked up Balata, and now it is packed with buildings and tens of thousands of residents.
  
  
• "The war has come to our doorstep again" ... What war? Why is it being fought? There is no information offered in the text. The author's note mentions "the occupying state," but that's about it.
  
  
• Oraib planting a seed at the camp. Why doesn't she bring it with her to plant a tree at their next location? What on earth does she mean that she is BORROWING an olive? She is used to stomping on them. Why ask to borrow the rain? That is weird. And did she ever go back?

I did look up Nablus and found out that it is famous for its olive oil soap. So I learned something. And might order some.


Grimwood by Nadia Shireen
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I just didn't enjoy it. Except for when a character asked Princess Buttons what the magic word is, and she responded "OR ELSE I WILL KILL YOU."

DNF 

• Finch House - Made it through half, and then it was due with holds. I may go back and finish, but I got through enough that I think kids will like it.
  
  
• Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test - I can't think of any student to hand this to
  
  
• Mabuhay! - I couldn't read the tiny print even with my reading glasses
  
  
• Sam Makes a Splash - I didn't really care about any of the characters

RICBA Nominees 2024

I don't know that I'll try to read every single book this year, since we will no longer be holding a district-wide Rooster Games, but I'm thinking about doing a schoolwide one next year since we now have twice as many students as we used to. 

Update: We didn't get a full set of the books until December, so I didn't promote until then, so I had time to get through the list. Here's what I thought about them ... favorites at the top. 

Killer Underwear Invasion!: How to Spot Fake News, Disinformation & Conspiracy Theories by Elise Gravel
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know how I managed to forget to review this, given that I bought my own copy and used it for 5th grade lessons in the spring. It is now part of my curriculum. So good. Sparked great discussion.

 

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I never knew where the idea that black people can't swim came from ... but it makes sense that if you aren't allowed to go in a pool, then how the hell do you learn? Solid middle-grade story about overcoming the past and working towards the future.

The Whale Who Swam Through Time: A Two-Hundred-Year Journey in the Arctic by Alex Boersma
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not sure if we can consider it "straight" nonfiction, since none of us can interview a bowhead whale about her feelings, and the mention of the Arctic warming being any kind positive gave me pause. But overall, a good presentation of how humans have changed the environment and informative backmatter to extend learning.

 

Fighting for YES!: The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Maryann Cocca-Leffler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So many kids have 504s, but I never thought about where the name came from.

King of the Ice by Kelly Starling Lyons
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished in 10 minutes! Which means my kids might actually make it to the end in less than two weeks. Realistic portrayal of 4th-grade thoughts and problems with a Black protagonist; I am adding the series to my wishlist. And adding an extra star for being illustrated but not a graphic novel.

 

Marya Khan and the Incredible Henna Party by Saadia Faruqi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Extra star for being SHORT and illustrated but not a graphic novel. As in, a FIC title my students might actually finish. Relatable story of a 3rd grader who makes questionable decisions and her supportive family. We need more books like this. Even if all the characters look the same in said illustrations.

 


Going Places: Victor Hugo Green and His Glorious Book by Tonya Bolden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is very cagey about being nonfiction ... lots of "must have made" and "likely" and "maybe" and "I'm guessing" and "perhaps." And I hate the term "goo-gobs of information." But overall, pretty good. I will do it as a RICBA readaloud.

A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Well written, although several choices made by characters were frustrating to this adult reader. I definitely did not quite understand Mom's choice at the end

 

Zia Erases the World by Bree Barton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Interesting concept, although I'm not sure erased-word fallout was always consistent.

 

Nothing Is Little by Carmella Van Vleet
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Mom should have given him the info he asked for. And he should not have cheated. Frustrating choices! My favorite parts were the crime scenes.

 

Forest Fighter: The Story of Chico Mendes by Anita Ganeri
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kind of depressing.

 

Growing Pangs: (A Graphic Novel) by Kathryn Ormsbee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kacey moved without telling her? Wow. Maybe she needs some therapy too.

Reminiscent of "Guts," but for OCD v. general anxiety disorder. We need as many of these types of books as we can get.

 

Flipping Forward Twisting Backward by Alma Fullerton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook, and it took me a while to realize that it was supposed to be "in verse," because it read like just regular sentences.

Pros: It had relatable situations and was short.

Cons: 20 hours of gymnastics a week?!? Maybe Claire could spend some of that time working on controlling her emotions. Tony, an uncontrolled emotion instigator. The mom - WHO IS A DOCTOR?!? - refusing to even get Claire tested and declaring that any learning disability would reflect badly on her as a parent.

As far as RICBA goes, I'm giving this a 3 because my students might actually finish it.

 

When Winter Robeson Came by Brenda Woods
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The "verse" didn't seem like poetry to me at all, and it felt like the riots came out of nowhere. Granted, I was skimming at that point.

 

Expedition Backyard by Rosemary Mosco
My rating: 2 of 5 stars







Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The settlers STOLE the corn. And the corn itself told the First Peoples to just let it go and teach them how to plant it? Ok. But then there are these lines: "That meal changed both our lives and theirs forever. Many Americans call it a day of thanksgiving. Many of our people call it a day of mourning." With no further explanation.

Yes, I would like to include more indigenous voices in my library collection. And absolutely I would like more truthful tellings of the time. But I am not a fan of this particular book.


The Button Box by Bridget Hodder
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Clunky dialogue and the ending speeches were kind of ridiculous. I appreciate what the authors were trying to do, but it didn't work for me.

DNF: Amazing Landmarks (I liked it, but didn't read the entire thing), A Rover's Story, Singing with Elephants