Mississippi Magnolia Awards 2015 Nominations 9 th -12 th grades A Children's Choice Award for the State of Mississippi Mission: To introduce the children of Mississippi to current children's literature and instill a love of reading. Children in grades K-12 who are students in Mississippi are eligible to participate. They will read the books and turn their votes in to their teacher, librarian, or other adult at an authorized voting site, who will then cast the votes electronically. Voting will be held in February, with winners announced at the Fay B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival.

45 Pounds (More or Less) by Kelly Barson Kelly Barson Here are the numbers of Ann Galardi's life: She is 16. And a size 17. Her perfect mother is a size 6. Her aunt Jackie is getting married in 10 weeks and wants Ann to be the bridesmaid. So Ann makes up her mind: Time to lose 45 pounds (more or less) in two and a half months.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Rainbow Rowell “Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”—John Green, The New York Times Book Review Bono met his wife in high school, Park says. So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers. I’m not kidding, he says. You should be, she says, we’re 16. What about Romeo and Juliet? Shallow, confused, then dead. I love you, Park says. Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers. I’m not kidding, he says. You should be. Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under.

Every Day by David LevithanDavid Levithan There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith Sherri L. Smith After a string of devastating hurricanes and a severe outbreak of Delta Fever, the Gulf Coast has been quarantined. Years later, residents of the Outer States are under the assumption that life in the Delta is all but extinct…but in reality, a new primitive society has been born. Fen de la Guerre is living with the O-Positive blood tribe in the Delta when they are ambushed. Left with her tribe leader’s newborn, Fen is determined to get the baby to a better life over the wall before her blood becomes tainted. Fen soon meets Daniel, a scientist from the Outer States who has snuck into the Delta illegally. Navigating the Orleans wilderness, they form an unlikely bond and, in the end, may be each other’s last hope for survival.

Since You Asked... by Maurene GooMaurene Goo No, no one asked, but Holly Kim will tell you what she thinks anyway. Fifteen-year-old Holly Kim is the copyeditor for her high school's newspaper. When she accidentally submits an article that rips everyone to shreds, she gets her own column and rants her way through the school year. Can she survive homecoming, mean-girl cliques, jocks, secret admirers, Valentine's Day, and other high school embarrassments, all while struggling to balance her...