By Kena Hardin, MLIS, Children's Library Associate, Central Library
The 2027 Sequoyah Children's reading list has some amazing titles for children to read! The Sequoyah book award is Oklahoma's oldest book award, and there are three categories: Children’s, Intermediate, and High School. Every year, children can read a minimum of 3 books or more in their grade category and then vote for their favorite book in March. This is open to all children, regardless of where they go to school or if they're homeschooled! Below are two of my favorite books on the Sequoyah Children's list. The full list of 2027 books can be found on the Oklahoma Library Association website. Happy reading! 
"Danilo Was Here" by Tamika Burgess is about a boy named Danilo who temporarily moves from his home in Panamá after his baseball talent lands him the opportunity to train in the United States. The real reason Danilo accepts the offer though, is to find his absentee father, who may be the key to saving the family he abandoned as they deal with the aftermath of the U.S. military invasion of Panamá.
Read-alikes for Danilo Was Here:
Black Star by: Kwame Alexander - " Twelve-year old Black girl Charley, who dreams of becoming the first professional female pitcher, must navigate adolescence during the turbulent segregation era and the beginning of the Great Migration."
Some Of Us Are Brave by: Saadia Faruqi - " Set in Houston, Texas, during Hurricane Harvey, this novel follows three children -- Yasir, Mona, and Cody -- as they navigate fear, friendship, and personal challenges amid a devastating natural disaster. Told from multiple perspectives, the story explores themes of courage, teamwork, empathy, and resilience as the children confront both the storm and the struggles in their everyday lives."
"The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman is about an undead fox named Clare who is serving as an Usher that helps wandering souls find their way to their respective afterlife
, be it Peace, Pleasure, Progress, or Pain. His undead life is upended when the mysterious soul of a badger named Gingersnipes appears.
Read-alikes for The Undead Fox Of Deadwood Forest:
Bunns Rabbit by: Alan Barillaro - " This illustrated story follows Bunns, a young rabbit born with unusually short ears who sets out on a journey to protect her family and discover her true purpose. Facing prejudice from her community, she ventures beyond her home and encounters new challenges, friends, and adventures that help her understand courage, belonging, and self-acceptance."
Pax by: Sara Pennypacker - "Pax and Peter have been inseparable ever since Peter rescued him as a kit. But one day, the unimaginable happens: Peter's dad enlists in the military and makes him return the fox to the wild. At his grandfather's house, three hundred miles away from home, Peter knows he isn't where he should be - with Pax. He strikes out on his own despite the encroaching war, spurred by love, loyalty, and grief, to be reunited with his fox. Meanwhile, Pax, steadfastly waiting for his boy, embarks on adventures and discoveries of his own."
