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BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana today announced the nominated book titles for the 2027-2028 Louisiana Readers’ Choice program. Since the program began in 1999, over half a million K-12 students have read more than 1.6 million books to select winners in the program’s Young Readers and Teen Readers grade level categories. Last year more than 26,000 Louisiana students participated, reading over 89,000 books.
"The Louisiana Readers' Choice program encourages students to pick up a book, discover something new, and have a say in choosing the winners. Giving young people the opportunity to read great books and make their voices heard is a winning combination that benefits them long after they've turned the final page. That's the kind of investment in our kids that pays off for generations,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.
The 2027-2028 Louisiana Readers’ Choice nominated titles include 86 starred reviews, 27 Junior Library Guild selections, five Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Quick Picks, 18 Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) Notable Children’s Books, 58 “Best of the Year” selections, and many more national and regional honorees.
Booklists are carefully chosen by committees of school and public librarians across the state, which include a mix of high-quality fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, and poetry, providing a variety of genres that cater to different reading preferences. Louisiana Readers’ Choice nominees are announced a year in advance to allow libraries sufficient time to add the selections to their collections.
Students in grades K-12 who reside in Louisiana are eligible to vote after reading or listening to two or three nominated titles from the booklist corresponding to their grade level. An award winner and an honor book are chosen in each grade level category based on student votes, with many students casting their ballots on voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State’s Voter Outreach Division.
"Year after year, the dedication of Louisiana's school and public librarians drives the success of this program,” said State Librarian Meg Placke. “They spend months identifying books that will challenge, inspire, and captivate students at every reading level. The result is a program that meets students where they are and gives them another incentive to keep turning pages."
Visit the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards Program webpage for information about the program, previous winners, nominees in the current voting cycle (2026-2027), and additional free resources for libraries such as promotional bookmarks, posters, and study guides.
The State Library of Louisiana inspires and supports literacy and lifelong learning for all Louisianans through access to information, strengthening communities, supporting exceptional library services, and preserving Louisiana’s heritage.
The Louisiana Center for the Book was established in the State Library of Louisiana in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate public interest in reading, books, literacy, and libraries and to celebrate Louisiana’s rich literary heritage. It is the official state affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
Contact Information:
| Kevin Calbert State Library of Louisiana 225-342-4930 kcalbert@library.la.gov |
Barry Landry Office of the Lieutenant Governor 225-342-7009 blandry@crt.la.gov |