2025 Nutmeg Award Intermediate Nominees

2025 Nutmeg Book Award
Intermediate Nominees
Grades 4-6
A ROVER’S STORY
by Jasmine Warga
A heart-warming tale of a Mars rover that will
leave you rooting for him from beginning to end.
Res is built to explore Mars, but his artificial
intelligence can perceive human emotions. He
wants to succeed for his creators. Will he be
able to complete the mission while battling
storms and difficult terrain?
CHESTER KEENE CRACKS THE CODE
by Kekla Magoon
Chester and his friend Skye follow mysterious
clues on a scavenger hunt that Chester thinks is a
test from his father. He is convinced that his
absent father is a spy on covert missions. Skye
thinks it’s all a game until they discover a heist in
progress. Will they be able to crack the code in
time to stop a crime?
COOKIES & MILK
by Shawn Amos, art by Robert Paul
When Ellis’ dad gets an idea to open a bakery
selling nothing but his delicious cookies, Ellis
realizes he will not have the fun summer he had
planned. Nothing goes as it should and soon it
all seems to be falling apart. Will they even
make it to the grand opening?
FALLING SHORT
by Ernesto Cisneros
Isaac is the star basketball player. His best friend
Marco is a straight-A student. Isaac wants to
bring his grades up so that his parents stop
arguing, and Marco wants to join the basketball
team to make Dad happy. Can they team up to
keep each other from falling short?
INVISIBLE
by Christina Diaz Gonzalez,
art by Gabriela Epstein
After getting in trouble, five students have to
complete community service. At first, they
appear to be as different as could be: the brain,
the loner, the tough kid, the jock, and the rich
kid. But when a community member needs
help, the group unites to accomplish something
truly important.
ANYBODY HERE SEEN FRENCHIE?
by Leslie Connor
Frenchie Livernois doesn’t talk. He is on the
autism spectrum. Aurora Petrequin is his best
friend, and she talks enough for both of them.
They both feel most comfortable in the woods of
coastal Maine. One morning Frenchie doesn’t
make it to class even though they were dropped
off at school together. Where did Frenchie go?
WAYWARD CREATURES
by Dayna Lorentz
Gabe didn’t mean to start a forest fire; he just
wanted to get his friends’ attention by setting
off a firework. But the damage is done, and
Gabe must make it right. Rill, a coyote caught
in the flames, relies on Gabe’s help. Can these
two outsiders start fresh together?
LOKI: A BAD GOD’S GUIDE TO
BEING GOOD by Louie Stowell
After one prank too many, Loki is banished to
Earth in the form of an 11-year-old boy with a
truth-telling diary that he has to write in every
day. Goody-goody Thor is sent with him to
supervise. Can Loki make better decisions in a
month’s time or will he have to spend eternity in
a snakepit?
THE CANYON’S EDGE
by Dusti Bowling
Any type of loss is difficult, but the loss of a
mother and a wife is insurmountable. For Nora
and her dad, exploring an Arizona canyon feels
like a way to find peace after their loss. When a
flash flood separates Nora from her dad, Nora
must find her way through grief and isolation to
survive.
TUMBLE
by Celia C. Perez
When her stepfather asks to adopt Addie, she
starts to wonder about the father she has never
met and never heard about. After she finds a
photograph hidden in her mother’s things, Addie
starts investigating and her findings lead her to a
new, big, professional wrestling family. Why did
her mother keep this family a secret?
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