Announcing the 2026 Ohio Book Award Finalists
The Ohioana Library is pleased to announce the finalists for the 85th annual Ohio Book Awards. First given in 1942, the awards are the second oldest state literary prizes in the nation and honor outstanding works by Ohio authors and illustrators in six categories: Fiction, Poetry, Juvenile Literature, Middle Grade Literature, Young Adult Literature, and Nonfiction. The seventh category, Book About Ohio or an Ohioan, may include books by non-Ohio authors.
Nearly every major writer from Ohio in the past 80 years has been honored, including James Thurber, Robert McCloskey, Toni Morrison, Mary Oliver, Rita Dove, Hanif Abdurraqib, Anthony Doerr, Celeste Ng, Edmund White, Virginia Hamilton, and many more.
Seven of the Ohio Book Award winners, as well as the Marvin Grant recipient, are selected by juries. The Readers’ Choice Award is determined by voters in a public online poll. Over 3,500 votes were cast for 2025's Readers’ Choice Award.
This year's finalists include literary superstars as well as debut authors. Our finalists come from all over the state and include native Ohioans and lifelong residents, as well as writers who no longer live here, but whose time in Ohio continues to be a deep influence on their writing and careers.
Listed below are the 2026 Ohio Book Award Finalists:
Book About Ohio or An Ohioan (asterisk on books indicates which contributor(s) are Ohioan(s)):
Ackerman, Sara Holly. Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver. Illus. by Naoko Stoop. La Jolla, CA: Beach Lane Books, 2025.
Bacon, John U. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald. New York, NY: Liveright Publishing, 2025.
Macy, Beth*. Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America. New York, NY: Penguin Random House, 2025.
Meyers, David*, and Elise Meyers Walker*. Tales of Ohio's Underground Railroad. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2025.
Ross-Dolen, Marty*. Always There, Always Gone: A Daughter's Search for Truth. Berkeley, CA: She Writes Press, 2025.
Sheffield, Ric S*. False Promises: The Struggle for Black Voting Rights in 1800s Ohio. Athens, OH: Swallow Press, 2025.
Fiction:
Chaon, Dan. One of Us. New York, NY: Henry Holt & Co., 2025.
George, Elizabeth. A Slowly Dying Cause. New York, NY: Viking, 2025.
Okorafor, Nnedi. Death of the Author. New York, NY: William Morrow, 2025.
Ryan, Patrick. Buckeye. New York, NY: Random House, 2025.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. Show Don't Tell: Stories. New York, NY: Random House, 2025.
Su, Maggie. Blob: A Love Story. New York, NY: Harper, 2025.
Juvenile (asterisk on books with multiple contributors indicates which contributor(s) are Ohioan(s)):
Awan, Jashar. Every Monday Mabel. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2025.
Bonilla, Lindsay*. The Hole. New York, NY: Illus. by Brizida Magro. Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025.
de la Peña, Matt. Home. Illus. by Loren Long*. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers.
Harris, Quartez*. Go Tell It: How James Baldwin Became a Writer. Illus. by Gordon C. James. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025.
Hoefler, Kate*. The Couch in the Yard. Illus. by Dena Seiferling. New York, NY: Neal Porter Books, 2025.
Wang, Andrea*. Worthy: The Brave and Capable Life of Joseph Pierce. Illus. by Youa Vang. Hoboken, NJ: Levine Querido, 2025.
Middle Grade (asterisk on books with multiple contributors indicates which contributor(s) are Ohioan(s)):
Buckley, Michael*. The Weirdies. Illus. by Forrest Burdett. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2025.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Moonleapers. New York, NY: Quill Tree Books, 2025.
Lancashire, Rachel. The Atlas of Languages: Words Around the World. Illus. by Jenny Zemanek*. New York, NY: Harry N. Abrams, 2025.
Ollestad, Norman, and Brendan Kiely*. Sole Survivor. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2025.
Ransaw, Rosalyn. Smoke & Mirrors. New York, NY: Amulet Books, 2025.
Richards, Natalie D. Survive This Safari. New York, NY: Delacorte, 2025.
Nonfiction (asterisk on books with multiple contributors indicates which contributor(s) are Ohioan(s)):
Buckbee, Brian*, and Carol Ann Fitzgerald. We Should All Be Birds: A Memoir. Columbus, OH: Tin House, 2025.
Green, John. Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection. New York, NY: Crash Course Books, 2025.
Kuper, Peter. Insectopolis: A Natural History. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2025.
Orlean, Susan. Joyride: A Memoir. New York, NY: Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 2025.
Romriell, A.J. Wolf Act: A Memoir. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 2025.
Takei, George, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger*. It Rhymes with Takei. Illus. by Harmony Becker*. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions, 2025.
Poetry:
Ahmed, Hussain. Crossroad Mirror. Evanston, IL: Curbstone Books, 2025.
Black, Ali. We Look Better Alive. Portland, OR: Burnside Review Press, 2025.
Byas, Taylor. Resting Bitch Face. Brooklyn, NY: Soft Skull Press, 2025.
Demaree, Darren C. Now Flourish Northern Cardinal: Selected Poems, 2005-2025. Madison, CT: Small Harbor Publishing, 2025.
Ko, Arah. Brine Orchid: Poems. Portland, OR: YesYes Books, 2025.
Shunnarah, Mandy. We Had Mansions: Poems. Richmond, VA: Diode Editions, 2025.
Young Adult:
Boyce, Kristy. Dating and Dragons. New York, NY: Delacorte Romance, 2024.
McGinnis, Mindy. How Girls are Made. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2025.
Pérez, Ashley Hope, ed. Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights. New York, NY: Holiday House, 2025.
Raasch, Sara*, and Beth Revis. The Crimson Throne. New York, NY: Sourcebooks Fire, 2025.
Simmons, Kristen. She Waits for You Beyond the Dark: (Death Games #2). New York, NY: Tor Teen, 2025.
Underhill, Edward. In Case You Read This. New York, NY: Quill Tree Books, 2025.
The 2026 Ohio Book Awards will take place online on Zoom, on Thursday, October 15 at 7:00pm. Details to come!
Readers' Choice Awards voting will open later this summer. Follow Ohioana's social media accounts for updates and news on the Ohio Book Awards and all of the other great things happening at Ohioana, including relocation news.
Congratulations to our finalists!
Founded in 1929 by Ohio First Lady Martha Kinney Cooper, the Ohioana Library Association's mission is to connect readers and Ohio writers. Through its collection, publications, and programs, Ohioana celebrates and promotes Ohio as one of America's great literary centers.