- “Spearhead,” Adam Makos, Ballantine Books
- “The Hundred Wells of Salaga,” Ayesha Harruna Attah, Other Press
- “Mississippi Witness,” James T. Campbell and Elaine Owens, University Press of Mississipp
- “American Pop,” Snowden Wright, William Morrow
- “Where the Crawdads Sing,” Delia Owens, G.P. Putnam’s Sons
- “The Border,” Don Winslow, William Morrow
- “Heavy,” Kiese Laymon, Scribner
- “What Can I Bring?,” Elizabeth Heiskell, Southern Living/Oxmoor
- “Lost Children Archive,” Valeria Luiselli, Knopf
- “Grand Slam Murders,” R.J. Lee, Kensington
Children and Young Adults
- “On the Come Up,” Angie Thomas, Balzer + Bray
- “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!,” Dr. Seuss, Random House
- “The Cat in the Hat,” Dr. Seuss, Random House
- “Candlewicke 13,” Milan Sergent, Cryptic Quill Publishing
- “Green Eggs and Ham,” Dr. Seuss, Random House
Compiled by University Press of Mississippi
Reported by Lemuria Books (Jackson); Lorelei Books (Vicksburg); Square Books (Oxford); and Turnrow Books (Greenwood)