Grades 6-8

Students in grades 6-8 submitted a record number of stories in 2023. Anoka County Library staff ended up selecting six finalists in this grade category. First place went to “Gentle Security” by Renad Taher, a story about a young Muslim American woman who wants to make an impact after earthquakes devastate Turkey and Syria. Second place went to “Wish Upon the Brightest Star” by Rachel Mueller, which is told from the perspective of the last survivor on a doomed mission to other planets. Third Place went to “Timmy and the Fishsticks” by Avrie Siedschlag, and it offers readers an exhilarating tale of an alligator loose in the hallways of a middle school.

Honorable mentions in this category went to “Vicki and Gwen Somehow Save the World” by Ella Howard, where readers follow a pair of BFFs to a magical bird land, “Creature” by Greta Graham, where a young woman works in a lab and is denied a well-deserved promotion, and “The Miracle Taxi” by Daniel Gbati, which offers a protagonist down on their luck what they most need.