Louisiana students pick best books for 2023-2024

By the numbers: More than 23,000 K-12 students participated in the Louisiana Readers' Choice Awards, according to the State Library.

• Combined, they read almost 81,000 books.
• Since the program began 25 years ago, students have read almost 1.5 million books, the State Library says.

This year's Readers' Choice winners are:

Kindergarten to second grade:

• Winner: "Are You a Cheeseburger?," written and illustrated by Monica Arnaldo
• Honor: "Chez Bob," written and illustrated by Bob Shea.

Third to fifth grade:

• Winner: "Allergic," written by Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter.
• Honor: "The Floating Field: How a Group of Thai Boys Built Their Own Soccer Field," written by Scott Riley and illustrated by Nguyen Quang and Kim Lien.

Sixth to eighth grade:

• Winner: "Starfish" by Lisa Fipps.
• Honor: "Deadman's Castle" by Iain Lawrence.

Ninth to 12th grade:

• Winner: "Firekeeper's Daughter" by Angeline Boulley.
• Honor: "Any Sign of Life" by Rae Carson.

The latest: Summer reading programs start June 1 at the Orleans and Jefferson Parish libraries.

• Kids and adults can score free swag and books in both parishes by registering and logging minutes reading.
• See the Orleans library website or the Jefferson library site for details.