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In addition to the , the Alex Award committee also publishes a vetted list of official nominations. The following titles were official nominees for the 2024 award.

Official Nominations

The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, by Shannon Chakraborty. Harper Voyager, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $32.00 (9780062963505).

Amina al-Sirafi spent years building a reputation as a notorious pirate captain of the Marawati. Now, she just wants to enjoy her retirement with her young daughter. When she receives a visit from the wealthy mother of a former colleague, she is drawn once again into the life she thought she had left behind. A life of mystery, adventure and magic.

The All-American, by Joe Milan, Jr. W.W. Norton & Company, $28.95 (9781324035657).

When adopted Korean American teen Bucky discovers a mistake in his immigration status, he is sent back to Korea for his compulsory military service despite not speaking the language or knowing anyone in the country. An absurd yet thoughtful twist on both the immigration narrative and the coming-of-age story.

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, by Michael Finkel. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, $28.00 (9780525657323).

Truth can be stranger than fiction. Stéphane Breitwieser’s insatiable and obsessive desire to hoard stolen art for his personal pleasure led to a crime spree that spanned nearly eight years as he and his girlfriend targeted museums and cathedrals all over Europe.

The Girl That Can’t Get a Girlfriend, by Mieri Hiranishi. VIZ Media, paper, $16.99 (9781974736591).

Writer Mieri Hiranishi’s memoir about the trials and tribulations of dating butch women while being butch herself is filled with heart and self-deprecating humor. Through first love and heartbreak, she learns to be more gentle towards herself, even if dating is still a struggle.

Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir, by Lamya H. The Dial Press, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House, $27.00 (9780593448762).

Lamya H is a young queer Muslim immigrant. In many ways, she feels like an "other," and writes of her struggles to build a life for herself. Written at the intersection of sexual identity, religion, family life, and ethnicity, Lamya touches on many ideas that are relatable to teens

How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes, by Cody Cassidy. Penguin Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, paper, $18.00 (9780143136408).

Curious about how you might live through some of history's most harrowing historical events? This book chronicles what you would have to do to get through dangerous times.

In the Lives of Puppets, by TJ Klune. Tor Books, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group, $28.99 (9781250217448).

Vic lives with his family in a forest on the edge of a monstrous scrap yard where he goes to scavenge for parts that can be useful once again. But his father tells him not to go, to be careful, and to never let a drop of his blood hit the ground, because if it does then he will be discovered as the last human. Unlike Vic, his father is and the rest of his family are robots, just like the rest of the world. When Vic’s father is captured Vic must risk everything to find him and restore his family.

The Last Animal, by Ramona Ausubel. Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, $28.00 (9780593420522).

Can a woolly mammoth exist again? Eve and Vera, teen daughters and their scientist mom, Jane, are catapulted into the greatest experiment. Ausubel’s imaginative story asks the big questions of science, existence, and relationships that leaves readers questioning what’s possible.

The Last Beekeeper, by Julie Carrick Dalton. Forge Books, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group, $27.99 (9781250269218).

Ten years after all the bees have gone and the world’s ecosystem has changed, Sasha returns home to discover her father’s research—the reason the world changed. Or is it? There she finds a new semblance of family, as she seeks out the answer the world’s and her own questions.

Last Secret of the Secret Annex: The Untold Story of Anne Frank, Her Silent Protector, and a Family Betrayal, by Joop van Wijk-Voskuijl and Jeroen De Bruyn. Simon & Schuster, $29.99 (9781982198213).

Anne Frank’s name is instantly recognizable however Bep Voskuijl, a confidante and supporter of the family while in the annex isn’t. An investigative book published about Bep and her sister, Nelly by their family intertwines their stories and history in riveting fashion with research, personal history, and the immortal diary.

The Magician’s Daughter, by H.G. Parry. Redhook, an imprint of Orbit, a division of Hachette Book Group, paper, $18.99 (9780316383707).

Biddy washes ashore on the magical island Hy-Brasil as a baby where she is taken in by Rowan, a magician searching for the last scraps of magic in the world. One night Rowan does not return from his travels and Biddy must leave the island and everything she knows to save Rowan and learn the truth about herself, magic, and the real world.

Mister Magic, by Kiersten White. Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House, $28.00 (9780593359266).

Mister Magic was a television show featuring child actors. It ended abruptly and led to speculation about what happened because no one was talking. Fast forward to a reunion of the now-adult members of the cast, attention is being paid to revealing the secrets in a darkly suspenseful tale.

New Adult, by Timothy Janovsky. Sourcebooks Casablanca an imprint of Sourcebooks, paper, $16.99 (9781728264264).

After major blowouts with everyone he loves, Nolan wishes to skip to the good part of life. When he wakes the next morning, it's seven years later and he has everything he wanted. Except for a relationship with his family and the love of his best friend and crush, Drew. Oh no!

Old Enough, by Haley Jakobson. Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House, $27.00 (9780593473009).

Old Enough explores queer love, community, and what it means to be a sexual assault survivor. Haley Jakobson has written a love letter to friendship and an honest depiction of what finding your people can feel like—for better or worse.

On the Way, by Paco Hernández. Illus. by José Ángel Ares. Ablaze Publishing, paper, $19.99 (9781684971305).

Journey along the famous Camino de Santiago in this graphic novel about friendship and self-discovery. Emma begins her pilgrimage alone and with a too-heavy backpack, but she meets many helpers along the way. As she nears the end, can she leave her past behind and learn to walk without fear?

Starling House, by Alix E. Harrow. Tor Books, an imprint of Tor Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishing Group, $28.99 (9781250799050).

Living in the small town of Eden, Kentucky is nothing to brag about. Opal certainly doesn’t. When Opal’s dreams pull her to the mysterious Starling House estate, she ends up with a job that could change her brother’s life for the good. But the house and its eccentric owner have many secrets to unravel that will show just how special and dangerous, Eden really is.

Stone Blind, by Natalie Haynes. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $30.00 (9780063258396).

Medusa is not the monstrous Gorgon that we expect in this feminist retelling of the myth of Perseus and Medusa. We experience the depth, pain, and heartache of her story. Sometimes, monsters lurk beneath the most beautiful faces.

To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, by Moniquill Blackgoose (Seaconke Wampanoag). Del Rey, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House, paper, $18.00 (9780593498286).

When Anequs, a young Indigenous girl from an alternate history New England, finds a dragon egg on her island, the colonizers quickly whisk her away to their dragon training boarding school. Refusing to fit in the patriarchal and heteronormative world of the Anglish, she has to figure out how to train her dragon and retain her culture.

Vampires of El Norte, by Isabel Cañas. Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, $28.00 (9780593436721).

In 1840s Mexico, white settlers and bloodthirsty vampires threaten Nena and Nestor’s homelands and their way of life. These estranged childhood friends—and almost lovers—must depend on each other to forge their own path to survive outside of the accepted norms of class and gender.

Yellowface, by R. F. Kuang. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, $30.00 (9780063250833).

After witnessing the unexpected death of literary darling Athena Liu, June Hayward (who is white) steals her friend’s unpublished manuscript and claims it as her own. Being rebranded as vaguely Asian Juniper Song may not be enough to keep the ruse going, especially when social media sees all.