2023 SPOT Reading List Announced

We are delighted to announce the 2023 SPOT Reading List!

The Spirit of Texas (SPOT) Reading Program hopes to encourage a greater understanding of what it means to be a Texan, and to develop an appreciation for the literary works of and about Texas and Texans. SPOT is a recommended reading list developed by public and school librarians from the Young Adult Round Table (YART). The purpose of the list is to encourage youths in grades 6-12 to explore a variety of current, quality books from Texas authors and illustrators, develop critical reading skills, and to encourage greater interaction between Texas authors and illustrators, Texas librarians, and Texas youth.

The books on this list reveal so many diverse experiences of living in Texas and what it means to be a Texan.

For example, in Wishing Upon the Same Stars, by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman, 12-year-old Yasmeen, who is Arab American, moves to San Antonio and struggles to fit in, until she befriends a young girl whose parents are from Israel. Miss Quinces, by Kat Fajardo, is about a girl who’d rather do anything other than celebrate her quinceañera, despite her mother’s best efforts otherwise. And Phil Stamper’s The Gravity of Us is about two young men who find love when their lives are uprooted for their parents’ involvement in a NASA mission to Mars. These are just a few examples of the amazing stories on this list.

Middle Grade:

Wishing Upon the Same Stars – Jacquetta Nammar Feldman

Chunky and Chunky Goes to Camp – Yehudi Mercado

A Taste of Magic – J. Elle

Both Young Adult & Middle Grade:

Miss Quinces – Kat Fajardo

Young Adult:

Echoes of Grace – Guadalupe Garcia McCall

The Q – Amy Tintera

In the Same Boat – Holly Green

The Gravity of Us – Phil Stamper