The Kansas Authors Club, supporting writers since 1904, announces the finalists for the 2026 Kansas Authors Club Book Awards. Each year the organization recognizes published books in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, Kansas history, poetry, children’s books, and book design. Finalists within each category are selected by a panel of readers made up of members, community members, and book professionals. The finalists from each category are then delivered to judges for the award decisions and announced at the 2026 fall gathering, this year taking place as the 2026 Kansas Writing Convention held at Rock Springs Ranch near Junction City, October 2-4, 2026.
Kansas Authors Club
Children’s Book Award – Finalists
Picture Book Category
Children’s Book Award – Finalists
Picture Book Category
Rosemary Chick: Pip, Zip, Hooray!
by Dawn Feltrop
Pip, zip,–hooray! Join Rosemary, a determined little chick, on a charming adventure as she works to break free from her shell. With encouragement from her brother Sassafras, Rosemary learns to pip, zip, and persevere through each challenge. Perfect as a kindergarten read-aloud and a farm animal story for preschoolers, this heartwarming tale gently teaches important life lessons. Young readers will be inspired by this children's book about courage, designed to nurture a growth mindset and highlight the power of perseverance. This uplifting story also serves as a confidence-building book for children and a meaningful social emotional learning picture book, helping kids understand that with encouragement and determination, they can overcome challenges and celebrate their own little "hooray" moments. A joyful story about courage, persistence, and the celebration of new beginnings–perfect for home, classroom, or story time. (Happy Horizon Publishing, 2025)
by Dawn Feltrop
Pip, zip,–hooray! Join Rosemary, a determined little chick, on a charming adventure as she works to break free from her shell. With encouragement from her brother Sassafras, Rosemary learns to pip, zip, and persevere through each challenge. Perfect as a kindergarten read-aloud and a farm animal story for preschoolers, this heartwarming tale gently teaches important life lessons. Young readers will be inspired by this children's book about courage, designed to nurture a growth mindset and highlight the power of perseverance. This uplifting story also serves as a confidence-building book for children and a meaningful social emotional learning picture book, helping kids understand that with encouragement and determination, they can overcome challenges and celebrate their own little "hooray" moments. A joyful story about courage, persistence, and the celebration of new beginnings–perfect for home, classroom, or story time. (Happy Horizon Publishing, 2025)
Ezra’s Valentines: A Story of Kindness and Love,
by Sherry Krehbiel
Each year, Ezra made valentines for his classmates, friends, and family—but this year was different. He didn't want to spend time making them, and he didn't care if he got any either. Valentine's Day isn't that important anyways, thought Ezra. But when he sees "show kindness" on his chore list, Ezra begins to reconsider. Follow along in this heartwarming story as Ezra discovers what truly matters—family, friends, kindness, and love. (Miriam Laundry Publishing, 2025)
by Sherry Krehbiel
Each year, Ezra made valentines for his classmates, friends, and family—but this year was different. He didn't want to spend time making them, and he didn't care if he got any either. Valentine's Day isn't that important anyways, thought Ezra. But when he sees "show kindness" on his chore list, Ezra begins to reconsider. Follow along in this heartwarming story as Ezra discovers what truly matters—family, friends, kindness, and love. (Miriam Laundry Publishing, 2025)
Cowboy Cooper and the Ghost Town,
by Ben St. James
Cowboy Cooper sets out to explore a mysterious ghost town, he's on a quest to find treasures for his school project. But what he discovers is even more valuable—a lesson from the past! Cowboy Cooper & The Ghost Town is a charming story that teaches kids the value of history and why it's important to preserve it. Filled with excitement, spooky encounters, and a moral that resonates, this book is ideal for children who are curious about the past and love a good adventure. (Independent, 2025)
by Ben St. James
Cowboy Cooper sets out to explore a mysterious ghost town, he's on a quest to find treasures for his school project. But what he discovers is even more valuable—a lesson from the past! Cowboy Cooper & The Ghost Town is a charming story that teaches kids the value of history and why it's important to preserve it. Filled with excitement, spooky encounters, and a moral that resonates, this book is ideal for children who are curious about the past and love a good adventure. (Independent, 2025)
Kansas Authors Club
Children’s Book Award – Finalists
Middle Grade Reader Category
Children’s Book Award – Finalists
Middle Grade Reader Category
Fires Burning Underground,
by Nancy McCabe
It’s Anny’s first day of middle school and, after years of being homeschooled, her first day of public school ever. In art, Larissa asks what kind of ESP is her favorite: telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, or telekinesis? Tracy asks how she identifies: gay, straight, bi, asexual, pan, trans, or confused? And thus kicks off a school year for Anny in which she’ll navigate a path between childhood and adolescence, imagination and identity. In a year of turmoil and transition, with a new awareness of loss after the death of a friend, Anny struggles to find meaning in tragedy, to come to terms with her questions about her sexuality, and to figure out how to negotiate her own ever-shifting new friendships. And when her oldest friend’s life is in danger, she must summon up her wits, imagination, and the ghosts that haunt her to save them both. (Regal House Publishing, 2025)
by Nancy McCabe
It’s Anny’s first day of middle school and, after years of being homeschooled, her first day of public school ever. In art, Larissa asks what kind of ESP is her favorite: telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, or telekinesis? Tracy asks how she identifies: gay, straight, bi, asexual, pan, trans, or confused? And thus kicks off a school year for Anny in which she’ll navigate a path between childhood and adolescence, imagination and identity. In a year of turmoil and transition, with a new awareness of loss after the death of a friend, Anny struggles to find meaning in tragedy, to come to terms with her questions about her sexuality, and to figure out how to negotiate her own ever-shifting new friendships. And when her oldest friend’s life is in danger, she must summon up her wits, imagination, and the ghosts that haunt her to save them both. (Regal House Publishing, 2025)
Living Fire: Zeb Finley and the Hornswoggled Thief,
by Lois Ruby
Twelve-year-old Zeb Finley, a New York street urchin, is half dare-devil and half day-dreamer. He’s the last boy off the Orphan Train deep into the Midwestern prairie, sweating in his itchy new clothes when he meets the lonely young widow, Idella Spurlock, waiting at the train stop. She’s alone, he’s alone, and so the two trudge off together. Neither imagines what will soon season their lives, including a train robber named Tucker, a stash of booty from Tucker’s heist, an encounter with a grey wolf, and swarming grasshoppers that darken the sun, level crops, stop trains in their tracks, and chomp wool off the shirts on their backs. And then there’s the murderous Bender family. Kate Bender promises, “Cross my palm with coin, and I’ll reach your pa in the World Beyond.” Can she, or is she a total fake? Zeb hankers to hop on a train back to New York where life was free and simple—except for freezing, starving, and sleeping in muddy gutters. But maybe he’ll make his peace with Idella, with a prairie girl named Lucy who teaches him how to shoot a cottontail, with Osage Indians, and with the lovable scoundrel, Tucker. Or maybe not. Before Zeb nearly loses himself on the vast Kansas prairie, he must find his heroic self in the story he’s secretly writing about Montague Mortis, and the Hornswoggled Horse Thief. Living Fire is a rollicking novel with humor and heart, in harmony with the Kansas motto, “To the stars through difficulties.” (Meadowlark Press, 2025)
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