Check Out the 2026-27 Global Reading Challenge Books

November 12, 2026

The 2026-27 Global Reading Challenge has launched! Last week, the Library revealed this year’s book selection for this school-based program, and 72 schools across Seattle are receiving the books and making them available to fourth and fifth graders.

Global Reading Challenge, now in its 31st year, is an annual reading incentive program for fourth and fifth graders enrolled in Seattle Public Schools. Students form teams and read selected books, then take part in a trivia competition from January to March, culminating in the All-City Final at the Central Library.

Below are this year’s eight Global Reading Challenge books, which the Library makes available to students in multiple formats, including physical books, e-books, and e-audiobooks.

Books are chosen for their accessibility and because they represent a wide range of experiences by authors with cultural connections to the stories they tell. You don’t have to be part of the Global Reading Challenge to enjoy reading the books with your children!

Legendarios: Wrath of the Rain God, by Karla Valenti. In the first book in the popular “Legendarios” series inspired by Mexican mythology, 9-year-old twins Emma and Martín travel into a book of legends where they must try to stop the rain god’s flood.

Also in Spanish: La Ira de Tláloc, by Karla Valenti

Will’s Race for Home, by Jewell Parker Rhodes. During the land rush of 1889, an African American boy named Will and his father journey from Texas to Oklahoma, racing thousands of others to stake their claim. Seattle-based author Jewell Parker Rhodes has written numerous award-winning children’s books, including “Ghost Boys” and “Towers Falling.”

The Queen of Ocean Parkway by Sarvenaz Tash. Eleven-year-old podcaster-turned-sleuth, Roya, is the daughter of the superintendent of a historic apartment complex in Brooklyn’s Ocean Parkway neighborhood. When a neighbor goes missing, she teams up with a new kid in the building, Amin, to solve the mystery, which may have something to do with a family curse.

Beyond the Game: Maya Moore, by Andrew Maraniss. This inspiring biography of basketball star Maya Moore chronicles Maya’s journey from growing up with a single mother in Jefferson City, Missouri, to becoming a star player at UConn and the WNBA, to fighting for prison reform and speaking up for Black Lives Matter.

Popcorn, by Rob Harrell. Written by the author/illustrator of “Wink,” this entertaining, illustrated novel tells the story of middle schooler Andrew, who’s just trying to make it through Picture Day. As one thing after another goes wrong, that little kernel of worry in his stomach threatens to pop and turn into a public panic attack. 

When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. Omar and his younger brother Hassan live in a refugee camp. When an opportunity for Omar to get an education comes along, he must decide between going to school every day or caring for his nonverbal brother. The National Book Award-nominated graphic novel is based on coauthor Omar Mohamed’s childhood in the Dadaab refugee camp.

Also in Spanish: Cuando Brillan las Estrellas, by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed

Lion Dancers, by Cai Tse. In this graphic novel, a boy’s passion for lion dancing reignites after the death of his father derailed it. When he joins the local junior team, his ex-best friend becomes his new rival. The author is a lion and dragon dancer with the Chinese Youth League of Australia, and facts about lion dancing appear at the beginning of each chapter.

Jasmine Is Haunted, by Mark Oshiro. Twelve-year-old Jasmine has been haunted by a ghost ever since her father passed away, and her new supernaturally inclined friends are determined to help her figure out why. Mark Orshiro is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning Latinx queer author of books including “Anger Is a Gift” and “Each of Us a Desert.”

Want to hear why our children’s librarians love these books? Check out the video below.