Apply to be a 2026 Great Reads MA partner!

[Massbook Office]

Hello everyone,

Mass Center for the Book is gearing up to exhibit at the 2026 National Book Festival. Each year, we participate in the Great Reads from Great Places initiative, selecting exceptional adult and youth titles that showcase the Commonwealth's rich history and culture. 

This year, we’re also celebrating America250 at the National Book Festival! Our 2026 adult and youth selections offer an opportunity to consider the broader story of our nation—including the histories of Native peoples, whose presence and contributions long predate the founding of the United States, as well as the many freedom struggles that have shaped the American past and present.

This year's adult selection is Nothing More of This Land by Joseph Lee, which was a finalist for the 2026 PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction. In this powerful debut, Lee blends memoir and history to explore Indigenous identity by tracing his family’s deep roots on Martha’s Vineyard, where the Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe has overcome the rising pressures of overtourism and attempts at cultural erasure. The best part? We will be hosting an exclusive virtual discussion and Q&A with the author on September 29 for Great Reads MA partners.

Our youth selection is Rise Up! by Rachel Katz, a stunning picture book that offers an accessible and engaging introduction to the long tradition of protest in the United States. Katz traces twenty-five moments when ordinary people challenged injustice and demanded change, from the Boston Tea Party to the Capitol Crawl and beyond, inviting kids to see civic participation as central to American history. Katz’s book was selected as a 2026 Notable Social Studies Book by the Children’s Book Council and NCSS Network. Partners will receive books and materials to host their own protest sign-making workshop!

In order to inspire conversations and spur engagement with these titles, Mass Center for the Book is offering Massachusetts-based libraries, museums, historical societies, and community groups the opportunity to become Great Reads MA partners.

Apply to be a Great Reads MA youth program partner.

Apply to be a Great Reads MA adult program partner.

The application deadline for both opportunities is June 1. 

Please don't hesitate to get in touch if any questions arise!

Many thanks,

Courtney Andree

Executive Director

Massachusetts Center for the Book