INFOhio Community

The State Library of Ohio and the Ohioana Library Association, with the Ohio Center for the Book and the Choose to Read Ohio Advisory Council, are pleased to announce the 2025 Choose to Read Ohio (CTRO) booklist.  

CTRO spotlights books by exciting, talented creators who, collectively, write across genres, explore a wide array of topics, and appeal to all age groups. 

Each CTRO booklist features 20 representative titles for all ages by creators born in, residing in, or associated with Ohio. The titles are selected by Ohio teachers, librarians, and other advocates for readers and reading.  

Starting with the new 2025 booklist, CTRO has changed from a biennial to an annual cycle, so there will now be a new CTRO booklist every year.  

Previous CTRO booklists have spotlighted titles by Ohio authors and illustrators including Toni Morrison, Susan Orlean, Wil Haygood, Mindy McGinnis, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Drew Daywalt, Louise Borden, Denise Fleming, Angela Johnson, Paula McLain, J. Patrick Lewis, Oge Mora, Andrea Wang, Daniel Kirk, Dav Pilkey, Katrina Kittle, and many others. 

2025 Choose to Read Ohio booklist 

Books for Adults 

 Hanif Abdurraqib, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance  

Kelcey Ervick, The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women's Lives  

John Scalzi, Starter Villain 

Maggie Smith, You Could Make This Place Beautiful 

Thao Thai, Banyan Moon   

Books for Teens

Jorge Aguirre*, Call Me Iggy, illustrated by Rafael Rosado* 

Kristy Boyce, Dungeons and Drama  

Luma Mufleh, From Here: A Memoir  

Ashley Hope Pérez, Out of Darkness  

Natalie D. Richards, Four Found Dead 

Books for Tweens/Middle Grades 

 Richard Adams, Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, illustrated by Joe Sutphin*, adapted by James Sturm  

Elisa Stone Leahy, Tethered to Other Stars   

Jasmine Warga, A Rover’s Story   

Misty Wilson*, Play Like a Girl: A Graphic Memoir, illustrated by David Wilson* 

Jacqueline Woodson, Remember Us   

 Books for Young Children 

 Lindsay Bonilla*, The Storyteller, illustrated by Noar Lee Naggan  

Keila V. Dawson*, Opening the Road: Victor Hugo Green and His Green Book, illustrated by Alleanna Harris  

Julia Kuo, Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night  

Chiquita Mullins Lee* and Carmella Van Vleet*, You Gotta Meet Mr. Pierce! The Storied Life of Folk Artist Elijah Pierce, illustrated by Jennifer Mack-Watkins  

Connie Schultz*, Lola and the Troll, illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez 

*Asterisk denotes Ohio creator of co-created book. 

Download the new 2025 CTRO booklist formatted for printing and sharing. 

Teachers, librarians, and other experts graciously offered their time, support, and expertise as CTRO 2025 booklist electors. CTRO electors evaluate the nominated books for one or more age groups and vote for those they consider best suited to CTRO. The CTRO Advisory Council and the CTRO partner organizations are indebted to these individuals for their generous participation. See the State Library website for a complete list of 2025 electors.

CTRO is a project of the State Library of Ohio, the Ohioana Library Association, and the Ohio Center for the Book, in collaboration with Ohio’s libraries.