This Year's Award Winners
Buffalo Brenda by Jill Pinkwater
Brenda Tuna and India Ink Teidlebaum come up with some wacky schemes so as not to be lost in the herd of ninth graders at their new school. They write an expose of cafeteria food and eventually adopt a bison as a school mascot. This book is zany, preposterous and totally original.
Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
"What follows will be my book-the book of Catherine, called little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the Lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward and the abommable Robert. Begun this 19th day of September in the yar of Our Lord 1290…Picked off twenty-nine fleas today."
Fool's Gold by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Rudy's vacation plans to horseback ride and hang out with his friend Barney are complicated when a newcomer, Tyler, proposes that they explore an abandoned mine. By understanding his own feelings, Rudy is able to find the courage for a heroic rescue of his friend.
Rescue Josh McGuire by Ben Mikaelson
After Josh's father shoots a mother bear, orphaning her cub, Josh heads for the mountains with his dog and the cub, hoping to protect it. Many people become involved in trying to rescue him and in supporting his mission to protect bears from hunters.
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Two stories intertwine. Salamanca Sugar Maple Tree Hiddle, also known as Sal, tells the tale of her best friend, Phoebe, whose mother has disappeared. At the same time, Sal is on a quest to find her own mother, whose death she refuses to accept. Gran and Grams, who are driving Sal on her journey, provide humor and sensitivity.
Traditional Classics
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
This is the story of the dog Buck, half St. Bernard and half Scotch Shepherd, who strives to adapt himself to a hostile Klondike environment, struggling against cruel elements and even crueler men. When his master, John Thornton, is murdered, Buck escapes and becomes the leader of a wolf pack, where he struggles to survive in a ruthless world governed by the "law of claw and fang."
The Hobbit or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit in a land inhabited by dwarves, elves, goblins and dragons, is persuaded to join a band of dwarves to recover the treasure stolen by Smaug, the Dragon, and hidden in the depths of the Lonely Mountain.
Other titles by Tolkien: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Eerie howling on the moor and strange deaths at Baskerville lead Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to remarkable conclusions. Share with them the exploration of the old superstition of death on the moor, and discover the parts played by the escaped convict and the property disputes.
Another title by Doyle: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The wealthy Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennett are attracted to each other when they meet at the Meryton assembly ball, but Mr. Darcy's cold and proud behavior offends Jane's younger sister, Elizabeth. Her prejudice is confirmed when Mr. Wickham claims that Darcy cheated him out of an inheritance.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
Robinson Crusoe is shipwrecked and leads a solitary existence for twenty-four years on an uninhabited island near the Orinoco River. He meets the difficulties of primitive life with wonderful ingenuity. This novel is based on the actual experiences of Alexander Selkirk for four years early in the 18th Century.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Colin lives the life of a spoiled and incurable invalid until Mary, his orphaned cousin, arrives. The robin shows her the way to a locked, hidden garden, which Colin and Mary secretly restore. Find out what else is changed as the garden works its magic.
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
In search of an unknown sea monster in 1867, three men go overboard and find refuge on what turns out to be a futuristic submarine. The refuge turns into a prison when Captain Nemo declares his intention of keeping them forever on the Nautilus.
Other titles by Verne: Around the World in Eighty Days, A Journey to the Center of the Earth
Contemporary Classics
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
The seventh son of a seventh son, 11-year-old Will is irretrievably drawn into the eternal struggle between good and evil in this powerful fantasy set during the 12 days of Christmas.
The High King by Lloyd Alexander
This book is the fifth and final adventure of Tara, would-be hero and Assistant Pig-Keepr, begun in The Book of Three. The sword of Drnwyn has fallen into the hands of Arawn-Death-Lord. After a winter march filled with danger, Taran and his army finally arrive at Arawn's stronghold and, ultimately, to a decision for Taran that is the most crucial of his life.
Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
Four children are left by their mother in a parked car at a shopping center. Afraid of being separated if they go to the police, the children begin their long walk to Connecticut in the hope of reaching Great Aunt Cilla. They discover, however, that they must make a second journey before they have a true homecoming.
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
Feeling deprived of schooling, friends, mother, and even her name by a pretty twin sister, plain-looking Louise finally begins to find her identity.
The Pigman by Paul Zindel
Two high school sophomores tell, in alternate chapters, the tragic story of their freindship with a lonely old man whom they delight and then deeply hurt.
A Summer to Die by Lois Lowry
Meg, 13, envies her older sister's popularity and prettiness and finds it difficult to cope with Molly's degenerating illness and eventual death.
Humor
Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats by Richard Peck
Bambi, Buffie, and Brick, three totally cool siblings from Los Angeles, move with their parents to Hickory Fork, a small town terrorized by a high-school gang.
Make Like a Tree and Leave by Paula Danziger
The same things are still driving Matthew Martin nuts: his bossy sister, his mother the health food freak, and Vanessa, who has never forgiven him for living. Things don't work out quite right when Brian Bruno gets wrapped up in a lot of plaster gauze. Will Brian ever get out of the cart? Will Wilbur ever get out of trouble?
Mop, Moondance, and the Nagasaki Knights by Walter Dean Myers.
After T.J. and his younger brother are adopted, the biggest problems they face are winning an international baseball tournament, held in their New Jersey hometown, and helping a homeless teammate.
This School is Driving Me Crazy by Nat Hentoff
Sam, a very funny sixth grader, does the most maddening things at school and at home, but proves he is honest and trustworthy as well.
The Twinkie Squad by Gordon Korman
Chaos spreads when Douglas, the most eccentric sixth-grader in Thaddeus G. Little Middle School, joins the Twinkie Squad, a special counseling group for problem students.
Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? by Jerry Spinelli
The sibling rivalry between twelve-year-old Megin and her older brother Greg intensifies after she ruins his science project and he retaliates by throwing her favorite hockey stick into the pond.
Why Me? by Ellen Conford
Thirteen year old Hobie, who works after school in his grandfather's bookstore, gets up the nerve to send a love poem to a real knockout named Darlene. Hobie's fantasies, predicaments and realizations will have readers rolling with laughter in this comic episode.
Historical Fiction
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
A young Jewish girl finds herself transported back in time to the 1940s, where Nazi soldiers take her and her family away to a death camp, a place of unspeakable horrors.
The Fighting Ground by Avi
A farm boy fights and is taken prisoner by Hessian soldiers in the American Revolution in this swiftly paced adventure story.
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
In 1840, Jessie Bollier was thirteen, earning pennies and playing his fife on the docks of New Orleans when he was kidnapped and thrown on a slave ship headed for Africa.
Turn Homeward, Hannalee by Patricia Beatty
During the Civil War, twelve year old Hannalee was one of two thousand Georgia textile workers who were shipped north, against their will, to work in Yankee mills. This is a story of her struggle to find her way back home again.
The Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi
During World War II a young Korean and her family suffer the cruelties of Japanese occupation until they are forced to flee to the South and freedom.
Sports
Dunker by Ronald Kidd
At 5' 4", Bobby Rothman is an unlikely candidate for the high school basketball team. Bobby also appears in advertisements for a donut company. What will he do if a conflict comes up between a game and his work in advertising?
Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote
Jason Ross needs a coach for his little league team. He sees a picture of Buck McHenry, a great pitcher in the Negro League in the late 1930's. Jason's imagination runs overtime and he is sure that the school janitor, Mack Henry, is really Buck McHenry. Mack or is it Buck?, agrees to take on the job of coaching this second string team.
Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
Lonnie Jackson is a talented basketball player. He hopes that the city-wide tournament of champions will be his ticket out of Harlem. Gambler's put pressure on Cal, Lonnie's coach, to lose the championship game. Winning the game could endanger the lives of both Lonnie and Cal.
The Runner by Cynthia Voigt
Bullet Tillerman is a cross-country runner at his high school. Running consumes his life. He is a solitary, mysterious figure with few friends.
S. O. R. Losers by Avi
The South Orange River Middle School requires students to play one sport a year. Last year Ed Sitrow and some of the other non-jocks managed to do things like study art, play poker, and write. This year Ed and his friends had to follow the school rules so they formed a seventh grade soccer team. The S. O. R. Losers become as famous as the school's past all-stars but not for the same reasons.
Stotan! by Chris Crutcher
A stotan is a cross between a stoic and a spartan and Coach Song wants to make Walker Dupree and three friends on the swim team stotans. The coach plans a stotan week for the four boys so that they will be physically and mentally ready for anything.
"True" Books-Nonfiction
The Amazing Potato: A Story in Which the Incas, Conquistadors, Marie Antoinette, Thomas Jefferson, Wars, Famines, Immigrants, and French Fries All Play a Part by Milton Meltzer
Marie Antoinette wore potato buds as a hair ornamentation. The potato brought ruin to Ireland and developed into a multimillion-dollar industry in the US. In this concise and engaging history of the potato, the author traces its cultivation, uses, and the paths taken by its supporters and detractors around the world and throughout history.
Bat, Ball, Glove; The Making of Major League Baseball Gear by William Jaspersohn
From the sewing of the baseball covers through the preparation of special bats required by major-leaguers, Jaspersohn presents an intriguing picture of how baseball equipment is produced.
Cross Your Fingers, Spit In Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
Almost everyone is superstitious, though few people will admit to it. Some superstitions are funny, most of them involve magic, and all of them comfort us in some way. Collected in this book are superstitions and beliefs to guide you through a lifetime.
From Top Hats to Baseball Caps, From Bustles to Blue Jeans; Why We Dress the Way We Do by Lila Perl
This clothing survey shows us that while many fashion changes were reflections of world events, clothes are more than just a mirror of history. They also display our individual life-styles, how we see ourselves, and how we would like others to see us.
Say It Loud!: The Story of Rap Music by Maurice Jones
Yo man, give me that microphone and sit down, `cause a brother like me is known to get down. So get up on the rhyme, `cause you'll find it's designed to give sight to the blind and enlighten the mind.
Those Amazing Leeches by Cheryl Halton
Have you ever visited a leech farm? Did you know that leech saliva may have important medical uses? Discover many fascinating facts about these creepy, crawly critters!
revised 9/97