Categories:
Award Winners
Ê
Categories:
Ê
NOTE:Ê These are just a few Summer Reading 2000 Suggestions. Feel free to add your own favorites!
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul CurtisÊ (Newbery Medal Winner, Coretta Scott King Award Winner 2000)
ÊTen-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from a foster home and begins an unforgettable journey in search of his father. His only clues are old flyers left by his now-deceased mother that point to a legendary jazz bandleader.Getting Near to Baby by Audrey CouloumbisÊÊ (Newbery Honor Book 2000)
Ê"Getting Near to Baby" tells the story of 12-year-old Willa Jo and Little Sister, whose voice is "lost in sadness," who go live with bossy Aunt Patty following the death of their baby sister. It focuses on Willa Jo who finds haven on the roof and from sunrise to sunset recalls recent events and helps her family come to terms with its tragedy.Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. HolmÊ (Newbery Honor Book 2000)
ÊGrowing up as the only girl in a large Finnish-American farming family along Washington's Nasel River in 1899, 12-year-old May Amelia prefers tricks and adventures to being a "Proper Young Lady." Unjustly blamed for tragedy, May must leave home before returning to claim her rightful place.26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaolaÊ (Newbery Honor Book 2000)
ÊIn this book dePaola looks back to 1938 when his family, overcoming fire and flood, builds a new house. That year Tomie "quits" kindergarten, shares "chocolates" with Nana upstairs, critiques a movie, practices mural art, and finally moves to 26 Fairmount Avenue.Holes by Louis Sachar (Newbery Medal Winner 1999)
ÊThe heir to his family's curse of bad luck, Stanley Yelnats is convicted of a crime he didn't commit. He serves his sentence at Camp Green Lake, a dry, flat wasteland where the warden assigns each inmate the task of digging one deep hole every day. Hole by hole, Stanley and his friend Zero dig their destiny.Francie by Karen English (Coretta Scott King Honor Book 2000)
ÊIn pre-civil-rights-era rural Alabama, Francie is a bright 12-year-old whose happiest escape from the domestic work she does alongside her mother is reading, eating Scooter Pies, and waving at a train that will reunite her family in Chicago. When she attempts to help a friend who is unfairly hunted by the sheriff, she puts her family in danger and faces the harsh realities of racial injustice.Monster by Walter Dean Myers (Coretta Scott King Honor Book 2000)
ÊSteve is the 16-year-old protagonist on trial for felony murder. In an attempt to understand and cope with his predicament, he writes his story in the form of a movie script, complete with set directions and dialogue. Each character has his or her lines in this drama, allowing readers to determine, for themselves, Steve's guilt or innocence.Among the Hidden by Margarete Peterson Haddix (CA Young Reader Medal Nominee 2001-Middle/Jr. High)
ÊIn a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.P.S. Longer Letter Later by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin
(CA Young Reader Medal Nominee 2001-Middle/Jr. High)
ÊTwelve-year-old best friends Elizabeth and Tara-Starr continue their friendship through letter-writing after Tara-Starr's family moves to another state.Sasquatch by Roland Smith (CA Young Reader Medal Nominee 2001-Middle/Jr. High)
ÊThirteen-year-old Dylan follows his father into the woods on the slopes of Mount St. Helens, which is on the brink of another eruption, in an attempt to protect the resident Sasquatch from ruthless hunters.Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (CA Young Reader Medal Winner 2000-Middle/Jr. High)
ÊIn this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham SalisburyÊ (CA Young Reader Medal Winner 1999-Middle/Jr. High)
ÊTomikazu Nakaji's biggest concerns are baseball, homework, and a local bully, until life with his Japanese family in Hawaii changes drastically after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
ÊThis 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 by J.R.R. Tolkien
ÊBilbo 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.
ÊOther titles by Tolkien:Ê The Fellowship of the Ring,Ê The Two Towers,Ê The Return of the KingThe Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
ÊEerie howling on the moor and strange deaths at Baskerville lead Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to remarkable conclusions.Ê 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.
ÊAnother title by Doyle:Ê Adventures of Sherlock HolmesPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
ÊThe 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.Ê Her prejudice is confirmed when Mr. Wickham claims that Darcy cheated him out of an inheritance.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
ÊColin lives the life of a spoiled and incurable invalid until Mary, his orphaned cousin, arrives.Ê The robin shows her the way to a locked, hidden garden, which Colin and Mary secretly restore.Ê Find out what else is changed as the garden works its magic.Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
ÊIn search of an unknown sea monster in 1867, three men go overboard and find refuge on what turns out to be a futuristic submarine.Ê The refuge turns into a prison when Captain Nemo declares his intention of keeping them forever on the Nautilus.
ÊOther titles by Verne:Ê Around the World in Eighty Days, A Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper
ÊThe 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
ÊThis book is the fifth and final adventure of Tara, would-be hero and Assistant Pig-Keeper, begun in The Book of Three.Ê The sword of Drnwyn has fallen into the hands of Arawn-Death-Lord.Ê After a winter march filled with danger, Taran and his army finally arrive at Arawn's stronghold and a decision for Taran that is the most crucial of his life.Homecoming by Cynthia Voight
ÊFour children are left by their mother in a parked car at a shopping center.Ê 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.Ê They discover, however, that they must make a second journey before they have a true homecoming.Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson
ÊFeeling 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
ÊTwo high school sophomores tell, in alternate chapters, the tragic story of their friendship with a lonely old man whom they delight and then deeply hurt.Redwall by Brian Jacques
ÊWhen the peaceful life in and around ancient Redwall Abbey is shattered by the arrival of the evil rat Cluny and his villainous hordes, Matthias, a young mouse, determines to find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior which, he is convinced, will help Redwall¹s inhabitants destroy the enemy. The series continues with eight further Redwall adventures.
Bel-Air Bambi and the Mall Rats by Richard Peck
ÊBambi, 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
ÊThe same things are still driving Matthew Martin nuts:Ê 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.Ê Will Brian ever get out of the cart?Ê Will Wilbur ever get out of trouble?Mop, Moondance, and the Nagasaki Knights by Walter Dean Myers.
ÊAfter 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
ÊSam, 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
ÊChaos 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
ÊThe 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
ÊThirteen 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.
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
ÊA young Jewish girl finds herself transported back in time to the 1940's, where Nazi soldiers take her and her family away to a death camp, a place of unspeakable horrors.The Fighting Ground by Avi
ÊA 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
ÊIn 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
ÊDuring 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.Ê This is a story of her struggle to find her way back home again.The Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi
ÊDuring 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.
Dunker by Ronald Kidd
ÊAt 5' 4", Bobby Rothman is an unlikely candidate for the high school basketball team.Ê Bobby also appears in advertisements for a donut company.Ê What will he do if a conflict comes up between a game and his work in advertising?Finding Buck McHenry by Alfred Slote
ÊJason Ross needs a coach for his little league team.Ê He sees a picture of Buck McHenry, a great pitcher in the Negro League in the late 1930's.Ê Jason's imagination runs overtime and he is sure that the school janitor, Mack Henry, is really Buck McHenry.Ê Mack or is it Buck?, agrees to take on the job of coaching this second string team.Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
ÊLonnie Jackson is a talented basketball player.Ê He hopes that the city-wide tournament of champions will be his ticket out of Harlem.Ê Gambler's put pressure on Cal, Lonnie's coach, to lose the championship game.Ê Winning the game could endanger the lives of both Lonnie and Cal.The Runner by Cynthia Voigt
ÊBullet Tillerman is a cross-country runner at his high school.Ê Running consumes his life.Ê He is a solitary, mysterious figure with few friends.S. O. R. Losers by Avi
ÊThe South Orange River Middle School requires students to play one sport a year.Ê Last year Ed Sitrow and some of the other non-jocks managed to do things like study art, play poker, and write.Ê This year Ed and his friends had to follow the school rules so they formed a seventh grade soccer team.Ê The S. O. R. Losers become as famous as the school's past all-stars but not for the same reasons.
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
ÊMarie Antoinette wore potato buds as a hair ornamentation.Ê The potato brought ruin to Ireland and developed into a multi million-dollar industry in the US.Ê 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.Cross Your Fingers, Spit In Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
ÊAlmost everyone is superstitious, though few people will admit to it.Ê Some superstitions are funny, most of them involve magic, and all of them comfort us in some way.Ê 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
ÊThis clothing survey shows us that while many fashion changes were reflections of world events, clothes are more than just a mirror of history.Ê 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
ÊYo man, give me that microphone and sit down,
Êcause a brother like me is known to get down.
ÊSo get up on the rhyme,
Êcause you'll find it's designed
Êto give sight to the blind
Êand enlighten the mind.Those Amazing Leeches by Cheryl Halton
ÊHave you ever visited a leech farm?Ê Did you know that leech saliva may have important medical uses? Discover many fascinating facts about these creepy, crawly critters!