This selected annotated list of fiction books about ADHD, anorexia, Axell-crown disease, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, and other disorders has been created for students, parents, teachers and counselors.
ADHD
95 Pounds of Hope , by Anna Gavalda ; translated by Gill Rosner
From the first day, school had always been torture for Gregory, but his expulsion from school in sixth grade allows him to find his own path and deal with his parents' fights and his beloved grandfather's illness.
New York: Viking, 2003, 90 p.
Joey Pigza Trilogy
Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, by Jack Gantos.
To the constant disappointment of his mother and teacher, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his perscription medicine wears off and he starts acting wired.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, copyright 1998, 153 p.
Joey Pigza Loses Control, by Jack Gantos.
Joey, who is still taking medication to keep him from getting too wired, goes to spend the summer with the hard-drinking father he has never known and tries to help the baseball team he coaches win the championship.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, copyright 2000, 195 p.
What Would Joey Do?, by Jack Gantos.
Joey tries to keep his life from degenerating into total chaos when his mother sends him to be home-schooled with a hostile blind girl, his divorced parents cannot stop fighting, and his grandmother is dying of emphysema.
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002, 240 p.
The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan.
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
New York: Hyperion Books for Children, 2005, 384 p.
Parents Wanted, by George Harrar ; illustrations by Dan Murphy.
Twelve-year-old Andrew, who has ADD, is adopted by new parents after years of other foster homes and desperately hopes that he will not mess up the situation.
Minneapolis, Minn.: Milkweed Editions, 2001, 239 p.
Trout and Me, by Susan Shreve.
Ben's troubles at school get progressively worse when he starts hanging around Trout, a new boy in his fifth grade class, who is also labeled as learning disabled.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002, 136 p.
ANOREXIA
Girls Under Pressure, by Jacqueline Wilson.
Ellie learns to deal with her self-image as she battles anorexia.
New York, NY: Delacorte Press, 2002, 214 p.
ASPERGER SYNDROME
The Case of the Prank That Stank, by Laura J. Burns and Melinda Metz.
Seventh-graders Agatha Wong and Orville Wright, who has Asperger's syndrome, try to prove that the prank they organized did not cause the fire that burned down their rival school's field house.
New York: Razorbill, 2005, 182 p.
Colder Than Ice, by David Patneaude.
Josh Showalter, an insecure and overweight sixth-grader, hopes for a new start when he transfers to a school in northern Idaho, but he and his new friends are soon the target of a cold-hearted bully.
Chicago, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Company, 2003, 168 p.
AUTISM
Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko.
A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.
New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2004, 240 p.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon.
Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.
New York: Doubleday, 2003, 256 p.
A Wizard Alone, by Diane Duane.
While Nita mourns her mother's death, teenage wizard Kit and his dog Ponch set out to find a young autistic boy who vanished in the middle of his Ordeal, pursued by the Lone Power.
San Diego: Harcourt, 2002, 319 p.
AXELL-CROWN DISEASE
Life in the Fat Lane, by Cherie Bennett.
Sixteen-year-old Lara, winner of beauty pageants and Homecoming Queen, is distressed and bewildered when she starts gaining weight and becomes a fat girl.
New York: Delacorte Press, copyright 1998, 260 p.
BULIMIA
Fat Chance, by Leslea Newman.
In a series of diary entries, thirteen-year-old Judi recounts her struggles to lose weight, hide her bulimia from her mother, find a boy friend, and decide on a profession.
New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994, 214 p.
Perfect, by Natasha Friend.
Following the death of her father, a thirteen-year-old uses bulimia as a way to avoid her mother's and ten-year-old sister's grief, as well as her own.
Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2004, 172 p.
CUTTING/SELF-MUTILATION
Cut, by Patricia McCormick.
While confined to a mental hospital, thirteen-year-old Callie slowly comes to understand some of the reasons behind her self-mutilation, and gradually starts to get better.
Asheville, NC: Front Street, copyright 2000, 136 p.
DYSCALCULIA
My Thirteenth Winter: a memoir, by Samantha Abeel.
New York: Orchard Books, 2003.
MOOD DISORDERS
The Illustrated Mum, by Jacqueline Wilson.
Ten-year-old Dolphin is determined to stay with her family, no matter what, but when her sister goes to live with her newly-discovered father, sending their mother further into manic-depression, Dolphin's life takes a turn for the better.
New York: Delacorte Press, 2005, 283 p.
OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER
Kissing Doorknobs, by Terry Spencer Hesser.
Fourteen-year-old Tara describes how her increasingly strange compulsions begin to take over her life and affect her relationships with her family and friends.
New York, NY: Delacorte Press, 1998, 149 p.
Not as Crazy as I Seem, by George Harrar.
As fifteen-year-old Devon begins mid-year at a new prestigious prep school, he is plagued by compulsions such as the need to sort things into groups of four.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2003, 224 p.
TOURETTE'S SYNDROME
Quit It, by Marcia Byalick
Diagnosed with a neurological disorder that causes uncontrollable tics, such as coughing and head jerking, sixth-grader Carrie must cope with the embarrassment and strain of various reactions from friends, family, and strangers.
New York, NY: Delacorte Press, 2002, 144 p.
Monday, October 31, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Selected Memoirs by Children's and Young Adult Authors
Cleary, Beverly. A Gift from Yamhill: a Memoir
Follows the popular children's author from her childhood years in Oregon through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and her growing interest in writing.
Cleary, Beverly. My Own Two Feet: a Memoir
Follows the popular children's author through college years during the Depression; jobs including that of librarian; marriage; and writing and publication of her first book, "Henry Huggins."
Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Chris Crutcher, author of young adult novels such as "Ironman" and "Whale Talk," as well as short stories, tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.
Ehrlich, Amy, ed. When I Was Your Age: Original Stories About Growing Up
This collection includes: All-ball / by Mary Pope Osborne -- The great rat hunt / by Laurence Yep -- Everything will be okay / by James Howe -- Why I never ran away from home / by Katherine Paterson -- Reverend Abbott and those bloodshot eyes / by Walter Dean Myers -- Muffin / by Susan Cooper -- Taking a dare / by Nicholasa Mohr -- Flying / by Reeve Lindbergh -- Scout's honor / by Avi -- Blue / by Francesca Lia Block.
Fleischman, Sid. The Abracadabra Kid: a Writer's Life
The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children's author who set out from childhood to be a magician.
Gantos, Jack. A Hole in My Life
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Don't Tell the Girls
Newbery Honor-winning author, Patricia Reilly Giff, recounts her discoveries as she unravels some of the mysteries of her Irish ancestors.
Kehret, Peg. Five Pages a Day: A Writer's Journey
A biography of the author of numerous books for young people, describing her childhood bout with polio, how she became a writer, family relationships, and the importance of writing in her life.
Lowry, Lois. Looking Back: a Book of Memories
Using family photographs and quotes from her books, the author provides glimpses into her life.
Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: a Memoir
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. How I Came to Be a Writer
Details the career of one writer from stories composed in grade school through first published pieces to novels written to date.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. The Making of a Writer
The author recalls events from her childhood that contributed to her development as a writer.
Nuwer, Hank. To the Young Writer: Nine Writers Talk About Their Craft
Nine writers, including a Hollywood screenwriter, a novelist, and a sportswriter, talk about their craft, including:
Angelo Pizzo: scripting for Hollywood -- Patrick O'Driscoll: covering the news -- Rebecca Kai Dotlich: the joy and tears of poetry -- Dale Ratermann: the sports world -- David Young: the craft of advertising -- Alanna Nash: reviewing the music -- Toyomi Igus: multicultural messages for readers of all ages -- Max Aguilera-Hellweg: a visual storyteller -- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: the challenges of fiction .
Paulsen, Gary. The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
The author recalls his experiences as a migrant laborer and carnival worker after he ran away from home at age sixteen.
Paulsen, Gary. Guts, or, How I Lived the Same as Brian Robeson
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson.
Paulsen, Gary. My Life in Dog Years
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.
Peck, Richard. Anonymously Yours
The popular author describes how he grew up in Decatur, Illinois, went into teaching, and eventually became a writer, incorporating his earlier experiences into novels intended to reach and change young readers.
Spinelli, Jerry. Knots in My Yo-Yo String: the Autobiography of a Kid
This Italian-American Newbery Medalist presents a humorous account of his childhood and youth in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Uchida, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread
Children's author, Yoshiko Uchida, describes growing up in Berkeley, California, as a Nisei, second generation Japanese American, and her family's internment in a Nevada concentration camp during World War II.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Laura's Album: a Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Photographs and mementos accompany an account of the life and literary career of the author of the well-loved "Little House" books.
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman and Me
An account of Paul Zindel's teenage years on Staten Island, when his life was enriched by finding his own personal pigman, or mentor.
Yep, Laurence. The Lost Garden
The author describes how he grew up as a Chinese American in San Francisco and how he came to use his writing to celebrate his family and his ethnic heritage.
Follows the popular children's author from her childhood years in Oregon through high school and into young adulthood, highlighting her family life and her growing interest in writing.
Cleary, Beverly. My Own Two Feet: a Memoir
Follows the popular children's author through college years during the Depression; jobs including that of librarian; marriage; and writing and publication of her first book, "Henry Huggins."
Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
Chris Crutcher, author of young adult novels such as "Ironman" and "Whale Talk," as well as short stories, tells of growing up in Cascade, Idaho, and becoming a writer.
Ehrlich, Amy, ed. When I Was Your Age: Original Stories About Growing Up
This collection includes: All-ball / by Mary Pope Osborne -- The great rat hunt / by Laurence Yep -- Everything will be okay / by James Howe -- Why I never ran away from home / by Katherine Paterson -- Reverend Abbott and those bloodshot eyes / by Walter Dean Myers -- Muffin / by Susan Cooper -- Taking a dare / by Nicholasa Mohr -- Flying / by Reeve Lindbergh -- Scout's honor / by Avi -- Blue / by Francesca Lia Block.
Fleischman, Sid. The Abracadabra Kid: a Writer's Life
The autobiography of the Newbery award-winning children's author who set out from childhood to be a magician.
Gantos, Jack. A Hole in My Life
The author relates how, as a young adult, he became a drug user and smuggler, was arrested, did time in prison, and eventually got out and went to college, all the while hoping to become a writer.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Don't Tell the Girls
Newbery Honor-winning author, Patricia Reilly Giff, recounts her discoveries as she unravels some of the mysteries of her Irish ancestors.
Kehret, Peg. Five Pages a Day: A Writer's Journey
A biography of the author of numerous books for young people, describing her childhood bout with polio, how she became a writer, family relationships, and the importance of writing in her life.
Lowry, Lois. Looking Back: a Book of Memories
Using family photographs and quotes from her books, the author provides glimpses into her life.
Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: a Memoir
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. How I Came to Be a Writer
Details the career of one writer from stories composed in grade school through first published pieces to novels written to date.
Nixon, Joan Lowery. The Making of a Writer
The author recalls events from her childhood that contributed to her development as a writer.
Nuwer, Hank. To the Young Writer: Nine Writers Talk About Their Craft
Nine writers, including a Hollywood screenwriter, a novelist, and a sportswriter, talk about their craft, including:
Angelo Pizzo: scripting for Hollywood -- Patrick O'Driscoll: covering the news -- Rebecca Kai Dotlich: the joy and tears of poetry -- Dale Ratermann: the sports world -- David Young: the craft of advertising -- Alanna Nash: reviewing the music -- Toyomi Igus: multicultural messages for readers of all ages -- Max Aguilera-Hellweg: a visual storyteller -- Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: the challenges of fiction .
Paulsen, Gary. The Beet Fields: Memories of a Sixteenth Summer
The author recalls his experiences as a migrant laborer and carnival worker after he ran away from home at age sixteen.
Paulsen, Gary. Guts, or, How I Lived the Same as Brian Robeson
The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson.
Paulsen, Gary. My Life in Dog Years
The author describes some of the dogs that have had special places in his life, including his first dog, Snowball, in the Philippines; Dirk, who protected him from bullies; and Cookie, who saved his life.
Peck, Richard. Anonymously Yours
The popular author describes how he grew up in Decatur, Illinois, went into teaching, and eventually became a writer, incorporating his earlier experiences into novels intended to reach and change young readers.
Spinelli, Jerry. Knots in My Yo-Yo String: the Autobiography of a Kid
This Italian-American Newbery Medalist presents a humorous account of his childhood and youth in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
Uchida, Yoshiko. The Invisible Thread
Children's author, Yoshiko Uchida, describes growing up in Berkeley, California, as a Nisei, second generation Japanese American, and her family's internment in a Nevada concentration camp during World War II.
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Laura's Album: a Remembrance Scrapbook of Laura Ingalls Wilder
Photographs and mementos accompany an account of the life and literary career of the author of the well-loved "Little House" books.
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman and Me
An account of Paul Zindel's teenage years on Staten Island, when his life was enriched by finding his own personal pigman, or mentor.
Yep, Laurence. The Lost Garden
The author describes how he grew up as a Chinese American in San Francisco and how he came to use his writing to celebrate his family and his ethnic heritage.
BASEBALL - Fiction Suggestions
All the Way Home, by Patricia Reilly Giff
In 1941, circumstances bring together Brick, a boy from New York's apple country, and Mariel, a young girl made shy by her bout with polio, and the two make a journey from Brooklyn back to help Brick's elderly neighbors save their apple crop and to help Mariel learn about her past.
New York: Delacorte, c2001, 169 p.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato. (Lexile 660)
New York: Philomel Books, c2003, 216 p.
The Crazy Horse Electric Game, by Chris Crutcher
A high school athlete, frustrated at being disabled after an accident, runs away from home to Oakland, California, and is helped back to mental and physical health by a Black benefactor and the people in a special school where he enrolls.
(Lexile 870)
Greenwillow Books, copyright 1987, 215p.
Free Radical, by Claire Rudolf Murphy
In Fairbanks, Alaska, in the middle of the summer Little League baseball season, fifteen-year-old Luke is stunned when his mother confesses that she is wanted by the FBI for her role in the death of a student during an anti-Vietnam War protest thirty years ago. (Lexile 640)
New York: Clarion Books, 2002, 198 p.
Gold Dust, by Chris Lynch
In 1975, twelve-year-old Richard befriends Napolean, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping that Napoleon will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school. (Lexile 690)
New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, copyright 2000, 196 p.
High Heat, by Carl Deuker
When sophomore Shane Hunter's father is arrested for money laundering at his Lexus dealership, the star pitcher's life of affluence and private school begins to fall apart. (Lexile 620)
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, 277 p.
Joey Pigza Loses Control, by Jack Gantos
Joey, who is still taking medication to keep him from getting too wired, goes to spend the summer with the hard-drinking father he has never known and tries to help the baseball team he coaches win the championship. (Lexile 800)
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, copyright 2000, 195 p.
Mickey & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure, by Dan Gutman
When Joe travels back in time to 1944, he meets the Milwaukee Chicks, one of the only all-female professional baseball teams in the history of the game. (Lexile 630)
New York: HarperCollins, 2003, 160 p.
My Thirteenth Season, by Kristi Roberts
Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's overwhelming grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream of becoming the first female in professional baseball after a coach attacks her just for being a girl.
New York: Henry Holt, 2005, 154 p.
Out Standing in My Field, by Patrick Jennings
Although fifth-grader Ty Cutter is named after baseball great Ty Cobb, he is the worst player on the Brewer's team--which happens to be coached by his overly-competitive father. (Lexile 730)
New York: Scholastic Press, c2005, 165 p.
Ruby Tuesday, by Jennifer Anne Kogler
The 1988 World Series win by the Los Angeles Dodgers sets off a chain of life-changing events for thirteen-year-old Ruby Tuesday as she travels to Las Vegas and learns some surprising truths about her family members and their careers as gamblers and musicians.
New York: HarperCollins, 2005, 307 p.
The Speed of Light, by Ron Carlson
Twelve-year-old Larry spends the summer before junior high school with his best friends, Witt and Rafferty, playing different forms of baseball and discovering the secrets of the universe.
New York: HarperTempest, c2003, 280 p.
Stealing Home, by Matt Christopher; Text by Paul Mantell
Joey is sure he will not get along with the exchange student from Nicaragua who is staying with his family for a year, but they find common ground on the baseball field.
New York: Little, Brown, c2004, 144 p.
Stumptown Kid, by Carol Gorman and Ron J. Findley
In a small Iowa town in 1952, eleven-year-old Charlie Nebraska, whose father died in the Korean War, learns the meanings of both racism and heroism when he befriends a black man who had played baseball in the Negro Leagues.
Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree, 2005, 224 p.
Summerland, by Michael Chabon
Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy. (Lexile 950)
New York: Talk Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children, 2002, 512 p.
The Truth About Twelve, by Theresa Martin Golding
Tremendously burdened by a secret guilt, twelve-year-old Lindy uses her skill at baseball to help her cope with a new school, scornful classmates, and complicated family problems.
Honesdale, Pa.: Boyds Mills Press, 2004, 171 p.
In 1941, circumstances bring together Brick, a boy from New York's apple country, and Mariel, a young girl made shy by her bout with polio, and the two make a journey from Brooklyn back to help Brick's elderly neighbors save their apple crop and to help Mariel learn about her past.
New York: Delacorte, c2001, 169 p.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato. (Lexile 660)
New York: Philomel Books, c2003, 216 p.
The Crazy Horse Electric Game, by Chris Crutcher
A high school athlete, frustrated at being disabled after an accident, runs away from home to Oakland, California, and is helped back to mental and physical health by a Black benefactor and the people in a special school where he enrolls.
(Lexile 870)
Greenwillow Books, copyright 1987, 215p.
Free Radical, by Claire Rudolf Murphy
In Fairbanks, Alaska, in the middle of the summer Little League baseball season, fifteen-year-old Luke is stunned when his mother confesses that she is wanted by the FBI for her role in the death of a student during an anti-Vietnam War protest thirty years ago. (Lexile 640)
New York: Clarion Books, 2002, 198 p.
Gold Dust, by Chris Lynch
In 1975, twelve-year-old Richard befriends Napolean, a Caribbean newcomer to his Catholic school, hoping that Napoleon will learn to love baseball and the Red Sox, and will win acceptance in the racially polarized Boston school. (Lexile 690)
New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, copyright 2000, 196 p.
High Heat, by Carl Deuker
When sophomore Shane Hunter's father is arrested for money laundering at his Lexus dealership, the star pitcher's life of affluence and private school begins to fall apart. (Lexile 620)
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2003, 277 p.
Joey Pigza Loses Control, by Jack Gantos
Joey, who is still taking medication to keep him from getting too wired, goes to spend the summer with the hard-drinking father he has never known and tries to help the baseball team he coaches win the championship. (Lexile 800)
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, copyright 2000, 195 p.
Mickey & Me: a Baseball Card Adventure, by Dan Gutman
When Joe travels back in time to 1944, he meets the Milwaukee Chicks, one of the only all-female professional baseball teams in the history of the game. (Lexile 630)
New York: HarperCollins, 2003, 160 p.
My Thirteenth Season, by Kristi Roberts
Already downhearted due to the loss of her mother and her father's overwhelming grief, thirteen-year-old Fran decides to give up her dream of becoming the first female in professional baseball after a coach attacks her just for being a girl.
New York: Henry Holt, 2005, 154 p.
Out Standing in My Field, by Patrick Jennings
Although fifth-grader Ty Cutter is named after baseball great Ty Cobb, he is the worst player on the Brewer's team--which happens to be coached by his overly-competitive father. (Lexile 730)
New York: Scholastic Press, c2005, 165 p.
Ruby Tuesday, by Jennifer Anne Kogler
The 1988 World Series win by the Los Angeles Dodgers sets off a chain of life-changing events for thirteen-year-old Ruby Tuesday as she travels to Las Vegas and learns some surprising truths about her family members and their careers as gamblers and musicians.
New York: HarperCollins, 2005, 307 p.
The Speed of Light, by Ron Carlson
Twelve-year-old Larry spends the summer before junior high school with his best friends, Witt and Rafferty, playing different forms of baseball and discovering the secrets of the universe.
New York: HarperTempest, c2003, 280 p.
Stealing Home, by Matt Christopher; Text by Paul Mantell
Joey is sure he will not get along with the exchange student from Nicaragua who is staying with his family for a year, but they find common ground on the baseball field.
New York: Little, Brown, c2004, 144 p.
Stumptown Kid, by Carol Gorman and Ron J. Findley
In a small Iowa town in 1952, eleven-year-old Charlie Nebraska, whose father died in the Korean War, learns the meanings of both racism and heroism when he befriends a black man who had played baseball in the Negro Leagues.
Atlanta, Ga.: Peachtree, 2005, 224 p.
Summerland, by Michael Chabon
Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy. (Lexile 950)
New York: Talk Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children, 2002, 512 p.
The Truth About Twelve, by Theresa Martin Golding
Tremendously burdened by a secret guilt, twelve-year-old Lindy uses her skill at baseball to help her cope with a new school, scornful classmates, and complicated family problems.
Honesdale, Pa.: Boyds Mills Press, 2004, 171 p.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Massachusetts Children's Book Award Nominees for 2005-2006
Here are summaries of the 25 titles nominated for this year's award, along with links to author sites, when available.
The Secret School, by Avi
In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bidson secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room schoolhouse in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly.
AVI web site:
http://www.avi-writer.com/
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.
Interview with author BLUE BALLIETT:
http://www.bookpage.com/0406bp/blue_balliett.html
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, by Georgia Byng
Unlucky and unloved, Molly Moon, living in a dreary orphanage in a small English town, discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way to stardom in New York City.
GEORGIA BYNG web site:
http://www.harperchildrens.com/authorintro/index.asp?authorid=24912
Meet MOLLY MOON web site:
http://www.meetmollymoon.com/
Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Biography of SUZANNE COLLLINS:
http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jhtml?authorID=6004&collateralID=12653&displayName=Biography
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by Sharon Creech
With the help of her wise old grandmother, twelve-year-old Rosie manages to work out some problems in her relationship with her best friend, Bailey, the boy next door.
SHARON CREECH web site:
http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html
United Tates of America, by Paula Danziger
Eleven-year-old aspiring artist Skate experiences many changes in her life when she enters middle school. She finds her best friend drifing away from her, and she loses her beloved great uncle.
ABOUT PAULA DANZIGER:
http://www.scholastic.com/titles/paula/index.htm
AUTHOR PROFILE: PAULA DANZIGER:
http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-danziger-paula.asp
Once Upon a Marigold, by Jean Ferris
A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.
JEAN FERRIS web site:
http://www.jeanferris.com/bio.htm
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
NEIL GAIMAN web site:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/
REVIEW of CORALINE:
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0380977788.asp
All the Way Home, by Patricia Reilly Giff
In 1941, circumstances bring together Brick, a boy from New York's apple country, and Mariel, a young girl made shy by her bout with polio, and the two make a journey from Brooklyn back to help Brick's elderly neighbors save their apple crop and to help Mariel learn about her past.
PATRICIA REILLY GIFF web site:
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/patriciareillygiff/
Working Like a Dog: the Story of Working Dogs Through History, by Gena K. Gorrell
ABOUT THE BOOK:
http://www.tundrabooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780887765896#bio
Because of Anya, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
While ten-year-old Anya faces the difficulties of losing her hair to alopecia, her classmate Keely learns how to stand up for what she knows is right.
Hana's Suitcase: a True Story, by Karen Levine
A biography of a Czech girl who died in the Holocaust, told in alternating chapters with an account of how the curator of a Japanese Holocaust center learned about her life after Hana's suitcase was sent to her.
Travel Team, by Mike Lupica
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to national prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
REVIEW of TRAVEL TEAM:
http://aol.teenreads.com/reviews/0399241507.asp
Belle Teal, by Ann M. Martin
Belle Teal Harper is from a poor family in the country, and beginning fifth-grade is a challenge as her grandmother's memory is slipping away, her brother and father are fighting again, and she becomes involved with the two new children in her class.
About ANN M. MARTIN:
http://www.scholastic.com/annmartin/bio.htm
Half and Half, by Lensey Namioka
At Seattle's annual Folk Fest, twelve-year-old Fiona and her older brother are torn between trying to please their Chinese grandmother and making their Scottish grandparents happy.
LENSEY NAMIOKA web site:
http://www.lensey.com/home.html
Ruby Electric, Theresa Nelson
Twelve-year-old Ruby Miller, movie buff and aspiring screen writer, tries to resolve the mysteries surrounding her little brother's stuffed woolly mammoth and their father's five year absence.
THERESA NELSON web site:
http://www.theresanelson.net/
Storm-Blast, by Curtis Parkinson
A day of snorkeling turns to horror as a sudden storm strands three teenagers in the Caribbean.
Trouble Don't Last, by Shelley Pearsall
Samuel, an eleven-year-old Kentucky slave, and Harrison, the elderly slave who helped raise him, attempt to escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Eleven-year-old Samuel was born as Master Hackler's slave, and working the Kentucky farm is the only life he's ever known, until one dark night in 1859, that is. With no warning, cranky old Harrison, a fellow slave, pulls Samuel from his bed and, together, they run. The journey north seems much more frightening than Master Hackler ever was, and Samuel's not sure what freedom means aside from running, hiding, and starving. But as they move from one refuge to the next on the Underground Railroad, Samuel uncovers the secret of his own past, and future. And old Harrison begins to see past a whole lifetime of hurt to the promise of a new life7and a poignant reunion, in Canada. In a heartbreaking and hopeful first novel, Shelley Pearsall tells a suspenseful, emotionally charged story of freedom and family. Trouble Don't Last includes a historical note and map.
SHELLEY PEARSALL web site:
http://www.shelleypearsall.com/
Stuart's Cape, by Sara Pennypacker
Bored because there is nothing to do in the house to which his family has just moved and worried about starting third grade in a new school, Stuart makes a magical cape out of his uncle's ties and has a series of adventures.
I, Freddy: Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga, by by Dietlof Reiche ; translated by John Brownjohn ; illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Freddy is dissatisfied with his monotonous treadmill life at the pet store. He endures countless indignities in order to get himself adopted so he can lead a more civilized life--a life befitting a golden hamster. After encountering a tomcat and two guinea pigs who speak in Shakespearean couplets, Freddy teaches himself to read and write on a computer. He then pens an autobiography about his journey out of captivity and towards self-improvement.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.
JOHN H. RITTER web site:
http://www.johnhritter.com/
The Freedom Trail Mystery, by Nancy Speck
While at summer field hockey camp in Boston, Maine natives Serena Marlowe and Carly Heiser stumble upon an unusual thief who is stealing historical artifacts from Boston's Revolutionary War days. Their pointed guidebook and a map of Boston are included.
Loser, by Jerry Spinelli
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
About JERRY SPINELLI
http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-spinelli-jerry.asp
Niagara Falls, or Does It?, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and Frankie are excitedly preparing for a magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when Hank's creative alternative to an English essay lands him in detention and grounded the week of the show.
Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson
In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.
JACQUELINE WOODSON web site:
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
The Secret School, by Avi
In 1925, fourteen-year-old Ida Bidson secretly takes over as the teacher when the one-room schoolhouse in her remote Colorado area closes unexpectedly.
AVI web site:
http://www.avi-writer.com/
Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.
Interview with author BLUE BALLIETT:
http://www.bookpage.com/0406bp/blue_balliett.html
Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism, by Georgia Byng
Unlucky and unloved, Molly Moon, living in a dreary orphanage in a small English town, discovers a hidden talent for hypnotism and hypnotizes her way to stardom in New York City.
GEORGIA BYNG web site:
http://www.harperchildrens.com/authorintro/index.asp?authorid=24912
Meet MOLLY MOON web site:
http://www.meetmollymoon.com/
Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins
When eleven-year-old Gregor and his two-year-old sister are pulled into a strange underground world, they trigger an epic battle involving men, bats, rats, cockroaches, and spiders while on a quest foretold by ancient prophecy.
Biography of SUZANNE COLLLINS:
http://www2.scholastic.com/teachers/authorsandbooks/authorstudies/authorhome.jhtml?authorID=6004&collateralID=12653&displayName=Biography
Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by Sharon Creech
With the help of her wise old grandmother, twelve-year-old Rosie manages to work out some problems in her relationship with her best friend, Bailey, the boy next door.
SHARON CREECH web site:
http://www.sharoncreech.com/index.html
United Tates of America, by Paula Danziger
Eleven-year-old aspiring artist Skate experiences many changes in her life when she enters middle school. She finds her best friend drifing away from her, and she loses her beloved great uncle.
ABOUT PAULA DANZIGER:
http://www.scholastic.com/titles/paula/index.htm
AUTHOR PROFILE: PAULA DANZIGER:
http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-danziger-paula.asp
Once Upon a Marigold, by Jean Ferris
A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.
JEAN FERRIS web site:
http://www.jeanferris.com/bio.htm
Coraline, by Neil Gaiman
Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.
NEIL GAIMAN web site:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/
REVIEW of CORALINE:
http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/0380977788.asp
All the Way Home, by Patricia Reilly Giff
In 1941, circumstances bring together Brick, a boy from New York's apple country, and Mariel, a young girl made shy by her bout with polio, and the two make a journey from Brooklyn back to help Brick's elderly neighbors save their apple crop and to help Mariel learn about her past.
PATRICIA REILLY GIFF web site:
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/patriciareillygiff/
Working Like a Dog: the Story of Working Dogs Through History, by Gena K. Gorrell
ABOUT THE BOOK:
http://www.tundrabooks.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780887765896#bio
Because of Anya, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
While ten-year-old Anya faces the difficulties of losing her hair to alopecia, her classmate Keely learns how to stand up for what she knows is right.
Hana's Suitcase: a True Story, by Karen Levine
A biography of a Czech girl who died in the Holocaust, told in alternating chapters with an account of how the curator of a Japanese Holocaust center learned about her life after Hana's suitcase was sent to her.
Travel Team, by Mike Lupica
After he is cut from his travel basketball team--the very same team that his father once led to national prominence--twelve-year-old Danny Walker forms his own team of cast-offs that might have a shot at victory.
REVIEW of TRAVEL TEAM:
http://aol.teenreads.com/reviews/0399241507.asp
Belle Teal, by Ann M. Martin
Belle Teal Harper is from a poor family in the country, and beginning fifth-grade is a challenge as her grandmother's memory is slipping away, her brother and father are fighting again, and she becomes involved with the two new children in her class.
About ANN M. MARTIN:
http://www.scholastic.com/annmartin/bio.htm
Half and Half, by Lensey Namioka
At Seattle's annual Folk Fest, twelve-year-old Fiona and her older brother are torn between trying to please their Chinese grandmother and making their Scottish grandparents happy.
LENSEY NAMIOKA web site:
http://www.lensey.com/home.html
Ruby Electric, Theresa Nelson
Twelve-year-old Ruby Miller, movie buff and aspiring screen writer, tries to resolve the mysteries surrounding her little brother's stuffed woolly mammoth and their father's five year absence.
THERESA NELSON web site:
http://www.theresanelson.net/
Storm-Blast, by Curtis Parkinson
A day of snorkeling turns to horror as a sudden storm strands three teenagers in the Caribbean.
Trouble Don't Last, by Shelley Pearsall
Samuel, an eleven-year-old Kentucky slave, and Harrison, the elderly slave who helped raise him, attempt to escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. Eleven-year-old Samuel was born as Master Hackler's slave, and working the Kentucky farm is the only life he's ever known, until one dark night in 1859, that is. With no warning, cranky old Harrison, a fellow slave, pulls Samuel from his bed and, together, they run. The journey north seems much more frightening than Master Hackler ever was, and Samuel's not sure what freedom means aside from running, hiding, and starving. But as they move from one refuge to the next on the Underground Railroad, Samuel uncovers the secret of his own past, and future. And old Harrison begins to see past a whole lifetime of hurt to the promise of a new life7and a poignant reunion, in Canada. In a heartbreaking and hopeful first novel, Shelley Pearsall tells a suspenseful, emotionally charged story of freedom and family. Trouble Don't Last includes a historical note and map.
SHELLEY PEARSALL web site:
http://www.shelleypearsall.com/
Stuart's Cape, by Sara Pennypacker
Bored because there is nothing to do in the house to which his family has just moved and worried about starting third grade in a new school, Stuart makes a magical cape out of his uncle's ties and has a series of adventures.
I, Freddy: Book One in the Golden Hamster Saga, by by Dietlof Reiche ; translated by John Brownjohn ; illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Freddy is dissatisfied with his monotonous treadmill life at the pet store. He endures countless indignities in order to get himself adopted so he can lead a more civilized life--a life befitting a golden hamster. After encountering a tomcat and two guinea pigs who speak in Shakespearean couplets, Freddy teaches himself to read and write on a computer. He then pens an autobiography about his journey out of captivity and towards self-improvement.
The Boy Who Saved Baseball, by John H. Ritter
The fate of a small California town rests on the outcome of one baseball game, and Tom Gallagher hopes to lead his team to victory with the secrets of the now disgraced player, Dante Del Gato.
JOHN H. RITTER web site:
http://www.johnhritter.com/
The Freedom Trail Mystery, by Nancy Speck
While at summer field hockey camp in Boston, Maine natives Serena Marlowe and Carly Heiser stumble upon an unusual thief who is stealing historical artifacts from Boston's Revolutionary War days. Their pointed guidebook and a map of Boston are included.
Loser, by Jerry Spinelli
Even though his classmates from first grade on have considered him strange and a loser, Daniel Zinkoff's optimism and exuberance and the support of his loving family do not allow him to feel that way about himself.
About JERRY SPINELLI
http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-spinelli-jerry.asp
Niagara Falls, or Does It?, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver
Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and Frankie are excitedly preparing for a magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when Hank's creative alternative to an English essay lands him in detention and grounded the week of the show.
Locomotion, by Jacqueline Woodson
In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.
JACQUELINE WOODSON web site:
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)