Each year, the Minnesota Youth Reading Awards announce nominees for the Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award. These books are read by students across the state who then vote on which book should be that year's winning title. Winners are announced each April.
Titles are grouped into two divisions: titles for grades 3-5 and titles for grades 6-8. There are several crossover books.
You can learn more about the Maud Hart Lovelace book award at the Minnesota Youth Reading Awards website: https://myrahome.org/Maud-Hart-Lovelace-Award
Division 1 Winner
Amina's Voice
By Khan, Hena
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5)
"Amina's anxieties are entirely relatable, but it's her sweet-hearted nature that makes her such a winning protagonist." - Entertainment Weekly
A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade novel from the award-winning author of It's Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.
Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she's in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the "cool" girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more "American." Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized.
Amina's Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl's voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781481492065
|
Book
Division 1 Honor Titles
The Losers Club
By Clements, Andrew
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) The beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Frindle celebrates books and the joy of reading with a new school story to love!
Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down.
So when Principal Vance lays down the law - pay attention in class, or else - Alec takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right? But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club - including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec is maybe starting to like - Alec notices something. Real life might be messier than his favorite books, but it's just as interesting.
With The Losers Club, Andrew Clements brings us a new school story that's a love letter to books and to reading and that reminds us that sometimes the best stories are the ones that happen off the page - our own!
Praise for The Losers Club!
* "Clements's latest is engaging and funny. A laugh-out-loud first purchase for all middle grade collections, and a solid read-aloud choice for classrooms." - School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Clements is out to celebrate reading in all its obsessiveness, and...tosses in shout-outs to a passel of other writers. [The Losers Club] gives fried bookworms everywhere the satisfaction of knowing that friends may desert them (if only temporarily) but books never will. " - The New York Times
Praise for Andrew Clements!
"Clements is a genius." - The New York Times
"We have never read an Andrew Clements book that we haven't loved." - The Washington Post
Publisher: n/a
|
9780399557552
|
Book
Framed!
By Ponti, James
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director's speed dial and several international criminals' most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series.
So you're only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help ... What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?
If you're Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.
Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He's learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It's a technique he invented to solve life's little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.
But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn't little. In fact, it's HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL.
Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case?
Publisher: n/a
|
9781481436304
|
Book
Division 2 Winner
Refugee
By Gratz, Alan
JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.This action-packed novel tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780545880831
|
Hardcover
Division 2 Honor Titles
Towers Falling
By Rhodes, Jewell Parker
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks.
When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Dèja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal) , she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780316262224
|
Book
Cyclone
By Cronin, Doreen
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Nora's whole world plummets faster than the Cyclone roller coaster when her cousin Riley falls into a coma that Nora thinks is her fault in this warm, big-hearted debut middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Doreen Cronin.
Riding the Cyclone, the world famous Coney Island rollercoaster, was supposed to be the highlight of Nora's summer. But right after they disembark, Nora's cousin Riley falls to the ground ... and doesn't get up. Nora had begged and dragged Riley onto the ride, and no matter what the doctors say, that she had a heart condition, that it could have happened at any time, Nora knows it was her fault. Then, as Riley comes out of her coma, she's not really Riley at all. The cousin who used to be loud and funny and unafraid now can't talk, let alone go to the bathroom by herself. No, she's only 10% Riley. Nora, guilt eating her up on the inside worse than a Coney Island hotdog, thinks she knows how to help. How to get 100% Riley back. But what Nora doesn't realize is that the guilt will only get worse as that percentage rises.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781481435253
|
Book
Nominees
The End of the Wild
By Helget, Nicole
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A modern, beautifully written story set against the backdrop of the controversial issue of fracking that explores the timely themes of poverty, environmental protection, what makes a family, and finding your place in the world.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780316245111
|
Book
Lemons
By Savage, Melissa
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) The search for Bigfoot gets juicy in this funny and touching story that's perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo's Flora & Ulysses and Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw!
Lemonade Liberty Witt's mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can't possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California - the Bigfoot Capital of the World - where she's forced to live with a grandfather she's never met after her mother passes away.
Then she meets eleven-year-old Tobin Sky, the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., who is the sole Bigfoot investigator for their small town. After he invites Lem to be his assistant for the summer, they set out on an epic adventure to capture a shot of the elusive beast on film. But along the way, Lem and Tobin end up discovering more than they ever could have imagined. And Lem realizes that maybe she can make lemonade out of her new life after all.
"I love books about feisty girls and nerdy boys. Melissa Savage's astoundingly good debut novel is packed with humor, mystery, friendship, family secrets, and even Bigfoot! I think you'll love it, too." - Karen Cushman, Newbery Medalist for The Midwife's Apprentice
"Powerful.... Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve." -- The New York Times Book Review
When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding its writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.
So with the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?
Publisher: n/a
|
9780545946179
|
Book
Save Me a Seat
By Weeks, Sarah
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.
Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.
Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.
Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780545846608
|
Book
The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse
By Farrey, Brian
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) A princess and a peasant girl must embark on a dangerous quest to outwit a centuries-old warning foretelling the fall of the Monarchy in this thrilling modern fairytale. In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a black and desolate bog that the happy people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it, except for one dire warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could possibly conceal that might topple her family's thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Emberfell, where everyone lives with unending joy, a girl named Aon hides a sorrow she can never reveal. She knows that something in the carse--something that sings a haunting tune only Aon can hear--holds the cure for her sadness.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781616205058
|
Book
Wish
By O'connor, Barbara
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) A touching story about a girl and her dog, perfect for young animal lovers
Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets
Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all.
From award-winning author Barbara O'Connor comes a middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places.
This title has Common Core connections.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780374302733
|
Book
Greetings from Witness Protection!
By Burt, Jake
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Nicki Demere is an orphan and a pickpocket. She also happens to be the U.S. Marshals' best bet to keep a family alive. . . .
The marshals are looking for the perfect girl to join a mother, father, and son on the run from the nation's most notorious criminals. After all, the bad guys are searching for a family with one kid, not two, and adding a streetwise girl who knows a little something about hiding things may be just what the marshals need.
Nicki swears she can keep the Trevor family safe, but to do so she'll have to dodge hitmen, cyberbullies, and the specter of standardized testing, all while maintaining her marshal-mandated B-minus average. As she barely balances the responsibilities of her new identity, Nicki learns that the biggest threats to her family's security might not lurk on the road from New York to North Carolina, but rather in her own past.
Jake Burt's debut middle-grade novel Greetings from Witness Protection! is as funny as it is poignant.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781250107114
|
Book
Piecing Me Together
By Watson, Rene
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A timely and powerful story about a teen girl striving for success in a world that too often feels like it wants to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Except really, it's for black girls. From "bad" neighborhoods. And just because Maxine, her college-graduate mentor, is black doesn't mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.
Publisher: n/a
|
9781681191058
|
Book
Terror at Bottle Creek
By Key, Watt
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) In this gritty, realistic wilderness adventure, thirteen-year-old Cort is caught in a battle against a Gulf Coast hurricane. Cort's father is a local expert on hunting and swamp lore in lower Alabama who has been teaching his son everything he knows. But when a deadly Category 3 storm makes landfall, Cort must unexpectedly put his all skills-and bravery-to the test. One catastrophe seems to lead to another, leaving Cort and two neighbor girls to face the storm as best they can. Amid miles of storm-thrashed wetlands filled with dangerous, desperate wild animals, it's up to Cort to win-or lose-the fight for their lives.
This title has Common Core connections.
Publisher: n/a
|
9780374374303
|
Book
Wolf Hollow
By Wolk, Lauren
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A 2017 Newbery Honor Book New York Times Bestseller
A young girl's kindness, compassion, and honesty overcome bullying.
* An NPR Best Book of the Year
* A BOOKLIST Best Book of the Year
* An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year
* A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
* A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
* A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year
* An ALA Notable Children's Book
"This exquisite debut confronts injustice and doesn't flinch." - People
"[A] powerful debut . . . beautifully written." - The Wall Street Journal
"Wrenching and true. . . . comparisons to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story - one full of grace and stark, brutal beauty." - The New York Times Book Review
"When reviewers draw a parallel between Mockingbird and Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow, they are being neither hyperbolic, nor lazy. They are merely doing justice to Wolk's beautiful story." - NPR, Best Books of 2016
Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby's strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.
Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl's resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.
"The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle's courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters." - Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax
"An evocative setting, memorable characters, a searing story: Wolf Hollow has stayed with me long after I closed the book. It has the feel of an instant classic." - Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author
Division 1 Winner
Amina's Voice
By Khan, Hena
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) "Amina's anxieties are entirely relatable, but it's her sweet-hearted nature that makes her such a winning protagonist." - Entertainment Weekly
A Pakistani-American Muslim girl struggles to stay true to her family's vibrant culture while simultaneously blending in at school after tragedy strikes her community in this sweet and moving middle grade novel from the award-winning author of It's Ramadan, Curious George and Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns.
Amina has never been comfortable in the spotlight. She is happy just hanging out with her best friend, Soojin. Except now that she's in middle school everything feels different. Soojin is suddenly hanging out with Emily, one of the "cool" girls in the class, and even talking about changing her name to something more "American." Does Amina need to start changing too? Or hiding who she is to fit in? While Amina grapples with these questions, she is devastated when her local mosque is vandalized.
Amina's Voice brings to life the joys and challenges of a young Pakistani American and highlights the many ways in which one girl's voice can help bring a diverse community together to love and support each other.
Division 1 Honor Titles
The Losers Club
By Clements, Andrew
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) The beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Frindle celebrates books and the joy of reading with a new school story to love!
Sixth grader Alec can't put a good book down.
So when Principal Vance lays down the law - pay attention in class, or else - Alec takes action. He can't lose all his reading time, so he starts a club. A club he intends to be the only member of. After all, reading isn't a team sport, and no one would want to join something called the Losers Club, right? But as more and more kids find their way to Alec's club - including his ex-friend turned bully and the girl Alec is maybe starting to like - Alec notices something. Real life might be messier than his favorite books, but it's just as interesting.
With The Losers Club, Andrew Clements brings us a new school story that's a love letter to books and to reading and that reminds us that sometimes the best stories are the ones that happen off the page - our own!
Praise for The Losers Club!
* "Clements's latest is engaging and funny. A laugh-out-loud first purchase for all middle grade collections, and a solid read-aloud choice for classrooms." - School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Clements is out to celebrate reading in all its obsessiveness, and...tosses in shout-outs to a passel of other writers. [The Losers Club] gives fried bookworms everywhere the satisfaction of knowing that friends may desert them (if only temporarily) but books never will. " - The New York Times
Praise for Andrew Clements!
"Clements is a genius." - The New York Times
"We have never read an Andrew Clements book that we haven't loved." - The Washington Post
Framed!
By Ponti, James
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Get to know the only kid on the FBI Director's speed dial and several international criminals' most wanted lists all because of his Theory of All Small Things in this hilarious start to a brand-new middle grade mystery series.
So you're only halfway through your homework and the Director of the FBI keeps texting you for help ... What do you do? Save your grade? Or save the country?
If you're Florian Bates, you figure out a way to do both.
Florian is twelve years old and has just moved to Washington. He's learning his way around using TOAST, which stands for the Theory of All Small Things. It's a technique he invented to solve life's little mysteries such as: where to sit on the on the first day of school, or which Chinese restaurant has the best eggrolls.
But when he teaches it to his new friend Margaret, they uncover a mystery that isn't little. In fact, it's HUGE, and it involves the National Gallery, the FBI, and a notorious crime syndicate known as EEL.
Can Florian decipher the clues and finish his homework in time to help the FBI solve the case?
Division 2 Winner
Refugee
By Gratz, Alan
JOSEF is a Jewish boy living in 1930s Nazi Germany. With the threat of concentration camps looming, he and his family board a ship bound for the other side of the world . . .ISABEL is a Cuban girl in 1994. With riots and unrest plaguing her country, she and her family set out on a raft, hoping to find safety in America . . .MAHMOUD is a Syrian boy in 2015. With his homeland torn apart by violence and destruction, he and his family begin a long trek toward Europe . . .All three kids go on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. All will face unimaginable dangers -- from drownings to bombings to betrayals. But there is always the hope of tomorrow. And although Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud are separated by continents and decades, shocking connections will tie their stories together in the end.This action-packed novel tackles topics both timely and timeless: courage, survival, and the quest for home.
Division 2 Honor Titles
Towers Falling
By Rhodes, Jewell Parker
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) From award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes, a powerful novel set fifteen years after the 9/11 attacks.
When her fifth-grade teacher hints that a series of lessons about home and community will culminate with one big answer about two tall towers once visible outside their classroom window, Dèja can't help but feel confused. She sets off on a journey of discovery, with new friends Ben and Sabeen by her side. But just as she gets closer to answering big questions about who she is, what America means, and how communities can grow (and heal) , she uncovers new questions, too. Like, why does Pop get so angry when she brings up anything about the towers?
Award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes tells a powerful story about young people who weren't alive to witness this defining moment in history, but begin to realize how much it colors their every day.
Cyclone
By Cronin, Doreen
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Nora's whole world plummets faster than the Cyclone roller coaster when her cousin Riley falls into a coma that Nora thinks is her fault in this warm, big-hearted debut middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author, Doreen Cronin.
Riding the Cyclone, the world famous Coney Island rollercoaster, was supposed to be the highlight of Nora's summer. But right after they disembark, Nora's cousin Riley falls to the ground ... and doesn't get up. Nora had begged and dragged Riley onto the ride, and no matter what the doctors say, that she had a heart condition, that it could have happened at any time, Nora knows it was her fault. Then, as Riley comes out of her coma, she's not really Riley at all. The cousin who used to be loud and funny and unafraid now can't talk, let alone go to the bathroom by herself. No, she's only 10% Riley. Nora, guilt eating her up on the inside worse than a Coney Island hotdog, thinks she knows how to help. How to get 100% Riley back. But what Nora doesn't realize is that the guilt will only get worse as that percentage rises.
Nominees
The End of the Wild
By Helget, Nicole
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A modern, beautifully written story set against the backdrop of the controversial issue of fracking that explores the timely themes of poverty, environmental protection, what makes a family, and finding your place in the world.
Lemons
By Savage, Melissa
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) The search for Bigfoot gets juicy in this funny and touching story that's perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo's Flora & Ulysses and Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw!
Lemonade Liberty Witt's mama always told her: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. But Lem can't possibly make lemonade out of her new life in Willow Creek, California - the Bigfoot Capital of the World - where she's forced to live with a grandfather she's never met after her mother passes away.
Then she meets eleven-year-old Tobin Sky, the CEO of Bigfoot Detectives Inc., who is the sole Bigfoot investigator for their small town. After he invites Lem to be his assistant for the summer, they set out on an epic adventure to capture a shot of the elusive beast on film. But along the way, Lem and Tobin end up discovering more than they ever could have imagined. And Lem realizes that maybe she can make lemonade out of her new life after all.
"I love books about feisty girls and nerdy boys. Melissa Savage's astoundingly good debut novel is packed with humor, mystery, friendship, family secrets, and even Bigfoot! I think you'll love it, too." - Karen Cushman, Newbery Medalist for The Midwife's Apprentice
The Parker Inheritance
By Johnson, Varian
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) & DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Four starred reviews!
"Powerful.... Johnson writes about the long shadows of the past with such ambition that any reader with a taste for mystery will appreciate the puzzle Candice and Brandon must solve." -- The New York Times Book Review
When Candice finds a letter in an old attic in Lambert, South Carolina, she isn't sure she should read it. It's addressed to her grandmother, who left the town in shame. But the letter describes a young woman. An injustice that happened decades ago. A mystery enfolding its writer. And the fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle.
So with the help of Brandon, the quiet boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge will lead them deep into Lambert's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Can they find the fortune and fulfill the letter's promise before the answers slip into the past yet again?
Save Me a Seat
By Weeks, Sarah
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) Joe and Ravi might be from very different places, but they're both stuck in the same place: SCHOOL.
Joe's lived in the same town all his life, and was doing just fine until his best friends moved away and left him on his own.
Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in.
Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common -- but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week.
The Secret of Dreadwillow Carse
By Farrey, Brian
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) A princess and a peasant girl must embark on a dangerous quest to outwit a centuries-old warning foretelling the fall of the Monarchy in this thrilling modern fairytale. In the center of the verdant Monarchy lies Dreadwillow Carse, a black and desolate bog that the happy people of the land do their best to ignore. Little is known about it, except for one dire warning: If any monarch enters Dreadwillow Carse, then the Monarchy will fall. Twelve-year-old Princess Jeniah yearns to know what the marsh could possibly conceal that might topple her family's thousand-year reign of peace and prosperity. Meanwhile, in the nearby town of Emberfell, where everyone lives with unending joy, a girl named Aon hides a sorrow she can never reveal. She knows that something in the carse--something that sings a haunting tune only Aon can hear--holds the cure for her sadness.
Wish
By O'connor, Barbara
DIVISION 1 (grades 3-5) A touching story about a girl and her dog, perfect for young animal lovers Eleven-year-old Charlie Reese has been making the same secret wish every day since fourth grade. She even has a list of all the ways there are to make the wish, such as cutting off the pointed end of a slice of pie and wishing on it as she takes the last bite. But when she is sent to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina to live with family she barely knows, it seems unlikely that her wish will ever come true. That is until she meets
Wishbone, a skinny stray dog who captures her heart, and Howard, a neighbor boy who proves surprising in lots of ways. Suddenly Charlie is in serious danger of discovering that what she thought she wanted may not be what she needs at all. From award-winning author Barbara O'Connor comes a middle-grade novel about a girl who, with the help of a true-blue friend, a big-hearted aunt and uncle, and the dog of her dreams, unexpectedly learns the true meaning of family in the least likely of places. This title has Common Core connections.
Greetings from Witness Protection!
By Burt, Jake
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) Nicki Demere is an orphan and a pickpocket. She also happens to be the U.S. Marshals' best bet to keep a family alive. . . . The marshals are looking for the perfect girl to join a mother, father, and son on the run from the nation's most notorious criminals. After all, the bad guys are searching for a family with one kid, not two, and adding a streetwise girl who knows a little something about hiding things may be just what the marshals need. Nicki swears she can keep the Trevor family safe, but to do so she'll have to dodge hitmen, cyberbullies, and the specter of standardized testing, all while maintaining her marshal-mandated B-minus average. As she barely balances the responsibilities of her new identity, Nicki learns that the biggest threats to her family's security might not lurk on the road from New York to North Carolina, but rather in her own past. Jake Burt's debut middle-grade novel Greetings from Witness Protection! is as funny as it is poignant.
Piecing Me Together
By Watson, Rene
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A timely and powerful story about a teen girl striving for success in a world that too often feels like it wants to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Except really, it's for black girls. From "bad" neighborhoods. And just because Maxine, her college-graduate mentor, is black doesn't mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.
Terror at Bottle Creek
By Key, Watt
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) In this gritty, realistic wilderness adventure, thirteen-year-old Cort is caught in a battle against a Gulf Coast hurricane. Cort's father is a local expert on hunting and swamp lore in lower Alabama who has been teaching his son everything he knows. But when a deadly Category 3 storm makes landfall, Cort must unexpectedly put his all skills-and bravery-to the test. One catastrophe seems to lead to another, leaving Cort and two neighbor girls to face the storm as best they can. Amid miles of storm-thrashed wetlands filled with dangerous, desperate wild animals, it's up to Cort to win-or lose-the fight for their lives. This title has Common Core connections.
Wolf Hollow
By Wolk, Lauren
DIVISION 2 (grades 6-8) A 2017 Newbery Honor Book
New York Times Bestseller
A young girl's kindness, compassion, and honesty overcome bullying.
* An NPR Best Book of the Year
* A BOOKLIST Best Book of the Year
* An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year
* A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
* A Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year
* A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
* A Wall Street Journal Best Children's Book of the Year
* An ALA Notable Children's Book
"This exquisite debut confronts injustice and doesn't flinch." - People
"[A] powerful debut . . . beautifully written." - The Wall Street Journal
"Wrenching and true. . . . comparisons to Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird will abound. But Wolk gives us her own story - one full of grace and stark, brutal beauty." - The New York Times Book Review
"When reviewers draw a parallel between Mockingbird and Lauren Wolk's Wolf Hollow, they are being neither hyperbolic, nor lazy. They are merely doing justice to Wolk's beautiful story." - NPR, Best Books of 2016
Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby's strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.
Brilliantly crafted, Wolf Hollow is a haunting tale of America at a crossroads and a time when one girl's resilience, strength, and compassion help to illuminate the darkest corners of our history.
"The honesty of Wolf Hollow will just about shred your heart, but Annabelle's courage and compassion will restore it to you, fuller than before. This book matters." - Sara Pennypacker, New York Times bestselling author of Pax
"An evocative setting, memorable characters, a searing story: Wolf Hollow has stayed with me long after I closed the book. It has the feel of an instant classic." - Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author