Transcript Document

Pennsylvania Young Readers’
Choice Award
2013-2014
Grade 3 – Grade 6
Pie
by Sarah Weeks
Do you have a favorite pie that just makes
your mouth water whenever you think about
it? Then you will love this story about Alice
and her very special Aunt Polly who is quite
the celebrity in the town of Ipswich,
Pennsylvania. Aunt Polly has a small bakeshop
where she bakes and generously gives away
the most amazing pies. She has even won the
coveted Blueberry Award 13 times for her
tasty treats! When Aunt Polly dies, it sets
off a mad search throughout the town for
those secret pie recipes. Alice inherits
Lardo, Aunt Polly's cat with an attitude.
When it is revealed that Lardo has inherited
the recipes, he suspiciously disappears and
Alice imagines the worst. Will Alice and her
friend Charlie be able to get to the bottom
of this tasty mystery? You may as well join
the search. Who knows? Perhaps you will find
a few new pie recipes to try!
Prairie Evers
by Ellen Airgood
Prairie has been homeschooled by her
dear Grammy, learning her lessons
while taking walks and seeing nature.
She even has learned much from
raising her chickens. Grammy has gone
home to North Carolina and her
parents are too busy running their
farm to teach her. Now Prairie must
go to school, but being the new kid
isn’t that easy. School work is not the
problem, unless it’s because she knows
too much. What she needs to learn is
how to make friends. Finally she meets
Ivy, her one true friend. When Ivy’s
mother suddenly decides to get
married and move away, Ivy feels lost.
But Prairie’s family comes to the
rescue. Read this book to see how the
girls learn lessons on friendship,
loyalty and give-and-take.
Fake Mustache
by Tom Angleberger
Fake mustaches are all the rage
among the seventh grade boys of
Hairsprinkle. The best one is the
Heidelberg Handlebar Number Seven
made with real human hair.. Casper
receives $ 400 for a birthday gift
and decides to buy the mustache and
a first-class man about town business
suit. That very night, banks in
Hairsprinkle begin to be robbed and
the suspect wears a man about town
business suit and a handlebar
mustache each time. Feeling
suspicious, Sven decides he has no
choice but to turn in his best friend
to the FBI. Read to find out what
happens to Casper and Sven.
The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
illustrated by Patricia Castelao
Ivan is a gorilla living in a steel and
glass cage in a roadside zoo. His
friends are an elephant named Stella,
Bob, a stray dog, and Julia, the
daughter of the custodian. After living
at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video
Arcade for 27 years, Ivan has grown
used to having humans watching his
every move. But his world changes when
Stella has a baby named Ruby. Ivan
makes a promise to Stella and wants to
help make Ruby’s world better than the
dirty, trash-filled, ill-kept place where
they live now. Read this touching story
of friendship and human/animal
interaction (which is based on true
events) to see if Ivan and Ruby’s life
can change.
When Jackie and Hank Met
by Cathy Goldberg Fishman
illustrated by Mark Elliott
Have you ever heard of Jackie
Robinson? He was the first AfricanAmerican baseball player to play in the
major leagues. Although this event took
place over 50 years ago, When Jackie
Met Hank, reminds us that black
baseball players weren’t the only ones
that had challenges. Hank Goldberg was
a Jewish player. People called him
names and were prejudiced against him,
too. On May 17, 1947, Jackie and Hank
collided during a baseball game. The
fans in the stadium began to chant,
“Fight, fight, fight.” What do you think
happened? You will have to read the
book to find out!
Zita the Spacegirl
by Ben Hatke
Imagine you and a friend are playing
outside and you discover a mysterious
device with a big red push button. What
would you do? Would you push it? Zita
does and is shocked and horrified when a
portal opens and tentacles reach out and
grab her friend, Joseph. Of course, Zita
follows him into the portal and finds
herself on a foreign planet with an
assortment of aliens, some adorable and
some creepy. Zita is quick to make friends
who help her in her quest to rescue her
friend. The search for Joseph is filled
with rollicking adventure, clever creatures
to tickle your imagination and silly antics
to make you giggle. Zita refuses to give up
on her friend and you will refuse to close
this graphic novel until you have read and
examined every page.
The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
by Christopher Healy
illustrated by Todd Harris
Rejected by their princesses, Sleeping Beauty,
Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, four princes
must set out on quests to impress their ladies with
their bravery and knightly skills. In their travels,
each of them discovers an evil plot that will
destroy their respective kingdoms. The problem is
that the bards who spread the news around all of
the kingdoms through their songs often leave out
important details such as the prince’s names and
heroic deeds. So all four princes (Prince Liam,
Prince Frederick, Prince Duncan, and Prince
Gustav) are called “Prince Charming,” and not one
of them gets credit for their daunting feats
against trolls, bandits, dragons, witches and other
evil beings. The other problem is that the
princesses are all very brave and clever and don’t
“think” they require the lackluster abilities of the
princes to save their kingdoms. Will these four
princes manage to sharpen their wits and hone
their fighting skills enough to save their kingdoms
and become real heroes?
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny–
Detectives Extraordinaire!
Translated from Mrs Bunny
by Polly Horvath
illustrated by Sophie Blackall
12-year-old Madeline is shocked when
she receives a ransom note stating that
her hippie parents have been kidnapped.
Worse still, the note is written in a
secret code she can’t even read. When a
car swishes by with many pairs of
staring red eyes, Madeline thinks she
spotted a fox driving the vehicle.
Luckily, she meets a team of bunnies
wearing fedora hats, who happen to be
detectives. With the help of the bunny
detectives, she chases marmots, states
her case in front of the scary Bunny
Council, and even questions a pack of evil
foxes, as she searches for her parents.
Will Madeline and Mr. and Mrs. Bunny
solve the “Case of the Missing Parents?”
Those Rebels, John & Tom
by Barbara Kerley
illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Thomas Jefferson is tall, shy, a good
student, an impressive dresser, and likes
to solve problems by writing about them.
John Adams is short, a talker, an
outdoorsman, dresses plainly, and likes
to solve problems by arguing about them.
Two men – very different in appearance
and character - but the same when it
comes to how they feel about King
George III(from England) and their
country (the American colonies) In the
summer of 1775, Tom and John meet
with others in Philadelphia to talk about
the problems the colonies are having
with King George and what they should
do. How do two men, so very different,
approach the problems facing the soonto-become United States of America?
Will they agree on anything?
Gifts from the Gods:
Ancient Words and Wisdom From Greek
and Roman Mythology
by Lise Lunge-Larsen
illustrated by Gareth Hinds
Did you know that Hypnos, the god of sleep,
was so powerful he could put anyone to sleep
whenever he desired? In one story from
Gifts From the Gods, Hera wanted Zeus, who
supported the Trojans, put to sleep so she
could help the Greeks battle against the
Trojans in the Trojan War. Hypnos
reluctantly agreed and sprinkled sleep onto
Zeus. While Zeus slept, Hera helped her
Greek heroes drive out the Trojans in battle.
The word hypnotize, putting someone into an
artificial sleep, comes from the myth of
Hypnos. There are many more stories just as
entertaining about your favorite Gods and
Goddesses. You will also discover how the
Greek & Roman Gods inspired words in our
language derived from their gifts.
Life in the Ocean:
The Story of
Oceanographer Sylvia
Earle
by Claire Nivola
If you are dazzled by the sea, you will
love this beautiful biography of Sylvia
Earle, an oceanographer who designed
vehicles for deep sea exploration, set
diving depth records, swam with
whales and even lived underwater for
two weeks! As a child, Sylvia was
enchanted by the natural world. The
illustrations bring that world to life
with detailed pictures filled with
different species of mammals, birds,
insects and fish. It is exciting to see
the ocean through Sylvia’s eyes and to
learn more about ocean life along the
way.
Glory Be
by Augusta Scattergood
For Gloriana Hemphill (Glory for short)
summer means her Fourth of July birthday
at the Hanging Moss Pool. But the summer
she’s turns twelve, the town council closes
the pool to fix a (imaginary) crack in the
bottom. The winds of change have blown
into Hanging Moss, Mississippi that summer
of 1964. There is turmoil in the town when
some folks from up north arrive to help get
the black folks registered to vote, and
integrate the community pool. Glory doesn’t
see what the big fuss is all about, and just
wants the pool to be opened. It doesn’t
take long for her to realize that there are
injustices that need to be addressed.. She
writes a letter to the town paper, but not
everyone wants to hear what Glory has to
say about Independence Day and the
direction things have started to take in her
town. In her own way, she’s growing up, and
taking a stand.
Mirror, Mirror
by Marilyn Singer
illustrated by Josee Massee
The first poem in this book will
challenge your thinking: “Who says
it’s true—down is the only view? If
you believe that, this poem will
challenge you. Up is something new.”
Want to try it? Read the poem in
reverse, a method that author
Marilyn Singer made up. “Something
new is up. You will challenge this
poem if you believe that the only
view is down. It’s true, Says who?”
Each of the poems in this book is
based on a fairy tale, and tells both
sides of the story. After your read
the poems, you will want to try
reverso yourself.
Soldier Athletes
by Glenn Stout
Some athletes do more than just play
the game and earn a paycheck. Some
athletes serve their country, the United
States, in times of war. Whether they
served before their career, after their
career, or in the middle of their sports
career, these four athletes made a
difference by being American Patriots
first, and professional athletes second.
Every one may know Ted Williams was
one of the greatest hitters ever to play
baseball. Did you know he also served in
the Air Force? Rocky Blier played for
the Pittsburgh Steelers, and also served
in Viet Nam. Chicago White Sox’s Carlos
May and Arizona Cardinal’s Pat Tillman
also served their country. Find out more
about these soldier athletes in the
informational text.
Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage
Mo and her best friend Dale live in Tupelo
Landing, North Carolina. It is the start of
summer and these two eleven-year-olds
have no plans bigger than watching Dale’s
brother race stock cars and helping out at
Mo’s family diner. Their summer plans
quickly grow complicated after a member
of their small-town community is found
dead. When Dale is considered a suspect
and Mo’s adopted father disappears, the
kids become increasingly entangled in the
murder investigation. Mo is a great
character with a funny sense of humor.
You will like this book for the unusual
setting, the surprising twists and the
fast-paced adventure, but you will love
this book for Mo: a terrific main
character with an irrepressible spirit
Remember, it is easy to participate. Just
read or listen to at least 3 books from the
list by March 1, 2014. At that time Mrs.
Haltiwanger will distribute ballots. Votes
will be sent to the awards committee by
March 15 and the winning titles and
authors will be announced at the annual
Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference.
Keep reading!!!
Annotations adapted from psla.org
.