Transcript 2015-2016 Junior Book Award Nominees

2015-2016
Junior Book Award
Nominees
Gilbert Middle School
Better Off Friends
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says
guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out
after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close,
and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are
platonic and happy that way.
Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so
bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask
Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too
much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time
with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than
friends or are they better off without making it even more
complicated?
From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh,
fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever
really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not
speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?
by Elizabeth Eulberg
Boy on the Wooden Box:
How the Impossible Became Possible . . .On Schindler’s List
by Leon Leyson
Leon Leyson (born Leib Lezjon) was only ten years old when the
Nazis invaded Poland and his family was forced to relocate to the
Krakow ghetto. With incredible luck, perseverance, and grit, Leyson
was able to survive the sadism of the Nazis, including that of the
demonic Amon Goeth, commandant of Plaszow, the concentration
camp outside Krakow. Ultimately, it was the generosity and cunning
of one man, a man named Oskar Schindler, who saved Leon
Leyson’s life, and the lives of his mother, his father, and two of his
four siblings, by adding their names to his list of workers in his
factory—a list that became world renowned: Schindler’s List.
This, the only memoir published by a former Schindler’s List child,
perfectly captures the innocence of a small boy who goes through the
unthinkable. Most notable is the lack of rancor, the lack of venom,
and the abundance of dignity in Mr. Leyson’s telling. The Boy on the
Wooden Boxis a legacy of hope, a memoir unlike anything you’ve
ever read.
Counting by 7s
by Holly Goldberg Sloan
In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and
Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel
about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the
true meaning of family.
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with
nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it
comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to
connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that
hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life... until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her
parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling
world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This
extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl
manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a
fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a
joy and a revelation to read.
Eruption! Volcanoes and the Science
of Saving Lives by Elizabeth Rusch
“At 11:35 p.m., as Radio Armero played cheerful
music, a towering wave of mud and rocks
bulldozed through the village, roaring like a
squadron of fighter jets.” Twenty-three
thousand people died in the 1985 eruption of
Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz. Today, more than
one billion people worldwide live in volcanic
danger zones. In this riveting nonfiction book—
filled with spectacular photographs and
sidebars—Rusch reveals the perilous,
adrenaline-fueled, life-saving work of an
international volcano crisis team (VDAP) and
the sleeping giants they study, from Colombia
to the Philippines, from Chile to Indonesia.
Falcon in the Glass
In Venice in 1487, the secrets of glassblowing are guarded jealously.
Renzo, a twelve-year-old laborer in a glassworks, has just a few
months to prepare for a test of his abilities, and no one to teach him.
If he passes, he will qualify as a skilled glassblower. If he fails, he will
be expelled from the glassworks. Becoming a glassblower is his
murdered father’s dying wish for him, and the means of supporting
his mother and sister. But Renzo desperately needs another pair of
hands to help him turn the glass as he practices at night.
One night he is disturbed by a bird—a small falcon—that seems to
belong to a girl hiding in the glassworks. Soon Renzo learns about
her and others like her—the bird people, who can communicate with
birds and are condemned as witches. He tries to get her to help him
and discovers that she comes with baggage: ten hungry birdkenning children who desperately need his aid. Caught between
devotion to his family and his art and protecting a group of outcast
children, Renzo struggles for a solution that will keep everyone safe
in this atmospheric adventure.
by Susan Fletcher
Far Far Away
by Tom McNeal
It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing
about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last
name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the
townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After
his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to
support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is,
Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost
of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers
Grimm.
Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil
whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when
the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in
Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into
motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all
fairy tales have happy endings...
Gated
by Amy Christine Parker
In the Community, life seems perfect. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks,
Pioneer invited Lyla’s family to join his group and escape the evil in the
world. They were happy to be chosen, happy to move away from New York
and start over in such an idyllic gated community. Now seventeen, Lyla
knows that Pioneer is more than just their charismatic leader, he is their
prophet . . . but his visions have grown dark.
Lyla is a loyal member of the Community, but a chance encounter with an
outsider boy has her questioning Pioneer, the Community—everything. And
if there’s one thing not allowed in the Community, it’s doubt. Her family and
friends are certain in their belief. Lyla wishes she could feel the same. As
Pioneer begins to manipulate his flock toward disaster, the question
remains: Will Lyla follow them over the edge?
From the outside looking in, it’s hard to understand why anyone would join
a cult. But Gated tells the story of the Community from the inside looking
out, and from behind the gates things are not quite so simple. Amy Christine
Parker’s beautiful writing creates a chilling, utterly unique YA story. Perfect
for fans of creepy thrillers and contemporary fiction alike.(less)
Great Trouble
by Deborah Hopkinson
Eel has troubles of his own: As an orphan and a “mudlark,” he
spends his days in the filthy River Thames, searching for bits of
things to sell. He’s being hunted by Fisheye Bill Tyler, and a
nastier man never walked the streets of London. And he’s got a
secret that costs him four precious shillings a week to keep safe.
But even for Eel, things aren’t so bad until that fateful August
day in 1854—the day the deadly cholera (“blue death”) comes to
Broad Street.
Everyone believes that cholera is spread through poisonous air.
But one man, Dr. John Snow, has a different theory. As the
epidemic surges, it’s up to Eel and his best friend, Florrie, to
gather evidence to prove Dr. Snow’s theory—before the entire
neighborhood is wiped out.
Haunting of Gabriel Ashe
Gabe and Seth used to play make-believe games in the
woods behind Seth's family farm. It was the perfect creepy
landscape for imagining they were up against beasts and
monsters and villains.
Just as Gabe's decided he's outgrown their childish
games, though, it appears that their most monstrous
creation could be real.
Is there a ghoulish man-eating creature prowling the
woods for victims? Or is Seth just determined to make
Gabe think so -- no matter who gets hurt in the process?
Gabe's not sure which answer would prove more
unsettling, but he's determined to learn the truth.
by Dan Poblocki
Jungle of Bones
by Ben Mikalsen
Lost and alone in the jungle, one boy will have to let go of his
assumptions and anger, or be dragged down with them.
Dylan Barstow has finally crossed the line. After getting caught
on a late-night joyride in a stolen car, Dylan is shipped off to live
with his ex-Marine uncle for the summer. But Uncle Todd has
bigger plans for Dylan than push-ups and early-morning jogs.
Deep in the steamy jungles of Papua New Guinea, there's a WWII
fighter plane named SECOND ACE that's been lost for years, a
plane that Dylan's own grandfather barely escaped from with his
life. In all this time, no one has ever been able to track down
SECOND ACE -- but now Dylan and his uncle are going to try.
Lawless
by Jeffrey Salane
The Lawless School provides the right education for kids on the wrong side of
the law.
M Freeman has been homeschooled her entire life. So M has no idea just how
unusual her education has been - not until she leaves home to attend the
prestigious (and mysterious) Lawless School.
Suddenly, it's very clear to M that her tutors have been preparing her all
along for a life of crime. She excels at escape tactics. She's a whiz at spotting
forgeries. Her years of piano lessons pay off when picking pockets and
cracking safes.
M's newfound talent for criminal mischief soon brings her to the attention of
the Masters, the secretive school's most secretive clique. M's interest in the
Masters is personal - joining this international dishonor society is her best
chance to learn the truth about her father's life . . . and his death. But when
her first real-world heist goes wrong, M is left wondering: Is there truly
honor among thieves?
Jeffrey Salane's first novel is full of twists and turns, reveals and reversals.
Spoiling the ending for your friends would be criminal!
President Has Been Shot! by James L. Swanson
In his new young-adult book on the Kennedy
assassination, James Swanson will transport
readers back to one of the most shocking, sad,
and terrifying events in American history. As he
did in his bestselling Scholastic YA book,
CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER, Swanson will
deploy his signature "you are there" style -- a
riveting, ticking-clock pace, with an
unprecedented eye for dramatic details and
impeccable historical accuracy -- to tell the
story of the JFK assassination as it has never
been told before.
Prisoner B-3087
As a Jewish boy in 1930s Poland, Yanek is at the mercy
of the Nazis who have taken over. Everything he has,
and everyone he loves, have been snatched brutally
from him. And then Yanek himself is taken prisoner -his arm tattooed with the words PRISONER B-3087.
He is forced from one nightmarish concentration camp
to another, as World War II rages all around him. He
encounters evil he could have never imagined, but also
sees surprising glimpses of hope amid the horror. He
just barely escapes death, only to confront it again
seconds later.
Can Yanek make it through the terror without losing his
hope, his will -- and, most of all, his sense of who he
really is inside?
Based on a true story.
by Alan Gratz
QB 1 by Mike Lupica
Jake Cullen is a freshman quarterback playing high school football in the highpressure land of Friday Night Lights (Texas). He is also the brother of Wyatt Cullen,
who quarterbacked his team to the Texas State Championship last season--not to
mention the son of former NFL quarterback and local legend, Troy Cullen. To be a
Cullen in Texas is to be royalty . . . and a quarterback. All of which leaves 14-year-old
Jake in a Texas-sized shadow, a tall order for any boy, especially one who's merely a
freshman.
While his teammates assume the starting job will be handed to Jake on a silver platter,
the truth is that he has to fight for every snap and every ounce of respect. Jake may be
a Cullen and he may play quarterback, but he is not his brother or his father. Being a
good teammate comes naturally to Jake; being a winner and a celebrity does not. He's
just like every other boy--awkward around a pretty girl, in awe of his famous family,
and desperate to simultaneously blend in and cast his own shadow.
Inspired by the real-life Manning family of quarterbacks (father Archie, Super Bowlwinning sons Peyton and Eli) and set amid the football-crazy culture of Texas
immortalized in Friday Night Lights, QB 1 is a coming-of-age story perfect for the fan
of MILLION-DOLLAR THROW, HEAT, and of course FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS.
SYLO
by D.J.MacHale
Does Tucker Pierce have what it takes to be a hero when the U.S.
military quarantines his island?
Fourteen-year-old Tucker Pierce prefers to fly under the radar. He’s
used to navigating around summer tourists in his hometown on idyllic
Pemberwick Island, Maine. He’s content to sit on the sidelines as a
backup player on the high school football team. And though his best
friend Quinn tells him to “go for it,” he’s too chicken to ask Tori
Sleeper on a date. There’s always tomorrow, he figures. Then
Pemberwick Island is invaded by a mysterious branch of the U.S.
military called SYLO. And sitting on the sidelines is no longer an
option for Tucker, because tomorrow may never come.
It’s up to Tucker, Quinn, and Tori to uncover the truth about the
singing aircraft that appears only at night—and the stranger named
Feit who’s pushing a red crystal he calls the Ruby that brings unique
powers to all who take it. Tucker and his friends must rescue not just
Pemberwick Island, but the fate of the world—and all before tomorrow
is too late.
Tesla’s Attic
by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman
Tesla's Attic is the first book in a brilliantly imagined and hilariously written trilogy that combines
science, magic, intrigue, and just plain weirdness, about four kids who are caught up in a dangerous
plan concocted by the eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla.
After their home burns down, fourteen-year-old Nick, his younger brother, and their father move
into a ramshackle Victorian house they've inherited. When Nick opens the door to his attic room,
he's hit in the head by a toaster. That's just the beginning of his weird experiences with the old junk
stored up there. After getting rid of the odd antiques in a garage sale, Nick befriends some local kidsMitch, Caitlin, and Vincent-and they discover that all of the objects have extraordinary properties.
What's more, Nick figures out that the attic is a strange magnetic vortex, which attracts all sorts of
trouble. It's as if the attic itself has an intelligence . . . and a purpose.
Ultimately Nick learns that the genius Nikola Tesla placed the items-his last inventions-in the attic
as part of a larger plan that he mathematically predicted. Nick and his new friends must retrieve
everything that was sold at the garage sale and keep it safe. But the task is fraught with peril-in
addition to the dangers inherent in Tesla's mysterious and powerful creations, a secret society of
physicists, the Accelerati, is determined to stop Nick and alter destiny to achieve its own devious
ends. It's a lot for a guy to handle, especially when he'd much rather fly under the radar as the new
kid in town.
Fans of intrigue, action, humor, and nonstop surprises are guaranteed a read unlike any other in
Tesla's Attic, Book One of the Accelerati Trilogy.
Under the Egg
by Laura Mary Fitzgerald
When Theodora Tenpenny spills a bottle of rubbing alcohol
on her late grandfather’s painting, she discovers what seems
to be an old Renaissance masterpiece underneath. That’s
great news for Theo, who’s struggling to hang onto her
family’s two-hundred-year-old townhouse and support her
unstable mother on her grandfather’s legacy of $463.
There’s just one problem: Theo’s grandfather was a security
guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and she worries
the painting may be stolen.
With the help of some unusual new friends, Theo's search
for answers takes her all around Manhattan, and introduces
her to a side of the city—and her grandfather—that she never
knew. To solve the mystery, she'll have to abandon her hardwon self-reliance and build a community, one serendipitous
friendship at a time.
Winner’s Curse
by Marie Rutkoski
As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and
enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two
choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has
other intentions.
One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for
auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following
her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s
not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.
But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she
paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have
imagined.
Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie
Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and
the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart
Zebra Forest
by Adina Rishe Gewirtz
When eleven-year-old Annie first started lying to her social
worker, she had been taught by an expert: Gran. "If you’re going
to do something, make sure you do it with excellence," Gran
would say. That was when Gran was feeling talkative, and not
brooding for days in her room — like she did after telling Annie
and her little brother, Rew, the one thing they know about their
father: that he was killed in a fight with an angry man who was
sent away. Annie tells stories, too, as she and Rew laze under the
birches and oaks of Zebra Forest — stories about their father the
pirate, or pilot, or secret agent. But then something shocking
happens to unravel all their stories: a rattling at the back door, an
escapee from the prison holding them hostage in their own home,
four lives that will never be the same. Driven by suspense and
psychological intrigue, Zebra Forest deftly portrays an unfolding
standoff of truth against family secrets — and offers an affecting
look at two resourceful, imaginative kids as they react and adapt
to the hand they’ve been dealt.
Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi
The apocalypse begins on the day Rabi, Miguel and Joe are practicing
baseball near their town's local meatpacking plant and nearly get
knocked out by a really big stink. Little do they know the plant's toxic
cattle feed is turning cows into flesh-craving monsters...ZOMBIES!!!
The boys decide to launch a stealth investigation into the plant's
dangerous practices, unknowingly discovering a greedy corporation's
plot to look the other way as tainted meat is sold to thousands all over
the country. With no grownups left they can trust, Rabi and his friends
will have to grab their bats to protect themselves (and a few of their
enemies) if they want to stay alive...and maybe even save the world.
In this inventive, fast-paced novel that strikes a pitch-perfect tone for
reluctant readers, National Book Award finalist and Printz Awardwinning author Paolo Bacigalupi effectively uses humour and highintensity action to take on hard-hitting themes - from food safety to
racism and immigration - and creates a zany, grand-slam adventure that
will get kids thinking about where their food comes from.
Goodreads
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www.goodreads.com