Transcript Document

Massachusetts Children’s
Book Award
2015
A state-wide reading and voting program for
students in grades 4-6
MCBA
What do I need to do?
• Read or listen to at least 5 of the books on
the nomination list.
• Complete and hand in a “Reading
Response” sheet for each book.
• Vote for my favorite in March 2015.
And the nominees are…
The Friendship
Matchmaker, by Randa
Abdel-Fattah
Lara Zany is known throughout the
school yard as the Friendship
Matchmaker-kids call on her
expertise and follow her hard-andfast rules to find best friendships.
Lara's documented everything from
friendship categories (the BOBF, or
Bus Only Best Friend; the TL, or
Total Loner; the LBC, or Loner By
Choice) to strategies (BJF, or the
Bungee Jump Friend; FTFP, or Field
Trip Faux Pas). But when new kid in
school Emily Wong questions Lara's
methods, the two decide to compete
by each finding a TL a best friend.
Little Dog, Lost, by
Marion Dane Bauer
Mark is a boy who needs a dog.
But he can't get his mom on board
with his plan.
Buddy is a dog who needs a boy.
Buddy has an owner already, but
not one who understands the kind
of love and care-the "something
more"-a dog needs.
Mr. LaRue is a neighbor who
needs a community. He's alone all
the time in his huge old house-and
everyone needs more than that.
What happen when all three come
together?
Infestation,
by Timothy J. Bradley
Twelve-year-old Andy Greenwood
and fellow students at the
Reclamation School for Boys in the
New Mexico desert face an
infestation of giant, mutant
ants. The school is overrun by
monstrous bugs, and Andy himself
comes face to face with mutant
ants the size of humans, equipped
with pinchers that can cut steel.
Tortilla Sun,
by Jennifer Cervantes
While spending a summer in
New Mexico with her
grandmother, twelve-year-old
Izzy makes new friends,
learns to cook, and for the
first time hears stories about
her father, who died before
she was born.
Crunch,
by Leslie Connor
The oldest Mariss brother,
fourteen-year-old Dewey,
attempts to be the
"embodiment of responsibility"
as he juggles the management
of the family's bicycle repair
business while sharing the
household and farm duties with
his siblings after a sudden
energy crisis strands their
parents far from home.
The Secret Chicken
Society,
by Judy Cox
When Daniel's third-grade
class raises baby chicks
for a class project and he
takes the five chickens
home for the summer, he
is surprised when one of
them turns out to be a
rooster.
The Great
Unexpected,
by Sharon Creech
A story of Sybil and Nula
(now estranged sisters
who grew up together in
Ireland) and Naomi and
Lizzie (both orphans in
present-day USA) and
unraveling mysteries
about family and identity.
The Familiars,
by A.J. Epstein and A.
Jacobson
When a scrappy alley cat named
Aldwyn passes himself off as a
magical animal companion to
Jack, a young wizard in training,
Aldwyn and his fellow "familiars,"
a know-it-all blue jay and
bumbling tree frog, must save
the kingdom after the evil queen
of Vastia kidnaps Jack and two
other wizards.
The Lost Treasure of
Tuckernuck,
by Emily Fairlie
Sixth graders Laurie
and Bud attempt to
solve an eighty-yearold mystery at their
historic school before
the building is torn
down to make way for
a MegaMart
Brendan Buckley’s SixthGrade Experiment,
by Sundee T. Frazier
Brendan Buckley is headed to
sixth-grade and he has lots of big
questions. Will he be able to keep
his anole, Einstein, alive? Why
won't new girl Morgan Belcher
leave him alone? And what project
will he propose for the national
science competition his class is
entering? He deals with issues
with his African American father, a
new girl at school, and his
changing friendship with his best
friend.
The Fenway Foul-Up,
by David A. Kelly
Thanks to Kate's mom, a sports
reporter, cousins Mike Walsh and
Kate Hopkins have tickets to the
Red Sox game and All Access
passes to Fenway Park. But as
they're watching batting practice
before the game, the lucky bat of
Red Sox star slugger Big D is
stolen . . . right in front of dozens of
people. Without the bat, Big D can't
seem to hit a thing. Can Kate and
Mike figure out who pinched the bat
before Big D and the Sox chalk up
a loss?
Lions of Little Rock,
by Kristin Levine
In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas,
painfully shy twelve-year-old
Marlee sees her city and family
divided over school integration,
but her friendship with Liz, a new
student, helps her find her voice
and fight against racism. Liz is
bold and brave, and always
knows the right thing to say,
especially to Sally, the resident
mean girl. But to stay friends,
Marlee and Liz are willing to take
on integration and the dangers
their friendship could bring to
both their families.
Dumpling Days,
by Grace Lin
Pacy's family is going to Taiwan for
an entire month to visit family and
prepare for their grandmother's 60th
birthday celebration. Pacy's parents
have signed her up for a Chinese
painting class, and at first she's
excited. But everything about the trip
is harder than she thought it would
be--she looks like everyone else but
can't speak the language, she has
trouble following the art teacher's
instructions, and it's difficult to make
friends in her class. At least the
dumplings are delicious...
Flying the Dragon,
by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
When Skye's cousin
Hiroshi and his family
move to Virginia from
Japan, the cultural
differences lead to
misunderstandings and
both children are
unhappy at the changes
in their lives--will flying
the dragon kite finally
bring them together?
White Fur Flying,
by Patricia MacLachlan
Zoe's family rescues dogs in need.
There is always a warm body looking
to cuddle or play. There is always a
new dog to be saved and loved.
Zoe's house is never silent. But the
house across the street is always
silent these days. A new family has
moved in and Phillip, the boy, has
stopped speaking. He doesn't even
want to try. Zoe knows that saving
dogs and saving boys are different
jobs, but she learns that some parts
are the same. Both take attention
and care, understanding and time.
And maybe just a bit of white fur
flying.
Capture the Flag,
by Kate Messner
Three kids get caught up in an
adventure of historic proportions!
When the original Star Spangled
Banner is stolen, seventh-graders
Anne, José, and Henry, all
descendants of the Silver Jaguar
Society, pursue suspects on airport
carts and through baggage
handling tunnels while stranded at
a Washington, D.C., airport during
a snowstorm.
Dewey the Library Cat: A
True Story,
by Vicki Myron
Abandoned in a library book drop
slot in the dead of winter, this
remarkable kitten miraculously
endured the coldest night of the
year. When librarian Vicki Myron
found him in the morning, she
washed him, nurtured him back to
health, and introduced him to his
new home - the library. Helping Ms.
Myron through a difficult time, and
inspiring the struggling town of
Spencer, Iowa, Dewey gained
worldwide fame as a symbol of
hope, warming the hearts of all with
his tail...or rather, his tale.
When Life Gives You O.J.,
by Erica S. Perl
Zelly Fried wants a dog more than
anything, so at the urging of her
grandfather, during the summer
before sixth grade she takes care
of a "practice dog" made out of an
orange juice jug to show her
parents that she is ready for the
responsibility, even though she is
sometimes not entirely sure about
the idea.
The Son of Neptune,
by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson is back!
Demigod Percy Jackson, still
with no memory, and his new
friends from Camp Jupiter,
Hazel and Frank, go on a
quest to free Death, but their
bigger task is to unite the
Greek and Roman camps so
that the Prophecy of Seven
can be fulfilled.
One Day and One
Amazing Morning on
Orange Street,
by Joanne Rocklin
When a mysterious man
arrives one day on Orange
Street, the children who live
on the block try to find out
who he is and why he's
there. Little do they know
that his story--and the story
of a very old orange tree-connects to each of their
personal worries in ways
they never could have
imagined.
Sprinkles and
Secrets,
by Lisa Schroeder
Twelve-year-old Sophie
is excited to have the
opportunity to audition for
a television commercial
until she learns the
company is Beatrice's
Brownies, the biggest
competitor to her best
friend's family's cupcake
shop. Includes recipes
for chocolate treats.
Liar & Spy,
by Rebecca Stead
Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to
moving from a house to an
apartment, his father's efforts to
start a new business, his mother's
extra shifts as a nurse, being
picked on at school, and Safer, a
boy who wants his help spying on
another resident of their building.
His assignment? Tracking the
mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the
apartment upstairs. But as Safer
becomes more demanding,
Georges starts to wonder: what is a
lie, and what is a game?
I Survived: The Shark
Attacks of 1916,
by Lauren Tarshis
In the summer of 1916, tenyear-old Chet Roscow, who
had been thrilled by the news
of an aggressive great white
shark attacking people all
along the Atlantic coast, goes
swimming with his friends in
Springfield, New Jersey, one
day, and wonders if he sees a
shark in the water.
Edison’s Gold,
by Geoff Watson
Solving a centuries-old family
mystery is Tom Edison's only
hope to stop his family from
moving to Kansas. His famous
namesake and great-greatgrandfather, Thomas Edison,
had discovered the secret
formula for changing metal into
gold, and now Tom and his
friends are on a whirlwind
adventure to find the key to this
monumental discovery. But can
the three friends uncover
Edison's secret formula in time
and escape the clutches of an
evil billionaire?
The Shadows (The
Book of Elsewhere, Vol. 1)
by Jacqueline West
When eleven-year-old
Olive and her distracted
parents move into an old
Victorian mansion, Olive
finds herself ensnared in
a dark plan involving
some mysterious
paintings, a trapped and
angry nine-year-old boy,
and three talking cats.
Sources
Cover images and text adapted from
Follett School Solutions, Inc.
www.titlewave.com