South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees

2010-2011

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry Bloomsbury, 2009 Lexile 610 RL 3.3 Fantasy Orphaned at age five, Lucinda, now fifteen, stands with courage against the man who took everything from her, aided by a thief, a clever goat, and a mysterious woman called the Witch of Amaranth, while the prince she knew as a child prepares to marry, unaware that he, too, is in danger.

Beneath My Mother’s Feet by Amjed Qamar Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008 Lexile 770, RL 4.3

Realistic fiction When her father is injured, fourteen-year-old Nazia is pulled away from school, her friends, and her preparations for an arranged marriage, to help her mother clean houses in a wealthy part of Karachi, Pakistan, where she finally rebels against the destiny that is planned for her.

Brooklyn Bridge: a novel by Karen Hesse Feiwel and Friends, 2008 Lexile 680, RL 3.7

Historical Fiction Fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom's life takes a dramatic turn when, in 1903 Brooklyn, his parents turn their apartment into a factory for making teddy bears; and Joseph wonders whether he will ever see the glitter of Coney Island.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson Simon and Schuster Books for Young People, 2008 Lexile 780, RL 4.5

Historical Fiction After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson Scholastic Press, 2009 Lexile, 980, RL 6.8

Non-Fiction Recounts the twelve-day pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth, covering the chase through Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, with a discussion of Abraham Lincoln as a father, husband, and friend that examines the impact of his death on those close to him.

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod: Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer Dutton Children’s Press 2008 Lexile 780, RL 4.5

Fantasy While half-vampire Vlad, his best friend Henry, and Henry's cousin Joss make their way through their freshman year at Bathory High, a hired vampire slayer seeks to destroy Vlad.

Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2009 Lexile 680, RL 3.7

Historical Fiction During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Scholastic Press, 2008 Lexile 810, RL 4.8

Fantasy Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against one another in a televised fight to the death.

The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman Hyperion, 2008 Lexile 730, RL 4.0

Realistic Fiction Gecko, Arjay, and Terence, all in trouble with the law, must find a way to keep their halfway house open in order to stay out of juvenile detention.

Lay-Ups and Long Shots by Joseph Bruchac Darby Creek Publishers, 2008 Lexile 760, RL 4.3

Short stories, sports SWISH : a basketball story / Joseph Bruchac -- Fat girls (can't) don't run / Lynea Bowdish -- Bounce-back / David Lubar -- H-O-R-S-E / Terry Trueman -- Amazing dirt girl rides again / C.S. Perryess -- Riding the wave / Dorian Cirrone -- Red shorts, white water / Jamie McEwan -- Big foot / M.E. Anderson -- Song of hope / Peggy Duffy. A collection of nine short stories about sports by various authors, including David Lubar, Joseph Bruchac, and Terry Trueman.

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas Harper Collins, 2008 Lexile 680, RL3.7

Fantasy Conn's life is forever changed when he tries to pick the pocket of the wizard Nevery and instead gets a strong jolt of magic, but, instead of punishing the boy, Nevery takes Conn under his wing, teaches him magic, and enlists his help in finding the person responsible for stealing the city's dwindling magic supply.

Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Petersen Haddix Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2008 Lexile 820, RL 4.8

Fairy Tale Fourteen-year-old Cecilia has always known she is the true princess of Suala, but when she and her best friend, Harper, decide to speed up her ascendancy to the throne, they find danger and many imposters who challenge her claim.

Peeled by Joan Bauer G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2008 Lexile 620, RL 3.3

Ghost Story In an upstate New York farming community, high school reporter Hildy Biddle investigates a series of strange occurrences at a house rumored to be haunted.

Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez Knopf, 2009 Lexile 890, RL 5.6

Realistic Fiction After his family hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest daughter, but when he discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real friendship knows no borders.

Savvy by Ingrid Law Dial Books for Young Readers, 2008 Lexile 1070, RL 7.8

Fantasy Recounts the adventures of Mibs Beaumont, whose thirteenth birthday has revealed her "savvy"--a magical power unique to each member of her family--just as her father is injured in a terrible accident.

Scat by Carl Hiaasen Knopf, 2009 Lexile 810, RL 5.4

Mystery Nick and Marta are both suspicious when their biology teacher, the feared Mrs. Bunny Starch, disappears, and try to uncover the truth despite the police and headmaster's insistence that nothing is wrong.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008 Lexile 770, RL4.3

Mystery When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross country bicycle trek the summer after graduating and only one returns, the FBI wants to know what happened.

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli Joanna Cotler Books, 2008 Lexile 490, RL 2.6

Realistic Fiction Will Tuppence's life has always been ruled by science and common sense but in ninth grade, shaken up by the discovery that protons decay, he begins to see the entire world differently and gains new perspective on his relationships with his little sister and two closest friends.

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde Marshall Cavendish, 2008 Lexile 860, RL 5.2

Fantasy A girl finds herself running through the forest at the edge of a village with no memory of anything, even her own name, and later learns that she might be twelve-year-old Isabelle, believed to be stolen by a witch six years before

The White Gates by Bonnie Ramthun Random House, 2008 Lexile 790, RL 4.5

Realistic Fiction When his mother becomes the doctor in Snow Park, Colorado, twelve-year-old Tor learns of a curse placed on the town's doctors many years before by an eccentric Ute woman, but suspects that a villain is hiding behind that curse.