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Showing posts from April, 2018

Pignic

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by Matt Phelan Imagine the perfect day...blue sky, warm sun, a full picnic basket ready to share with family and friends.  What more could a family of pigs want for their perfect pignic?

Lucky Broken Girl

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by Ruth Behar Lexile:  670 Genre:  Historical Fiction Ruth and her family have moved to New York City from Cuba.  Her father works two jobs to support the family while her mother stays at home a lot and misses the old life in Cuba.  Ruth is working hard in school to learn English and is adjusting to life in her new country.  Her father's dream is to make it in America and one of the first steps to his dream life is to own a car.  He shows up one day with an Oldsmobile and takes the family out for a drive.  Unfortunately, that one drive, changes everything.

Blue vs. Yellow

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by Tom Sullivan Blue is the best color.  No, yellow is the best color.  When blue and yellow collide, they become green!  Is green the best color?  Or is it red?  Read this story to find out which color will be declared the best color of all!

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora

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by Pablo Cartaya Lexile:  750 Genre:  Realistic FictionArturo has grown up surrounded by his family at the restaurant that his grandparents started many years ago.  His mom is now the head chef and his abuela is the head hostess. She knows everyone who comes into their restaurant and spends hours greeting and talking with people.  But things are changing...Abuela doesn't have as much energy as she used to and Carmen, his mom's goddaughter has come from Spain to spend the summer, and then a shady land developer comes to town and starts planning to make changes to the area where the family restaurant has always been.  Arturo has a busy summer ahead of him...full of new experiences, both good and bad.

Invisible Emmie

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by Terri Libenson Lexile:  570 Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel Emmie is quiet, shy, and artistic and prefers to be seen as little as possible.  One way she copes with being alone is to draw an imaginary friend who is able to do all sorts of things that Emmie isn't brave enough to try.  But living life through the imaginary Katie, isn't as much fun as it used to be.  Now that Emmie is in middle school, it is time for her to find her own voice and speak up.

Fish in a Tree

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by Lynda Mullaly Hunt Lexile:  550 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Ally has become an expert at fooling people.  Her extreme behaviors have helped her mask the fact from her teachers that she can't read.  She prefers to have people think that she is a troublemaker, rather than "slow" or "dumb."  In reality, Ally is a very bright girl who has creatively managed to fool all of her teachers for the last seven years, until Mr. Daniels takes over for Mrs. Hall midyear.  Mr. Daniels isn't falling for Ally's old tricks.  He actually expects her to stay in class and do all of the reading and writing assignments.  He tells Ally that she can trust him, but will Ally be willing to reveal her biggest secret?

Strictly No Elephants

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by Lisa Mantchev Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo Today is Pet Club Day!  Cats and dogs are all allowed to attend, but what about other types of animals?  The creators of Pet Club Day don't seem to understand that pets come in all different shapes and sizes, just like people do. One little boy is about to learn how it feels to be excluded and the solution he comes up with to solve the problem, helps himself and many others.

Book Scavenger

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by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman Lexile:  810 Genre:  Mystery 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Emily and her family have lived all over the United States.  It is her parents' dream to live in all 50 states.  This has meant that for Emily, life is a series of constant interruptions and changes.  The one thing that has remained the same is her obsession with the online game, Book Scavenger.  Emily is a master at solving puzzles and following clues, but when the creator of the game, Griswold,  is attacked and his life is put in jeopardy, Emily fears that the Book Scavenger will cease to exist.  Emily is convinced that Griswold finished one last adventure.  It will be up to her and her new friend James to prove it!

Fuzzy Mud

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by Louis Sachar Lexile:  700 Genre:  Mystery 2018-19 Maud Hart Lovelace Nominee Tamaya and Marshall walk home their school, Woodridge Academy, nearly every day without a problem.  But the new kid in school, Chad, won't stop bullying Marshall and finally decides to challenge him to a fight.  Tamaya and Marshall decide to walk home through the woods to avoid having to confront Chad, even though they have been warned to stay out.  Tamaya and Marshall think they are avoiding trouble, but they have no idea what trouble they are about to get themselves into.

Hello Goodbye Dog

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by Maria Gianferrari Ilustrated by Patrice Barton Zara thinks that Moose is the best dog ever and she loves to spend time with him every day.  The only problem is that now Zara has to go to school and dogs are not allowed in schools!  But one day, Moose escapes and rushes into school and causes all kinds of problems.  Zara is sad when Moose has to leave.  Is there anyway that Moose can become a member of their school community so that they can both be happy?

Lola Plants a Garden

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by Anna McQuinn Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw Lola wants to plant a garden!  She gets a book from the library to learn all that she needs to know.  First she has to buy the seeds.  Then she has to plant them and make the rows.  Finally, Lola has to wait for the plants to grow.  But how long will that take?  Lola wants to see what her seeds will become right now!

Hotel Bruce

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by Ryan T. Higgins Bruce is back!  When we last checked in with Bruce, he had made peace with the fact that he was going to have his goslings live with him forever.  Instead of hibernating, he and his geese would migrate to Miami every winter.  This made Bruce very grumpy.  So when he returns home, to find out that other woodland creatures have moved into his home in his absence, Bruce gets even more grumpy.  Will Bruce ever get a little peace and quiet?

The Journey of Little Charlie

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by Christopher Paul Curtis Lexile:  960 Genre:  Historical Fiction Charlie Bobo hasn't had an easy life.  His parents are sharecroppers and barely make enough money to make ends meet.  So when his father dies, Charlie knows they are in trouble.  However, he was unprepared for what happens when Cap'n Buck shows up at his door and demands that he travel north with him to recapture some escaped slaves in order to pay off a debt that he says Charlie's Pa owed him.  Charlie has no choice but to go along with Cap'n Buck, even though it is the last thing he wants to do.

After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again

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by Dan Santat 2018-19 Star of the North Nominee Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses And all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty Together again. But what happened next?  Did Humpty Dumpty get back up and get on with his life?  Read this book to find out what happened after Humpty Dumpty fell!

Wish

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by Barbara O'Connor Lexile:  850 Genre:  Realistic Fiction 2019-20 MHL Nominee Charlie Reese wants a family that is not broken.  She wants her dad to get out of jail, her mother to get out of bed, and her sister to pay attention to her.  Instead, Charlie has been shipped off to a new city to live with an aunt and uncle she has never met.  While Charlie keeps wishing for her family to get back together, she meets a new friend Howard, and falls in love with a stray dog named Wishbone and discovers that her new life with her aunt and uncle is pretty good.  Is it possible that her wish for a family has come true in a slightly different way than she expected?