173 students read at least 3 books from the list and voted for their favorite the week of May 26-
29.
NEARY WINNERS:
1st: Please Write in This Book (by Mary Amato--our 2009 Book Week Guest!)
2nd: Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)
3rd: Room One (Andrew Clements)
DISTRICT WINNERS (712 students voting)
1st: Please Write In This Book (Mary Amato)
2nd: Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan)
3rd: Knights of the Lunch Table (Frank Cammuso)
Students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade are eligible to participate in the Northborough/Southborough
Children's Book Award. If you read or listen to 3 books from the list, you may vote for your
favorite
by May 29. The following 20 titles were chosen by the school and public librarians from
Northborough and Southborough with you in mind!
COMETS, STARS, THE MOON AND MARS by Douglas Florian
Read about how Pluto got fired as a planet, the power of black holes and the zoo of constellations
in this book of poetry and paintings.
COUNTING ON GRACE by Elizabeth Winthrop
Twelve-year-old Grace and her friend Arthur, taken out of school and put to work in a Vermont
textile mill in 1910, are championed by their teacher who urges them to write the National Child
Labor Committee, an action only Grace seems to realize will have serious repercussions.
THE END OF THE BEGINNING by Avi
Avon the snail and Edward, a take-charge ant, set off together on a journey to an undetermined
destination in search of unspecified adventures.
HEAT by Mike Lupica
Pitching prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned from
playing
Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only twelve years old and he has no
parents
to offer them proof.
INTO THE WILD by Sarah Beth Durst
Middle school is tough enough, but for Julie, daughter of Rapunzel, its a real challenge. Long
ago,
Rapunzel escaped the fairy tale with her fellow storybook characters to live in secret in our
world.
But now the fairy tale wants its characters back. Julie must fight wicked witches, avoid glass
slippers, and outwit magicians in order to rescue her mom and save Northborough from
becoming a
fairy tale kingdom.
KNIGHTS OF THE LUNCH TABLE by Frank Cammuso
Artie King wants to ease into life at Camelot Middle School, but by second period the first day he
has
enemies - namely the principal, and big Mo and The Horde, the bunch of brawny bullies who rule
the
school. Things get even more interesting when Artie opens a mysterious old locker full of all
kinds
of useful things, and Mo challenges Artie and his pals Percy and Wayne to a do-or-die dodgeball
game.
KUNCKLEHEAD by Jon Scieszka
How did popular childrens author Jon Scieszka get so funny, anyway? Growing up as one of six
brothers was a good start, but that was just the beginning. In this autobiography, Scieszka
shares
stories of Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill,
babysitting
misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinners.
THE LIGHTNING THIEF by Rick Riordan
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-
old
Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to
prevent a war between the gods.
MOXY MAXWELL DOES NOT LOVE STUART LITTLE by Peggy Gifford
Its the last day of summer vacation and Moxy still hasnt read her assigned summer reading. Moxy
is
the queen of procrastination and distraction. Follow her antics as she avoids her assignment right
up
until the very last moment.
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY by Trenton Lee Stewart
Do you like puzzles? How fast can you find your way through a dark house? Are you willing to
risk
danger in order to keep a villain from sending threatening messages? If so, you are invited to
join
the secret mission of Mr. Benedicts mysterious society!
NIC BISHOP SPIDERS by Nic Bishop
Using his trademark close-up photography, the author introduces readers to the strangely
beautiful
world of arachnids.
PENNY FROM HEAVEN by Jennifer L. Holm
Its 1953 and 11-year-old Penny dreams of a summer of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and
baseball. But nothings that easy in Pennys family. Her favorite uncle is living in a car. Her Nonny
cries every time her fathers name is mentioned. And the two sides of her family arent speaking
to
each other! This story is about familiesabout the things that tear them apart and bring them
together.
PIPER REED, NAVY BRAT by Kimberly Willis Holt
Pack up and move! How many times has nine-year-old Piper heard those words? Its a challenge
having a Dad in the Navy and being the middle kid in the familynot to mention leaving behind old
friends and trying to make new ones.
PLEASE WRITE IN THIS BOOK by Mary Amato
Ms. Wurtz places a blank book in the Writers Corner of her classroom and encourages students
to
use it to talk to each other. While the girls entries are generally nice the boys write about poop,
snot, and stinky feet. Can they work out a compromise that will satisfy all the budding authors
and
Ms. Wurtz?
ROOM ONE by Andrew Clements
Ted Hammond, the only sixth grader in his small Nebraska towns one-room schoolhouse,
searches
for clues to the disappearance of a homeless family. He learns that in a very small town, theres
no
such thing as an isolated event. And the solution of one mystery is often the beginning of
another.
ROXIE AND THE HOOLIGANS by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Fourth grader Roxie Warbler thought her biggest problem was being chosen Victim of the Year by
Helvetias Hooligans, until she finds herself stranded with the Hooligans on an island also
inhabited
by two dangerous criminals! Fortunately Roxie has memorized Lord Thistlebottoms Book of
Pitfalls
and How to Avoid Them. Will it be enough to help the five kids escape?
SATCH AND ME by Dan Gutman
Travel back in time with Stosh and his baseball coach to the Negro League World Series of 1942
to
discover whether Satchel Paige really was the fastest pitcher ever.
THUNDER FROM THE SEA by Joan Hiatt Harlow
When orphan Tom is taken in by a loving couple and rescues the dog he names Thunder from the
ocean during a storm, it seems his luck has finally changed. But can he ever shake the
uncertainty
and danger of life in a remote Canadian fishing village in 1929?
TOYS GO OUT by Emily Jenkins
Six stories relate the adventures of three curious toys, Lumphy, StingRay, and Plasticall of whom
belong to the Little Girl, as they ponder the meaning of life, among other things.
THE YEAR OF THE DOG by Grace Lin
Pacy shares her thoughts, drawings and dreams throughout the Chinese New Year that is
supposed
to bring new friends and bring out special talents.
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