MAINE STUDENT BOOK AWARD
A Joint Project of:
Maine Library Association
Maine Association of School Libraries
Maine Reading Association
** 2009-2010 Reading List of Maine Student Book Award Nominees **
(copyright 2008 titles)
Publisher, genre or Dewey number, suggested grade levels, and number of pages
are indicated after each title.
For more information or to contact the MSBA Committee, please visit our web site:
www.windham.lib.me.us/msba.htm
Author, name of book, publisher, genre or Dewey number, suggested grade
levels, and number of pages are indicated in each entry. For more information
or to contact the MSBA Committee, please visit the MSBA Committee page.
Anderson, Laurie. Chains. Simon & Schuster. Historical fiction. Gr. 6-8. 316p.
In 1776, at the start of the American Revolution, Isabel, a young slave, is
sold to a cruel family in New York City and agrees to spy for the rebels.
Isabel makes a harrowing escape after uncovering the plot to assassinate
George Washington. Includes extensive historical notes.
Avi. The Seer of Shadows. HarperCollins. Historical fiction/fantasy. Gr. 4-6.
202p. Fourteen-year-old Horace has been apprenticed in 1872 to a dishonest New
York “spirit photographer.” Horace unknowingly becomes involved in a
fraudulent scheme to swindle a wealthy client who is grieving for her dead
daughter. In a suspenseful, spine-tingling story, Horace accidentally frees
the dead girl’s ghost and feels honor bound to try and prevent it from seeking
revenge.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. The Boy Who Dared. Scholastic. Historical fiction.
Gr. 6-8. 202p. In 1942, as seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hübener, a German school
boy, awaits his execution in a Nazi jail for distributing anti-Nazi pamphlets,
he recalls the events over seven years that led him to risk his life to tell
the truth about Hitler to the German people.
Bauer, Joan. Peeled. Putnam. Realistic fiction. Gr. 5-8. 248p. When her small
apple-producing farm community is panicked by ghostly warnings and a
mysterious death at a local abandoned farm, Hildy Biddle, a passionate high
school journalist, is determined to uncover the truth. With the help of a
crusty advisor, Hildy investigates, exposes, and finally foils a sneaky plot
to turn “The Happiest Town in the Happy Apple Valley” into a tacky tourist trap.
Beaty, Andrea. Cicada Summer. Amulet. Mystery. Gr. 4-6. 167p. Good read aloud.
In the two years since her older brother’s tragic death, twelve- year-old Lily
has been mute, convincing everyone, including her father, that she is brain
damaged. Lily’s quiet existence is disrupted when a sneaky, shoplifting new
girl, Tinny, realizes Lily can read...and talk, too. The arrival of a
dangerous Chicago criminal in search of Tinny and a large sum of money compels
Lily to find her voice at last.
Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street. Knopf. Realistic fiction.
Gr. 4-7. 308p. Good read aloud. In this pleasing sequel, the four Penderwick
sisters try to foil their father’s attempts at dating. Yet, true love always wins.
Bishop, Nic. Nic Bishop Frogs. Scholastic. Nonfiction (597.8). Gr. 4-5. 48p.
Remarkable color photographs combine with informative text about the behaviors
and different species of frogs. The author’s notes provide a brief description
of the work involved in his nature photography.
Bryant, Jennifer. A River of Words: the Story of William Carlos Williams.
Eerdmans. Biography. Gr. 4-8. 34p. William Carlos Williams became a doctor but
managed to express a love of nature in his enduring poems. This short
biography is simply told by Bryant and gorgeously illustrated by Melissa Sweet.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic. Science fiction. Gr. 7-8.
374p. Imagine a televised competition in which the contestants fight other
players to the death. Add artificially controlled weather conditions, a scary
political machine, a hint of romance, and you have this page-turning novel.
Katniss, sixteen, is entered into her country’s annual Hunger Games and must
use her hunting and tracking skills, her wits, and her knowledge of human
nature to stay alive.
Connor, Leslie. Waiting for Normal. Katherine Tegen. Realistic fiction. Gr.
5-8. 290p. Good read aloud. Moving to a small trailer in a poor section of
Schenectady, New York, Addie, an endearing sixth-grader, shows spunk,
optimism, and resourcefulness when her irresponsible mother neglects her.
Addie misses her beloved stepfather and young half-sisters who have moved
upstate. Although she cultivates caring relationships with her unique
neighbors, she yearns for a normal life.
Cowley, Joy. Chicken Feathers. Philomel. Humorous fiction. Gr. 4-5. 149p. Good
read aloud. The summer that Josh is nine years old, the family’s egg farm is
threatened by a thieving fox. Josh’s feisty pet chicken and best friend,
Semolina, talks only to him and knows who is stealing the eggs. When Semolina
disappears, leaving only bloody feathers behind, everyone rallies around Josh.
Memorable characters and illustrations reminiscent of Robert McCloskey’s make
this a heartwarming story.
Creech, Sharon. Hate that Cat. HarperCollins. Poetic Narrative. Gr. 4-6. 153p.
Good read aloud. In the follow-up to Love that Dog, Jack, now in fifth grade,
expresses through poetry his feelings of loss for his beloved dog and his
dislike of a mean, neighborhood cat. As the school year progresses and he
longs for another animal to love, Jack is able to make room in his heart for a
new pet...a small black and white kitten.
Duble, Kathleen Benner. Quest. McElderry. Historical/adventure fiction. Gr.
6-8. 240p. The ill-fated and dramatic final voyage of explorer Henry Hudson is
skillfully told in alternating chapters by four different narrators: two of
Hudson’s sons (one aboard ship, one at home), a crew member, and a female spy.
Hudson’s obsession with finding the Northwest Passage eventually leads to the
mutiny of the disenchanted, starving crew who send Hudson and his son John off
in a small boat, never to be seen again.
Gardner, Sally. The Smallest Girl Ever; The Boy Who Could Fly. Dial. Fantasy.
Gr. 4-5. 119, 92p. Good read aloud. Gardner has written charming back-to-back
tales of two children who discover they have magical powers and are empowered
by their talents to make important changes in their lives. Read one story,
then flip the book over to read the other.
Gibson, Sarah P. The Truth About Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward.
Marshalll Cavendish. Humorous fiction. Gr. 4-6. 146p. Good read aloud. Sophie
is terrified to ride the three difficult horses - Really (short for Really
Mean), Sweetheart, and Fancy – her mother brings to their Maine island home.
Sophie learns that by being brave, patient, and true to herself, she can
successfully ride and have friends, too. This is not your typical, but instead
a very funny horse story.
Giff, Patricia Reilly. Eleven. Wendy Lamb. Realistic fiction/mystery. Gr. 4-6.
164p. Sam finds an old newspaper clipping in the attic showing a picture of
him as a small child. He does not know what the article says because he cannot
read. With a new friend to help him, Sam tries to solve the mystery of his
identity.
Hale, Shannon & Dean Hale. Rapunzel's Revenge. Bloomsbury. Graphic novel
(741.5). Gr. 4-8. 144p. After discovering that the woman she thought was her
mother uses her magic to destroy the kingdom, Rapunzel joins up with Jack
(think beanstalk) to rid the world of the evil sorceress. Using her braids as
whips and lassoes, Rapunzel eventually triumphs and is reunited with her true
mother. Yee haw!
Herlong, Madaline. The Great Wide Sea. Viking. Adventure fiction. Gr. 5-8.
283p. Fifteen-year-old Ben is angered when, two months after his mother’s
tragic death, his father announces that Ben and his two younger brothers will
be spending a year on a sailboat exploring the Bahamas. When their father
falls overboard and goes missing, the boys attempt to find a safe haven during
a violent storm, stranded with few supplies. Will they survive?
Ibbotson, Eva. The Dragonfly Pool. Dutton. Adventure fiction. Gr. 5-7. 377p.
The invented country of Bergania is the setting for much of this exciting
story of World War II. Tally, age eleven, and her boarding school classmates
travel there to participate in an international folk-dancing festival. Tally
befriends Karil, the lonely crown prince of Bergania, and helps him escape to
England after the Nazi’s assassinate his father.
Korman, Gordon. Swindle. Scholastic. Adventure fiction. Gr. 4-6. 252p. Good
read aloud. There is nothing like righteous indignation to make a sixth- grade
boy’s blood boil. Griffin Bing finds a Babe Ruth baseball card that is worth
millions. When a local collectibles dealer tries to cheat him out his fortune,
Griffin, known to his friends as “the man with the plan,” concocts a detailed
and harrowing scheme to steal back the card.
Law, Ingrid. Savvy. Dial. Fantasy. Gr. 4-8. 342p. Good read aloud. Mibs
Beaumont has been anxiously anticipating her thirteenth birthday, because that
is when her “savvy,” a supernatural ability passed on in her family, will be
revealed. After her father is seriously hurt in a car accident, Mibs will do
anything to get to the hospital, believing her “savvy” could save her father’s
life.
Les Becquets, Diane. Season of Ice. Bloomsbury. Realistic fiction. Gr. 7-8.
281p. Seventeen-year-old Genesis competes in the sport of ice racing using her
1993 Mustang. When her father goes missing, Genesis must quit school and wait
tables in order to help her family make ends meet. Amidst rumors that her
father ran off with another woman, Genesis stops grieving and decides to race
again. Set on Maine’s Moosehead Lake, this is a harrowing novel of loss.
Mason, Adrienne, editor. Robots: From Everyday to Out of This World. Kids Can
Press. Nonfiction (629.8). Gr. 4-6. 32p. With engaging short chapters,
accessible language, and wonderful photographs, this well-organized volume
covers the history of robots, robots at work, and the future of robots.
McBratney, Sam. One Voice, Please: Favorite Read-aloud Stories. Candlewick.
Folklore (398.2). Gr. 4-6. 167p. Good read aloud. Over fifty short stories
from around the world are gathered in this small volume. The parables, fables,
and cautionary tales are each retold by the author in one to three pages.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Princess Ben. Houghton Mifflin. Fantasy. Gr. 6-8.
344p. Princess Benevolence’s life changes in a single day when her mother and
her uncle, the king of Montagne, are killed and her father disappears. The
miserable, spoiled, and overweight princess must move into the castle to be
tutored in the arts of royalty. Over time, the princess secretly practices
magic and matures, using her new powers to save her country from invaders.
Myers, Walter Dean. Game. Harper. Sports fiction. Gr. 7-8. 218p. Drew Lawson
sees basketball as his ticket out of his Harlem neighborhood. Concentrating
hard in order to play his best game ever for the scouts, Drew is hoping for a
college scholarship and, maybe a spot in the pros. His chances are threatened
when his coach puts two white players in the line up. Basketball fans will
love the court action of this insightful look at the aspirations of an earnest
young man.
Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise over Fallujah. Scholastic. Historical fiction. Gr.
7-8. 290p. Robin “Birdy” Perry of Harlem, frustrated by the events of 9 -11
and wanting to do something for his country, joins the army during his senior
year in high school. He is assigned to a Civil Affairs unit in 2003 and is
sent to Iraq in the first deployment of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Robin’s first
person narrative and his letters home to his mother and uncle (Richie from
Fallen Angels) vividly portray the everyday life of a soldier participating in
a war that has no answers. For mature readers.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Mogo, the Third Warthog. Hyperion. Fantasy/adventure
fiction. Gr. 4-6. 193p. Good read aloud. Mogo, the warthog, is the smallest of
three brothers. When his mother has a new litter, Mogo and his brothers are
forced out of the den to make their own way. In a nerve-tingling story of life
on the dangerous African savanna, the three warthogs encounter all sorts of
predators, but Mogo, luckier and smarter than his brothers, makes his way in
the adult warthog world.
Nuzum. K.A. The Leanin' Dog. HarperCollins. Realistic fiction. Gr. 4-6. 250p.
Good read aloud. Since the death of her mother, eleven-year-old Dessa Dean has
been unable to leave the small cabin she shares with her taciturn father. When
an abused dog appears near the cabin, he and Dessa slowly forge a heartwarming
friendship that allows them both to heal.
Padian, Maria A. Brett McCarthy: Work in Progress. Knopf. Realistic fiction.
Gr. 6-8. 276p. Eighth grader Brett McCarthy is a soccer jock addicted to
improving her vocabulary. After a series of events that gets her suspended
from school, Brett, with the support of her brainy friend, Michael, and her
very cool grandmother, finds the courage and pluck to decide what really
matters in her life.
Pearson, Mary. The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Henry Holt. Science fiction. Gr.
7-8. 266p. Awakening from a coma eighteen months after a serious accident,
seventeen-year-old Jenna has been hidden away by her parents in a cottage in
California, far from her home. In a time when biotechnology has advanced but
ethical issues remain, Jenna is frustrated as she searches for the truth about
who and what she is.
Prelutsky, Jack. My Dog May Be a Genius: Poems. Greenwillow. Poetry (811). Gr.
4-5. 159p. Good read aloud. Prelutsky has written a rib-tickling collection of
inventive poems guaranteed to make you chuckle, ably illustrated by James
Stevenson.
Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief. HarperCollins. Fantasy. Gr. 4-8. 419p. Young
Conn, a street urchin, is in a race against time. He must help the wizard,
Nevery, reveal and defeat the evil forces responsible for draining the magic
from their city. Fans of fantasy and adventure stories will thoroughly enjoy
this engaging story.
Riddell, Chris. Ottoline and the Yellow Cat. HarperCollins. Mystery. Gr. 4-5.
171p. Lapdogs are disappearing in the Big City, and Ottoline Brown and her
silent sidekick, the hairy Norwegian, Mr. Munroe, are determined to solve the
mystery. The story is illustrated with captivating pen and ink drawings with
wonderful details.
Schmidt, Gary D. Trouble. Clarion. Realistic fiction. Gr. 7-8. 297p. After his
older brother is killed in a hit-and-run accident, Henry decides to honor his
brother’s dying wish to hike Mt Katahdin. As Henry heads toward Maine with his
best friend and Black Dog, Henry picks up an additional traveler who further
complicates the trip - the Cambodian refugee accused of hitting Henry’s
brother. Trouble has arrived.
Schulman, Janet. Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City. Knopf. Nonfiction
(598.9). Gr. 4-5. 34p. Illustrated with gorgeous watercolor and pencil
illustrations, Pale Male is the true tale of the fight to save a pair of
red-tailed hawks who happened to build their nest on an apartment building on
Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. After a battle saves their nesting site, the area
becomes a popular sight for tourists, New Yorkers, and bird watchers.
Scieszka, Jon. Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing Up
Scieszka. Viking. Biography (92). Gr. 4-8. 106p. Good read aloud. Jon Scieszka
shares laugh-out-loud stories of growing up with his five brothers during the
1950s.
Spradlin, Michael P. Keeper of the Grail. Putnam. Adventure/historical
fiction. Gr. 5-8. 248p. In a story of nonstop action and intrigue set in 1191,
A. D., Tristan, an orphan raised by monks, becomes the page for an important
Crusader who is traveling to the Middle East. When the Crusaders are under
attack, Tristan is charged with smuggling the Holy Grail back to Britain. This
is the first book in the Youngest Templar series and is “To be continued …” in
the second book, promised in fall 2009.
Venkatraman, Padma, Climbing the Stairs. Putnam. Historical fiction. Gr. 7-8.
247p. Living in India amidst its fight for independence (circa 1941), Vidya’s
father is seriously injured during a protest march. With her father unable to
support them, Vidya and her family must move into her grandfather’s
traditional home. Even under these circumstances, Vidya is unwilling to give
up her dreams of an education and possible marriage.
** Maine Student Book Award **
PAST WINNERS LIST
2008-2009 School Year Winner: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Second Place: The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words
and Pictures by Brian Selznick
Third Place: The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
Fourth Place: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
2007-2008 School Year Winner: Rules by Cynthia Lord
Second Place: The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
Third Place: Heat by Mike Lupica
Fourth Place: The Legend of Thunderfoot by Bill Wallace
2006-2007 School Year Winner: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Second Place: Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Third Place: The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
Fourth Place: Sea Legs by Alex Shearer
2005-2006 School Year Winner: The End of the Beginning (Being the Adventures
of a Small Snail and an even Smaller Ant) by Avi
Second Place: Heartbeat by Sharon Creech
Third Place: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Fourth Place Tie: Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet
Shredderman:Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen
2004-2005 School Year Winner: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Second Place: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Third Place: Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Murpurgo
Fourth Place: Leon and the Spitting Image by Allen Kurzweil
2003-2004 School Year Winner: Loser by Jerry Spinelli
Second Place: Double Fudge by Judy Blume
Third Place: The Thief Lord by Coneilia Funke
Fourth Place: Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
2002-2003 School Year Winner: Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Second Place: The School Story by Andrew Clements
Third Place: Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson
2001-2002 School Year Winner: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Second Place: Joey Pigza Loses Control by Jack Gantos
Third Place: Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson
2000-2001 School Year Winner: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.
K. Rowling
Second Place: Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Third Place: The Landry News by Andrew Clements
1999-2000 School Year Winner: Holes by Louis Sachar
Second Place: My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
Third Place: Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos
1998-1999 School Year Winner: Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Second Place: Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
Third Place: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
1997-1998 School Year Winner: Falling Up by Shel Silverstein
1996-1997 School Year Winner: Math Curse by Jon Scieszka
1995-1996 School Year Winner: Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
1994-1995 School Year Winner: The Giver by Lois Lowry
1993-1994 School Year Winner: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid
Tales by Jon Scieszka
1992-1993 School Year Winner: Shiloh by Phyllis Naylor
1991-1992 School Year Winner: Fudge-a-Mania by Judy Blume
1990-1991 School Year Winner: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
American Library Association's
Best Books For Young Adults
** 2009 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults **
In addition to the 86 titles selected for the full list of Best Books for
Young Adults, the 2009 committee has selected the following as the ten best
books for young adults.
Bowman, Robin. It's Complicated: The American Teenager. Umbrage Editions.
2007. 978-1-884167-69-0 $40.00
Conner, Leslie. Waiting for Normal. HarperTeen/HarperCollins. 2008.
978-0-06-089088-9 $16.99
de la Pena, Matt. Mexican WhiteBoy. Delacorte. 2008. 978-0-385-73310-6
$15.00
Dowd, Siobhan. Bog Child. Random House/David Fickling Books. 2008.
978-0-385-75169-8
$16.99
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic. 2008. 978-0-439-02348-1
$17.99
Fletcher, Christine. Ten Cents a Dance. Bloomsbury. 2008.
978-1-59990-164-0 $16.95
Monninger, Joseph. Baby. Front Street/Boyd Mills Press. 2007.
978-1-59078-502-7 $16.95
Pratchett, Terry. Nation. HarperCollins. 2008. 978-0-06-143302-3 $17.89
Tamaki, Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. Skim. House of Anansi Press / Groundwood
Books. 2008. 978-0-88899-753-1 $18.95
Voorhees, Coert. The Brothers Torres. Disney/Hyperion. 2008.
978-1-4231-0304-2 $16.99
