Turtle in Paradise

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm.

In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple.

She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls with love.

To learn more about this book, visit Jennifer L. Holm's website.

The Trouble with Chickens

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin.

J.J. Tully is a former search-and rescue dog who is trying to enjoy his retirement after years of performing daring missions saving lives. So he’s not terribly impressed when two chicks named Dirt and Sugar (who look like popcorn on legs) and their chicken mom show up demanding his help to track down their missing siblings. Driven by the promise of a cheeseburger, J.J. begins to track down clues. Is Vince the Funnel hiding something? Are there dark forces at work—or is J.J. not smelling the evidence that’s right in front of him?

Bestselling author Doreen Cronin uses her deadpan humor to pitch-perfect effect in her first novel for young readers. Heavily illustrated with black-and-white artwork from Kevin Cornell, this new series is destined to become a classic.

To learn more about this book, visit Doreen Cronin's website.

Quarterback Season

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Quarterback Season by Fred Bowen.

Another exciting, fast-paced sports story from Fred Bowen featuring lots of play-by-play action.

Matt Monroe is a shoo-in for starting quarterback for the Parkside Middle School football team this year.

Or is he?

Devro, a new seventh grader, looks pretty impressive. He’s consistent and can run the plays almost as well as Matt. And he’s got speed.

As the fall football season unfolds, the team has more than its share of surprises and unexpected challenges, as well as plenty of victories and upsets on and off the field—all of which Matt records and analyzes in a journal he keeps for his English class. By the last kickoff of the season, Matt has learned that a team is only as good as the sum of its parts and that playing together is the only way to win.

To learn more about the book, visit Fred Bowen's website.

Out of My Mind

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I and II nominee, Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper.

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom—the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged, because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she’s determined to let everyone know it…somehow. In this breakthrough story—reminiscent of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly—from multiple Coretta Scott King Award-winner Sharon Draper, readers will come to know a brilliant mind and a brave spirit who will change forever how they look at anyone with a disability.

To learn more about the book, visit Sharon M. Draper's website.

One Crazy Summer

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I and II nominee, One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.

In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them.

Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. When they arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with her, Cecile is nothing like they imagined. While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.

This moving, funny novel won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Coretta Scott King Award and was a National Book Award Finalist.

To learn more about this book, visit Rita Williams-Garcia's website.

The Night Fairy

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz.

What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive. If that means telling others what to do — like Skuggle, a squirrel ruled by his stomach — so be it. Not every creature, however, is as willing to bend to Flory’s demands. Newbery Medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz and world-renowned illustrator and miniaturist Angela Barrett venture into the realm of the illustrated classic — a classic entirely and exquisitely of their making, and a magnificent adventure.

To learn more about this book, visit The Night Fairy's website.

Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I and II nominee, Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg.

Loveable thirteen-year-old geek Milo Cruikshank finds reasons for frustration at every turn, from the annoying habits of his neighbors to his futile efforts to get Summer Goodman to realize his existence. The truth is, ever since Milo’s mother died, nothing has gone right. Now instead of the kitchen being full of music, his whole house has been filled with Fog. Nothing’s the same. Not his Dad. Not his sister. And definitely not him. Milo achieves a rare and easy balance of poignancy and awkward, natural humor, making it deeply accessible—this is the kind of book that can change lives.

To learn more about this book, visit Alan Silberberg's website.

Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel by K.A. Holt.

Blast off to deep-space adventure and hijinks!

Things are not so stellar for Mike Stellar. He is stunned when his parents inform him that he has only eight hours to pack before they move to Mars. Despite the fact that he suspects his parents are involved in a major sabotage plot; that the only person who believes him is a girl who won’t shut up; and that his mother’s assistant seems to be spying on Mike’s every move, Mike is dealing with the same things that every eleven-year-old deals with: bad cafeteria food, a strict limitation on his electronic use, and a teacher who is so old-fashioned she must be from the year 2099.

With great humor and lots of action, K. A. Holt’s first novel is set to give summer reading an out-of-this-world blast of fun.

To learn more about this book, visit K.A. Holt's website.

The Klipfish Code

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, The Klipfish Code by Mary Casanova.

The year is 1942, and Norway is under Nazi occupation. Twelve-year-old Marit has decided to take action, despite her grandfather’s warnings. But will her plan work? Can she really complete her part of this secret code? And even if she can, would it make any difference to the Resistance?

As this novel reveals what Norwegian people did to preserve their dignity and freedoms, it uncovers a startling statistic: the German secret police systematically rounded up one teacher in ten and sent them to concentration camps for their refusal to teach Nazi propaganda to Norwegian schoolchildren. Set on an island of sturdy fishing trawlers and brightly painted homes, with smells of kelp and salt water, here is a riveting novel about risks taken, secrets kept, and, always, questions about whom to trust.

To learn more about this book, visit Mary Casanova's website.

Close to Famous

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I and II nominee, Close to Famous by Joan Bauer.

A novel full of heart, humor, and charm from Newbery Honor winner Joan Bauer! 

When twelve-year-old Foster and her mother land in the tiny town of Culpepper, they don't know what to expect. But folks quickly warm to the woman with the great voice and the girl who can bake like nobody's business. Soon Foster - who dreams of having her own cooking show one day - lands herself a gig baking for the local coffee shop, and gets herself some much-needed help in overcoming her biggest challenge - learning to read . . . just as Foster and Mama start to feel at ease, their past catches up to them. Thanks to the folks in Culpepper, though Foster and her mama find the strength to put their troubles behind them for good.

To learn more about the book, visit Joan Bauer's website.

Cinderella Smith

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Cinderella Smith by Stephanie Barden.

Cinderella Smith has a problem with a capital P. She loses shoes almost as quickly as she puts them on her feet. But now she’s lost the most important shoe of all: her shiny, ruby red tap shoe. Without it she won’t have a chance of being chosen Pumpkin Blossom Fairy for the fall dance recital—and that means no special tutu, no crown, and no solo!

The school year is starting out with big problems too. Her new teacher laughs at her name, she’s sitting at the smart-boys table, and her old best friend is ignoring her. Now the new girl, Erin, has asked for her advice on wicked stepsisters. And Cinderella doesn’t have stepsisters—wicked or otherwise!

The recital is just around the corner and the stepsisters are on their way. Can Cinderella and Erin solve the capital P problems in time?

To learn more about the book, visit Stephanie Barden's website.

Because of Mr. Terupt

We've been reading the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees! Post a comment to share your thoughts on the Division I nominee, Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea.

Features seven narrators, each with a unique story, and each with a different perspective on what makes their teacher so special.

It’s the start of fifth grade for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s... Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school.

Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much... until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.

"The characters are authentic and the short chapters are skillfully arranged to keep readers moving headlong toward the satisfying conclusion."--School Library Journal, Starred

To learn more about the book, visit Rob Buyea's website.

Our Past Reads

In our Kids Book Club every year, we read and vote on the Maud Hart Lovelace Award nominees.  Kids need to read at least three of the nominees in order to vote for their favorite in March.  Winners are announced on Maud's birthday, April 25.

We've also read some other titles together:

2013:

~ From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

~ James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

~ The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

~ Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney

2012:

~ Books by Andrew Clements

~ Books by Beverly Cleary

~ The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

~ The Borrowers by Mary Norton

~ Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

~ Matilda by Roald Dahl

~ Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) by Lisa Yee

2011:

~ Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

~ Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

~ Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard & Florence Atwater