Massachusetts Children’s Book Award 2015

1. Massachusetts Children’s Book Award2015A state-wide reading and voting program for students in grades 4-6

2. MCBA What do I need to do? • Read or listen to at least 5 of the books on the nomination list. • Complete and hand in a “Reading Response” sheet for each book. • Vote for my favorite in March 2015.

3. And the nominees are…

4. The Friendship Matchmaker, by Randa Abdel-Fattah Lara Zany is known throughout the school yard as the Friendship Matchmaker-kids call on her expertise and follow her hard-and-fast rules to find best friendships. Lara's documented everything from friendship categories (the BOBF, or Bus Only Best Friend; the TL, or Total Loner; the LBC, or Loner By Choice) to strategies (BJF, or the Bungee Jump Friend; FTFP, or Field Trip Faux Pas). But when new kid in school Emily Wong questions Lara's methods, the two decide to compete by each finding a TL a best friend.

5. Little Dog, Lost, by Marion Dane Bauer Mark is a boy who needs a dog. But he can't get his mom on board with his plan.Buddy is a dog who needs a boy. Buddy has an owner already, but not one who understands the kind of love and care-the "something more"-a dog needs. Mr. LaRue is a neighbor who needs a community. He's alone all the time in his huge old house-and everyone needs more than that. What happen when all three come together?

6. Infestation, by Timothy J. Bradley Twelve-year-old Andy Greenwood and fellow students at the Reclamation School for Boys in the New Mexico desert face an infestation of giant, mutant ants.  The school is overrun by monstrous bugs, and Andy himself comes face to face with mutant ants the size of humans, equipped with pinchers that can cut steel.

7. Tortilla Sun, by Jennifer Cervantes While spending a summer in New Mexico with her grandmother, twelve-year-old Izzy makes new friends, learns to cook, and for the first time hears stories about her father, who died before she was born.

8. Crunch, by Leslie Connor The oldest Mariss brother, fourteen-year-old Dewey, attempts to be the "embodiment of responsibility" as he juggles the management of the family's bicycle repair business while sharing the household and farm duties with his siblings after a sudden energy crisis strands their parents far from home.

9. The Secret Chicken Society, by Judy Cox When Daniel's third-grade class raises baby chicks for a class project and he takes the five chickens home for the summer, he is surprised when one of them turns out to be a rooster.

10. The Great Unexpected, by Sharon Creech A story of Sybil and Nula (now estranged sisters who grew up together in Ireland) and Naomi and Lizzie (both orphans in present-day USA) and unraveling mysteries about family and identity.

11. The Familiars, by A.J. Epstein and A. Jacobson When a scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn passes himself off as a magical animal companion to Jack, a young wizard in training, Aldwyn and his fellow "familiars," a know-it-all blue jay and bumbling tree frog, must save the kingdom after the evil queen of Vastia kidnaps Jack and two other wizards.

12. The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck, by Emily Fairlie Sixth graders Laurie and Bud attempt to solve an eighty-year-old mystery at their historic school before the building is torn down to make way for a MegaMart

13. Brendan Buckley’s Sixth- Grade Experiment, by Sundee T. Frazier Brendan Buckley is headed to sixth-grade and he has lots of big questions. Will he be able to keep his anole, Einstein, alive? Why won't new girl Morgan Belcher leave him alone? And what project will he propose for the national science competition his class is entering? He deals with issues with his African American father, a new girl at school, and his changing friendship with his best friend.

14. The Fenway Foul-Up, by David A. Kelly Thanks to Kate's mom, a sports reporter, cousins Mike Walsh and Kate Hopkins have tickets to the Red Sox game and All Access passes to Fenway Park. But as they're watching batting practice before the game, the lucky bat of Red Sox star slugger Big D is stolen . . . right in front of dozens of people. Without the bat, Big D can't seem to hit a thing. Can Kate and Mike figure out who pinched the bat before Big D and the Sox chalk up a loss?

15. Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine In 1958 Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family divided over school integration, but her friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her find her voice and fight against racism. Liz is bold and brave, and always knows the right thing to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean girl. But to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are willing to take on integration and the dangers their friendship could bring to both their families.

16. Dumpling Days, by Grace Lin Pacy's family is going to Taiwan for an entire month to visit family and prepare for their grandmother's 60th birthday celebration. Pacy's parents have signed her up for a Chinese painting class, and at first she's excited. But everything about the trip is harder than she thought it would be--she looks like everyone else but can't speak the language, she has trouble following the art teacher's instructions, and it's difficult to make friends in her class. At least the dumplings are delicious...

17. Flying the Dragon, by Natalie Dias Lorenzi When Skye's cousin Hiroshi and his family move to Virginia from Japan, the cultural differences lead to misunderstandings and both children are unhappy at the changes in their lives--will flying the dragon kite finally bring them together?

18. White Fur Flying, by Patricia MacLachlan Zoe's family rescues dogs in need. There is always a warm body looking to cuddle or play. There is always a new dog to be saved and loved. Zoe's house is never silent. But the house across the street is always silent these days. A new family has moved in and Phillip, the boy, has stopped speaking. He doesn't even want to try. Zoe knows that saving dogs and saving boys are different jobs, but she learns that some parts are the same. Both take attention and care, understanding and time. And maybe just a bit of white fur flying.

19. Capture the Flag, by Kate Messner Three kids get caught up in an adventure of historic proportions! When the original Star Spangled Banner is stolen, seventh-graders Anne, José, and Henry, all descendants of the Silver Jaguar Society, pursue suspects on airport carts and through baggage handling tunnels while stranded at a Washington, D.C., airport during a snowstorm.

20. Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story, by Vicki Myron Abandoned in a library book drop slot in the dead of winter, this remarkable kitten miraculously endured the coldest night of the year. When librarian Vicki Myron found him in the morning, she washed him, nurtured him back to health, and introduced him to his new home - the library. Helping Ms. Myron through a difficult time, and inspiring the struggling town of Spencer, Iowa, Dewey gained worldwide fame as a symbol of hope, warming the hearts of all with his tail...or rather, his tale. 

21. When Life Gives You O.J., by Erica S. Perl Zelly Fried wants a dog more than anything, so at the urging of her grandfather, during the summer before sixth grade she takes care of a "practice dog" made out of an orange juice jug to show her parents that she is ready for the responsibility, even though she is sometimesnot entirely sure about the idea.

22. The Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan Percy Jackson is back! Demigod Percy Jackson, still with no memory, and his new friends from Camp Jupiter, Hazel and Frank, go on a quest to free Death, but their bigger task is to unite the Greek and Roman camps so that the Prophecy of Seven can be fulfilled.

23. One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, by Joanne Rocklin When a mysterious man arrives one day on Orange Street, the children who live on the block try to find out who he is and why he's there. Little do they know that his story--and the story of a very old orange tree--connects to each of their personal worries in ways they never could have imagined.

24. Sprinkles and Secrets, by Lisa Schroeder Twelve-year-old Sophie is excited to have the opportunity to audition for a television commercial until she learns the company is Beatrice's Brownies, the biggest competitor to her best friend's family's cupcake shop. Includes recipes for chocolate treats.

25. Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building.His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: what is a lie, and what is a game?

26. I Survived: The Shark Attacks of 1916, by Lauren Tarshis In the summer of 1916, ten-year-old Chet Roscow, who had been thrilled by the news of an aggressive great white shark attacking people all along the Atlantic coast, goes swimming with his friends in Springfield, New Jersey, one day, and wonders if he sees a shark in the water.

27. Edison’s Gold, by Geoff Watson Solving a centuries-old family mystery is Tom Edison's only hope to stop his family from moving to Kansas. His famous name­sake and great-great-grandfather, Thomas Edison, had discovered the secret formula for changing metal into gold, and now Tom and his friends are on a whirlwind adventure to find the key to this monumental discovery. But can the three friends uncover Edison's secret formula in time and escape the clutches of an evil billionaire?

28. The Shadows (The Book of Elsewhere, Vol. 1) by Jacqueline West When eleven-year-old Olive and her distracted parents move into an old Victorian mansion, Olive finds herself ensnared in a dark plan involving some mysterious paintings, a trapped and angry nine-year-old boy, and three talking cats.

29. Sources Cover images and text adapted from Follett School Solutions, Inc. www.titlewave.com