Choose to Read Read to Choose

1. Choose to ReadRead to Choose Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award

2. Read & Vote • Twenty titles are nominated each year. • Students in grades 4 – 8 in participating Illinois schools may vote. • To be eligible to vote the students must have read or heard a minimum of 3 books. • Voting will take place mid February. • The winner is announced in March.

3. 2012 Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Nominees

4. All the Broken Pieces: A Novel in Verse Burg, Ann • Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and, now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.

5. Every Soul a StarMass, Wendy • Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find.

6. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Kelly, Jacqueline • In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Tate is taught how to be a lady by her mother, learns about love from three of her older brothers, and makes an important discovery while studying the natural world with her grandfather

7. Extra CreditClements, Andrew • As letters flow back and forth – between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan – sixth -grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

8. Flygirl Smith, Sherri L. • During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

9. The Girl Who Threw Butterflies Cochrane, Mick • Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, it helps in other aspects of her life, as well.

10. Greetings from Nowhere O’Connor, Barbara • When some unexpected guests arrive at her Sleepy Time Motel in the Great Smoky Mountains, Aggie, a lonely widow, forms powerful friendships with these strangers that forever change her life--and the lives of those around her.

11. Heart of a Shepherd Parry, Rosanne • When his father is shipped off to Iraq with his reserve unit, Brother is left in charge to tend to the family ranch with his grandfather, so in the hopes of his safe return, Brother works in a way that would make his father proud and discovers his calling in the process during their time apart.

12. Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories about Growing Up Scieszka Scieszka, Jon • Babysitting mishaps, lazy summer days by the lake, and silly childhood pranks are remembered in this amusing memoir of the life of an adventurous young boy growing up in a family with six brothers.

13. Leviathan Westerfeld, Scott • In an alternate 1914 Europe, Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from forces who are attempting to take over the globe with machinery, forms an alliance with Deryn, who is learning to fly genetically- engineered beasts.

14. The Magic Thief Prineas, Sarah • A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City.

15. Masterpiece Broach, Elise • After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house, the two new friends work together to help recover a famous drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

16. The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg • Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.

17. One-Handed Catch Auch, MJ. • After losing his hand in an accident in his father's butcher shop in 1946, sixth-grader Norman uses hard work and humor to learn to live with his disability and to succeed at baseball, art, and other activities.

18. Peak Smith, Roland • After being arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.

19. Powerless Cody, Matthew • Soon after moving to Noble's Green, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Daniel learns that his new friends have super powers that they will lose when they turn thirteen, unless he can use his brain power to protect them.

20. The Rock and the River Magoon, Kekla • In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.

21. Where the Mountain Meets the MoonLin, Grace • Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish, and then joins a dragon who cannot fly on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon.

22. Wild Things Carmichael, Clay • Stubborn, self-reliant, eleven-year-old Zoe, recently orphaned, moves to the country to live with her prickly half-uncle and together they learn about trust and the strength of family.

23. Woods Runner Paulsen, Gary • From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community.

24. The award is named in honor of Rebecca Caudill who lived and wrote in Urbana, Illinois, for nearly 50 years. The award is given in recognition for her literary talent and the universal appeal of her books which have touched the hearts of many children and young adults.