Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominees

1. Kentucky Bluegrass Award Nominees Grades 3-5 2010-2011

2. This magnificent treasury of more than one hundred of Jack Prelutsky’s best verses, along with 15 new poems, are from the past forty years. It features a CD with classic performances by the poet himself. (from the cover) Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face and Other Poems: Some of the Best of Jack Prelutskyby: Jack PrelutskyIllustrated by: Brandon Dorman

3. A book of poetry by Jack Prelutsky- some of his best and a few new poems. For over 40 years, Jack Prelutsky has written many poetry books for children. He became the first Children’s Poet Laureate in 2006. In 1993, he published The Dragons are Singing Tonight, a book of poems about dragons. My Dog May Be a Genius was published in 2008. It was a Grades 3-5 KBA Nominee for 2010. Jack Prelutsky has a great website- designed for kids at www.jackprelutsky.com. 1

4. The cats have a language all their own. In the fields by Roxville Station, where the wild cats live, there is a hidden world. Alongside wildlife and humans who barely notice them, the cats of Roxville fight for territory, hunt, and are hunted. A new member of this group, a hungry kitten called Ratchet, has recently found her way to the station where food is left for them. The Cats of Roxville Stationby Jean Craighead George

5. Rachet will make a home there among the other feral cats…if she can survive on her own in the suburban wilds. A boy named Mike spots Rachet and sets his heart on befriending her – maybe owning her. But Mike must learn to “speak” the language of cats to gain wily Rachet’s trust. (from the cover) Realistic fiction- very realistic! A story of survival and friendship. Jean Craighead George explores the society of cats and provides fascinating information about these beloved and mysterious creatures. She based the information in this book on the work of German scientist, who studied cats for 20 years and her own observations of group of feral cats near a train station.

6. Jean Craighead George won the 1960 Newbery Honor for My Side of the Mountain, along with many other awards. It is the story of a boy and a falcon surviving on a mountain together. She won the Newbery Award for Julie of the Wolves in 1973. It is the story of a girl, lost in Alaska, becoming befriended by a wolf pack. She has recently published Pocket Guide to the Outdoors: Based on My Side of the Mountain in 2009. It is a guide to the outdoors and wilderness survival techniques.

7. Jean Craighead George is a highly celebrated and favorite author of books for children and young adults. She’s written well over 100 popular books. She has an amazing web site at www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com. 2

8. Abby Carson is pretty much failing 6th grade, because she doesn’t like doing school work. She will fail, unless she meets some specific conditions and completes an extra-credit project to have a pen-pal in another country. Abby’s first letter arrives in a small school in Afghanistan, and Sadeed Bayat is chosen to be her pen pal…kind of. Extra Creditby Andrew Clements

9. He is the best writer, but he is a boy and it is inappropriate for boys in his village to correspond with girls. So his younger sister dictates and signs the letter. Until Sadeed decides what his sister is telling Abby isn’t what he’d like Abby to know. As letters flow back and forth between Illinois and Afghanistan, Abby and Sadeed discover that their letter are crossing more than an ocean. They are crossing a huge cultural divide and a minefield of different lifestyles and traditions.

10. Their growing friendship is also becoming a growing problem for both communities, and some people are not happy. Suddenly, things are not so simple. (from the cover) Realistic Fiction. Andrew Clements is the author of more than 60 books for children. Including, the enormously popular, Frindle, 1996, about a 5th grader that decides to invent a new word. He renames the pen, frindle and it’s contagious- spreading from his school to his community and beyond! He won the 2006 Grades 3-5 KBA for The Report Card, about a 5th grader that creates a plan to prove grades are not important!

11. Andrew Clements is the author of more than 60 books for children. In 2007, he published No Talking, a Grades 3-5 KBA Nominee for 2009. It is about a boy and a girl and their whole 5th grade class having a contest of “no talking”. Lunch Money was published in 2005, and a Grades 3-5 KBA Nominee for 2008. It is about a boy selling comic books at school to make a fortune! We the Children (2010) is the first in the new series, Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School. In which, Ben and Jill try to save their school from amusement park developers. Find out more at www.andrewclements.net. 3

12. When Frankie’s mom says he never has to clean his room again, he goes hog wild. The more he plays, the bigger the mess grows, until it tumbles out of control! Now Frankie must clean up his act, but will his imagination be enough to conquer the “Closet of Doom”? (from the cover) Frankie Pickle and the Closet of Doomby Eric Wight

13. Eric Wight is an author, illustrator, and animation director. His earlier books have mostly been graphic novels (comic books). The sequel, Frankie Pickle and the Pine Run 3000 has been published in 2010. Book 3, Frankie Pickle and the Mathematical Menace is scheduled to be published later in 2010 (cover art not available). Find out more at http://authors.simonandschuster.com. 4

14. On the afternoon that Miri spots a piece of glass taped to the wall of her attic room, her world changes into something she never dreamed was possible. Undaunted by the barest of clues, the meanest of cousins, and the mystery of time itself, Miri finds that magic is really just a way of setting things right. The Magic Halfby Annie Barrows

15. When Miri looks through the piece of glass, she finds herself face-to-face with Molly, a girl who insists that the room is hers, that the year is 1935, and that Miri has come to save her. Annie Barrows always hoped that she would travel to the past and that she would get an attic bedroom, but she didn’t have luck with either wish, so she decided to write about them instead. (from the cover) Fantasy. She has great website at www.anniebarrows.com. 5

16. She is probably most well-known for the “Ivy and Bean” books. Book 1, Ivy + Bean, 2006, was a Grades 3-5 KBA Nominee in 2008. It is about two friends that never meant to like one another, but when Bean plays a mean trick on her sister and has to hide, Ivy comes to her rescue with her wand, some face paint, and a bucket of worms. They might end up in trouble- but they will have fun! (from the cover) A multi-volume series.

17. Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving. But Nubs’ life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. Nubs: the True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, and a Miracleby Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery

18. The two formed a fast friendship, made stronger by Dennis’s willingness to give Nubs the kind of care and attention he needed. Nubs became a part of Dennis’s human “pack” until duty required the Marines to relocate a full 70 miles away without him. A lonely Nubs had no way of knowing that Marines weren’t allowed to have pets. So began an incredible journey that would take Nubs on a dangerous desert trek to find his friend and would lead Dennis on a mission that would touch the hearts of people all over the world. (from the cover) Non-Fiction (true story).

19. Brian Dennis was assisted in writing Nubs by authors, Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery. He and Nubs now live in San Diego, California. Find out more about Nubs and Brian at www.thestoryofnubs.com. 6

20. In a village in ancient Norway lives a boy named Odd, and he’s had some very bad luck: his father perished in a Viking expedition; a tree fell on and shattered his leg; the endless freezing winter is making villagers dangerously grumpy. Out in the forest Odd encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle – three creatures with a strange story to tell. Odd and the Frost Giantsby Neil Gaiman

21. Now Odd is forced on a stranger journey that he had imagined – a journey to save Asgard, city of the gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it. It’s going to take a very special kind of twelve-year-old boy to outwit the Frost Giants, restore peace to the city of the gods and end the long winter. Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever… Someone just like Odd… (from the cover) Fantasy, inspired by Norse mythology.

22. Neil Gaiman is the author of several books for children, including Coraline(2002), made into a motion picture in 2008. Coraline ventures into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others. In 2007, M is for Magic was published, a collection of 11 short, science fiction and fantasy stories. The Graveyard Book won the 2009 Newbery Medal. It is about Bod, short for Nobody, a orphan that is raised by the inhabitants of the graveyard, to keep him safe from the murderer of his family until he is 18 years old. He has a great web site at www.mousecircus.com 7

23. Ten-year-old Betsy Johnson is still reeling from the deaths of her parents when she and younger brother Tad are uprooted from their eastern Kentucky farm and sent hundreds of miles away to live with the Shakers at Pleasant Hill. Betsy is frightened by stories that this strange group whirls and twirls wildly in their religious services, separates family members, and takes all their possessions. Road to Pleasant Hillby Rebecca Mitchell Turney and Marie Mitchell

24. Betsy’s fears mount when she and Tad are parted the first night in their new home ans she is blackmailed into keeping a roommate’s secret, one that could be deadly for the whole village. How can Betsy fit into such a peculiar place, so far from home, and keep her promise to watch over Tad? (from the cover) Historical fiction. The first in a series, upcoming titles: ‘Tis a Gift and Tree of Life. Rebecca Mitchell Turney and Marie Mitchell are sisters and both live in Kentucky. More information can be found on their web site, www.kygirlsbooks.com. 8

25. “I never go outside with out Mama. I could if I wanted to – I am 10 years old, after all! I just don’t want to, because I’m a teensy, weensy, little bitty bit afraid of bees. Okay, okay, the truth is that I am deathly afraid of bees.” Jamie Jo’s fear of bees has been not much more than an annoyance for the Morgan family – that is, until the summer that their church exploded. Something to Sing Aboutby C. C. Payne

26. While trying to make sense of this event, Jamie Jo deals with overcoming other struggles: she fears befriending a new girl in the neighborhood, worries about taking on the responsibility of a puppy, and she doesn’t why her older brother’s return has caused such tension in the family. And she has to deal with all of this without going outside (where the bees live) alone! (from the cover) Realistic Fiction. C.C. Payne lives in Kentucky, this is her first published novel. Her web site is at www.ccpayne.net. 9

27. When twelve-year-old Ryan reluctantly agrees to join his older brother, Tanner, on a camping trip, he never dreams that it will turn into the most frightening day of his life. Ryan admits he’s no good at sports or outdoor stuff, especially compared to Tanner. He’d much rather be home playing video games. But Tanner assures him it will be an easy trip. Wild Riverby P. J. Petersen

28. They’ll kayak down the Boulder River to a campground, fish all day, and toast marshmallows at night. But for once, Tanner is wrong. He is badly hurt in a kayaking accident, leaving Ryan alone – and afraid that he’s not up to the challenge of saving his brother’s life. The only danger Ryan has confronted has been in his video games. What good are those now, when he’s facing a real-life battle? P. J. Petersen lives in California, he has a website at http://usaswrites4kids.drury.edu. 10

29. References • All summaries have been adapted from the cover of each book, as noted or from www.titlewave.com • All covers have been copied from www.titlewave.com or from a scanned image. • www.harpercollins.com • www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com • www.andrewclements.net • http://authors.simonandschuster.com • www.anniebarrows.com • www.storyofnubs.com • www.mousecircus.com • www.kygirlsbooks.com • www.ccpayne.net • http://usaswrites4kids.drury.edu