2008 Battle of the Books
Booklist
A Good Selection to Read
Team Moon by Catherine Themmesh (AR 7.5)
Summary: Culling NASA transcripts, national archives, and stunning NASA photos from Apollo 11, this book captures not only the sheer magnitude of this feat but also the dedication, ingenuity, and perseverance of the greatest team ever assembled.
Nothing But the Truth by Avi (AR 3.6)
Summary: A ninth-grader's suspension for humming "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story.
Rules by Cynthia Lord (AR 3.9)
Summary: Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence, but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.
The Last Silk Dress (AR 4.1)
Summary: Susan and her best friend, Connie, collect silk dresses from all the ladies of Richmond to make a balloon that will be used to spy on the Yankees.
Here Lies the Librarian by Richard Peck (AR 5.1)
Summary: In 1914, fourteen-year-old Eleanor "Peewee" McGrath, a tomboy and automobile enthusiast, discovers new possibilities for her future after four young librarians arrive in her small Indiana town.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (AR 5.1)
Summary: In this beautiful, symbolic story an old fisherman catches a giant marlin, only to have sharks strip it to the bone.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (AR 5.7)
Summary: Warmth, humor and hard times prevail as a black family struggles to maintain dignity and independence in Depression-era Mississippi.
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (AR 5.0)
Summary: Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.
The Higher Power if Lucky by Susan Patron (AR 5.9)
Summary: Fearing that her legal guardian plans to abandon her to return to France, ten-year-old aspiring scientist Lucky Trimble determines to run away while also continuing to seek the Higher Power that will bring stability to her life.
Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata (AR 4.9)
Summary: This book chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese American sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.
A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voight (AR 4.7)
Summary: This book chronicles the close friendship between two Japanese American sisters growing up in rural Georgia during the late 1950s and early 1960s and the despair when one sister becomes terminally ill.
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks (AR 4.6)
Summary: A young boy discovers that his magic cupboard and key can turn toys into live people and animals.
New Books in the Library
Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins (AR 5.0)
Summary: When twelve-year-old Gregor finally learns the ancient prophecy, which foretells his death, he must gather his courage to defend Regalia from the army of rats, keep his mother and sisters safe, and fight his own dark side. Book #5 in the Underland Chronicles.
The Land of the Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer (AR 5.0)
Summary: After escaping from the Sea of Trolls, the apprentice bard Jack plunges into a new series of dventures, traveling underground to Elfland and uncovering the truth about his little sister, Lucy. The sequel to The Sea of Trolls.
The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo (AR 5.3)
Summary: Smuggled out of Nigeria after their mother's murder, Sade and her younger brother are abandoned in London, when their uncle fails to meet them at the airport.