With a Name With Like Love by Tess Hilmo (Grades 4-6)
Grade Stone Face Nominee
Grade Stone Face Nominee
One of School Library Journal’s Best Fiction Books of 2011
When
Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel
trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this
town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of
nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie
meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his
father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes
him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can
two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s
longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost
souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone
seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial. ~Goodreads
When
Ollie’s daddy, the Reverend Everlasting Love, pulls their travel
trailer into Binder to lead a three-day revival, Ollie knows that this
town will be like all the others they visit— it is exactly the kind of
nothing Ollie has come to expect. But on their first day in town, Ollie
meets Jimmy Koppel, whose mother is in jail for murdering his
father. Jimmy insists that his mother is innocent, and Ollie believes
him. Still, even if Ollie convinces her daddy to stay in town, how can
two kids free a grown woman who has signed a confession? Ollie’s
longing for a friend and her daddy’s penchant for searching out lost
souls prove to be a formidable force in this tiny town where everyone
seems bent on judging and jailing without a trial. ~Goodreads 
Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier (Grades 4-6)Great Stone Face Nominee
What begins Dickensian turns Tolkien-esque in this quest replete with magic and mystery. Peter
Nimble is an orphan. Blinded by ravens in infancy and made to steal for
the town’s beggar-monger (think Fagin), Peter becomes an expert thief
and pickpocket. His wretched existence changes when he steals a box
containing eggs that are actually three pairs of magical eyes. When
Peter drops the first pair into his eye-sockets, he’s instantly swept
away. Thus begins a perilous adventure wrought from a riddle found in a
bottle. After much travail, Peter learns that the mysterious eyes are
not always dependable. He seeks and eventually finds a vanished kingdom,
where he faces a tyrannical king. The king has brainwashed all the
adults and enslaved all of their children, who are controlled by a horde
of bloodthirsty apes. Solving the riddle
and embracing his destiny are just the beginning of Peter’s problems.
In the end it’s Peter’s true talents, not magic, that prove most
reliable. ~Kirkus Review
Theodore Boonne: The Accused by John Grisham (Grades 5-6)
Theodore Boone is back! And he's ready for his next big case. Theo
Boone might only be thirteen, but he's already uncovered key evidence
in a groundbreaking murder trial and discovered the truth behind his
best friend's abduction. Now with the latest unfolding of events in
Strattenburg, Theo will face his biggest challenge yet.Filled
with the intrigue and page-turning suspense that made John Grisham a #1
international bestseller and the undisputed master of the legal
thriller, Theodore Boone's adventures will keep readers enthralled until
the very last page. ~Amazon
From Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian / Book 8-we now have them all! (Grades 4-6)
Seemingly nothing in this world daunts the young criminal mastermind
Artemis Fowl. In the fairy world, however, there is a small thing that
has gotten under his skin on more than one occasion: Opal Koboi. In The Last Guardian,
the evil pixie is wreaking havoc yet again. This time his arch rival
has reanimated dead fairy warriors who were buried in the grounds of
Fowl Manor. Their spirits have possessed Artemis’s little brothers,
making his siblings even more annoying than usual. The warriors don’t
seem to realize that the battle they were fighting when they died is
long over. Artemis has until sunrise to get the spirits to vacate his
brothers and go back into the earth where they belong. Can he count on a
certain LEPrecon fairy to join him in what could well be his last
stand? New York Times best-selling author and comic
genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very
end of this thrilling finale to the blockbuster series. ~Amazon
Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke (Grades 3-6)
Great Stone Face Nominee
Great Stone Face Nominee
Zita’s life took a cosmic left turn in the blink of an eye.
A headstrong young girl makes a hasty decision and finds herself in a
galaxy far, far away in this graphic-novel shining star. Confident Zita
finds a strange device in a meteor crater while playing with her more
timorous best friend, Joseph. Impetuously, she accidentally activates
the device, and before they can say “lift off,” the duo ends up on an
ill-fated planet, with Joseph about to be sacrificed by an alien
doomsday cult and Zita determined to save him. Hatke’s skill shines: His
characters are richly imagined and portrayed, from the loyal, bumbling
Strong-Strong (resembling a cross between a golem and an Uglydoll) to
the menacing Screeds, an arachnid-like mechanized device that serves an
evil purpose. The giant speechless Mouse, who communicates via ticker
tape, is especially ingenious. Hatke takes a page from epic adventures
like Jeff Smith’s Bone and Kazu Kibuishi’s Amulet and throws in a dash
of intergalactic zest for a winning combination, sure to captivate young
graphic-novel aficionados. Be prepared to blast off; this debut is
truly out of this world. ~Kirkus Review
Bink and Gollie: Two for One by Kate DiCamillo (Grades 2-4)
Cork and Fuzz: Finders Keepers by Dory Chaconas/ Book 5- we now have 6 books in the series! (Grades 2-4)
Cork is a short muskrat who likes to find things. Fuzz is a tall possum
who likes to keep things. Fuzz wants to keep Cork's lost stone when he
finds it. But a chipmunk runs away with it. Who will say "finders
keepers" now? ~Amazon
Ivy and Bean: No News is Good News by Annie Barrows/ Book 8- we now have the whole series! (Grades 2-4)
Ivy and Bean need some money. Ten dollars, to be exact. Never mind what
for. Okay, it's for low-fat Belldeloon cheese in a special just-for-one
serving size. Don't ask why. But how are Ivy and Bean going to make ten
dollars? Hey, maybe they should write a newspaper about Pancake Court
and sell it! Great idea! And easy, too. All they have to do is nose
around the neighborhood. Wow—it's interesting what comes out when snoops
start digging. It's even more interesting when the neighbors read about
it in the newspaper. ~Amazon
Animal Masquerade By Marianne Dubuc (Grades K-3)
For kids who never tire of driving one joke into the ground, this is the perfect book -- and for their adults, there are enough surprises to make that one joke tolerable for repeated readings. There are fifty-three animals headed for a costume party, each one disguised as the next animal in line. Six additional party guests/disguises include Little Red Riding Hood, a three-headed monster, a unicorn, a poppy, and a chocolate cake. Of course, it s funny to see a mouse disguised as a flamingo, a flamingo disguised as a giraffe, and a giraffe disguised as a millipede -- suffice it to say that none of the disguises are going to fool anyone -- but a little of this goes a long way. Just when you think you've had enough, the text breaks the pattern: for example, the bear chases Little Red Riding Hood (disguised as a chocolate cake) before he puts on his own snail costume. The dromedary is roundly criticized for disguising himself as a camel (too easy!), and the hen is simply too stupid to participate. The pencil crayon illustrations show each animal before and after they don their disguises, and they all march from left to right across the page, headed to a party that's shown in a final wordless double-page spread. 'Welcome to the masquerade!'" --The Horn Book Magazine (starred review)
Barnums Bones by Tracey Fern (Grades 1-3)
Barnum Brown's (1873-1963) parents named
him after the circus icon P.T. Barnum, hoping that he would do something
extraordinary--and he did! As a paleontologist for the American Museum
of Natural History, he discovered the first documented skeleton of the
Tyrannosaurus Rex, as well as most of the other dinosaurs on display
there today.An appealing and fun picture book biography, with
zany and stunning illustrations by Boris Kulikov, Barnum's Bones
captures the spirit of this remarkable man. ~Amazon
Cloudette By Tom Litchenheld (Grades K-3)Ladybug Picture Book Award Nominee
Reminiscent of the determination
and courage of The Little Engine That Could, this title delivers its
message with charm. A petite cloud believes that she is not big enough
to accomplish what the big clouds can: provide enough rain to water
crops or replenish a flowing waterfall or river. She is inspired by the
accomplishments and "good-natured" acts of her larger kin and wants to
have a positive effect on the Earth. She floats over a dried-up pond
with one little frog hoping for enough rain to revive it. Can Cloudette
move beyond what she believes are her limitations and do great things?
Lively illustrations in ink, pastels, colored pencils, and watercolors
create engaging spreads and characters that tell a story above and
beyond the narrative. For example Cloudette's eyes and mouth grow
tighter and her color changes from white to gray to black as she builds
up enough steam to form that much-needed cloudburst. A few themes emerge
for discussions in this multifaceted book, and there are plenty of
details for children to discover. An excellent choice for a storytime or
classroom. Well done.-Anne Beier, School Library Journal
Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean (Grades K-3)
Pete the Cat is wearing his favorite shirt—the one with the four totally
groovy buttons. But when one falls off, does Pete cry? Goodness, no! He
just keeps on singing his song—after all, what could be groovier than
three groovy buttons? Count down with Pete in this rocking new story
from the creators of the bestselling Pete the Cat books. ~Amazon
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