South Carolina Childrens Book Award Nominees

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South Carolina Childrens Book Award Nominees

• 2009-2010

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Attack of the Turtle
by Drew Carlson
During the Revolutionary War, 14-year-old Nathan
Wade helps his cousin build and launch an unusual
ship designed to explode bombs underwater.
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The Aurora County All-Stars
by Deborah Wiles
House Jackson, the 12-year-old captain and star
pitcher of the Aurora County All-Stars, can
finally play baseball again after being benched
by a broken elbow. When an old enemy returns to
town and threatens to cancel the teams one and
only game, House comes up with an unusual plan to
save it.
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Brendan Buckleys Universeand Everything In It
by Sundee Tucker Frazier
Brendan Buckley, a biracial 10-year-old, is
stunned to meet his white grandfather for the
first time at a local rock collecting show. When
his parents refuse to answer his questions,
Brendan begins secretly spending time with his
grandfather to find out what had happened to
break up the family so many years before.
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The Castle Corona
by Sharon Creech
Two orphaned peasant children discover a
mysterious pouch, the contents of which lead them
to the majestic Castle Corona, where their lives
may be transformed forever.
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Dragons Egg
by Sarah L. Thomson
When 12-year-old Mella stumbles on a huge
dragons egg near her familys inn, she and her
friend Roger embark on a dangerous journey to
return it to Dragontooth Mountain.
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Eleven
by Patricia Reilly Giff
The day before he turns 11, Sam MacKenzie finds a
locked box containing evidence that he was
kidnapped years earlier. He is terrified of the
number eleven, and a large castle and terrifying
boat ride haunt his dreams. With the help of his
friend Caroline, Sam must solve the mystery of
who he really is.
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Emma-Jean Lazarus FellOut of a Tree
by Lauren Tarshis
Seventh-grader Emma-Jean Lazarus is brilliant,
logical, curious, and strange. After she
successfully carries out an elaborate plan to
help a fellow student, Emma-Jean decides to use
logic to solve the problems of her other
classmates, but things dont work out as she
plans.
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A Friendship for Today
by Patricia McKissack
It is 1954, and 12-year-old Rosemary Patterson
learns that she will be attending an all-white
school in the fall. When her best friend is
diagnosed with polio, Rosemary must face
the challenges of the new school year alone.
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Lawn Boy
by Gary Paulsen
When his grandmother gives him an old lawnmower
for his birthday, the 12-year-old narrator
decides he might as well earn a few bucks mowing
other peoples lawns. Things get crazy as Lawn
Boys business expands beyond his wildest dreams.
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Leepike Ridge
by Nathan D. Wilson
A fierce current carries 11-year-old Tom Hammond
over the rapids to an underground beach beneath
Leepike Ridge. As he tries to stay alive and
find his way home, Tom discovers that the cave
holds the key to his fathers mysterious death, a
dead body, and a very much alive but equally
trapped castaway.
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The Lemonade War
by Jacqueline Davies
Fourth-grader Evan and his sister Jessie have a
contest to see who can sell the most lemonade
before summer vacation ends. They use creativity,
business strategies, hard work, and sneaky tricks
as each tries to come out on top.
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Me and the Pumpkin Queen
by Marlane Kennedy
Eleven-year-old Mildred plans to win first prize
for the biggest pumpkin at the Circle-ville, Ohio
Pumpkin Festival. She wants more than anything to
win for her mother, a big fan of the pumpkin
festival, who died when Mildred was six. But she
finds out that growing a 1,000 pumpkin is hard
work, and she cant do it all alone.
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The Mysterious Benedict Society
by Trenton Lee Stewart
A mysterious eccentric recruits four equally
eccentric and unusually gifted children to become
undercover agents at the Learning Institute for
the Very Enlightened in order to help him try to
stop an evil man from taking over the world.
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The Mysterious Case of the Allbright Academy
by Diane Stanley
Eighth-grader Franny, her sister Zoe, and her
brother J.D. have been asked to attend
prestigious Allbright Academy. After her best
friend from home comments on how much she and her
school friends have changed (and not always in
good ways), Franny and her friends start
investigating and uncover a sinister plot.
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No Talking
by Andrew Clements
When Dave Packer challenges fellow fifth-grader
Lynsey Burgess to a no talking contest, with
the boys competing against the girls, they find
that its much more difficult than they
anticipated. 
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On the Wings of Heroes
by Richard Peck
During World War II, while Davy Bowmans older
brother is off training to fly B-17s, life goes
on in his small midwestern town. Davy gets into
some scrapes, encounters quirky townspeople, has
a run-in with his shotgun-toting substitute
teacher, and tries to help the war effort.
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Paint the Wind
by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Maya is angry when her grandmother dies and she
must go to live in Wyoming with her aunt, uncle,
and pain-in-the-neck cousin. When she sees
Artemisia, the horse her mother used to ride,
its love at first sight. If only Maya could get
close to Artemisia, then maybe Mayas
painful feelings will go away.
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Rickshaw Girl
by Mitali Perkins
Ten-year-old Naima wants to help her father earn
money for the family, but in Bangladesh, a girl
is supposed to help her mother at home. With
creativity and determination, Naima finds an
unusual way to get her wish.
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Swindle
by Gordon Korman
On a sleepover with his friends in an abandoned
house, sixth-grader Griffin Bing finds a rare and
valuable Babe Ruth baseball card. When a crooked
collector tricks him out of the million-dollar
card, Griffin and his friends use their unique
talents to try to steal the card back.
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Two-Minute Drill
by Mike Lupica
Brainiac sixth-grader Scott wants more than
anything to make the football team. Too bad hes
the clumsiest player on the field. When Chris,
the star quarterback, encourages him to try out
for the team, Scott doesnt know about the secret
Chris is keeping, or what Scotts own secret
might mean for him and the team.