20052006 YRCA Selections for 5th and 6th grades

1
2005-2006YRCASelections for 5th and 6th
grades
2
The Black CauldronWritten by Lloyd Alexander
In the imaginary Land of Prydain, where "evil is
never distant," it has become imperative that the
Black Cauldron, the chief implement of the
diabolical Arawn, lord of the Land of Death, must
be destroyed. In this cauldron Arawn has created
his terrible army of deathless warriors from the
stolen bodies of the slain. For each of those
chosen to journey to Arawns domain, the quest
has a special meaning, and to Taran, Assistant
Pig-Keeper, the adventure becomes a glorious
opportunity to wear his first sword and prove
himself a man among men. (2nd book in The Prydain
Chronicles)
3
WindcatcherWritten by Avi
Tony can hardly believe it. He's sailing with the
wind, maneuvering through the narrow channels
between the offshore islands with amazing skill.
And he's just learned to sail! But suddenly Tony
is confused. Which way had he come? Which way is
he headed? And who is the mysterious couple with
the high powered motor boat who are too busy
searching beneath the water to answer his call
for help? Tony does some searching on his own.
What he discovers leads him on a daring hunt for
a 200-year-old shipwreck AND a dangerous
confrontation with treasure hunters who will stop
at nothing to keep Tony from learning their
secret.
4
Macaroni BoyWritten by Katherine Ayers
Mike Costa has lived his whole life in The
Strip, Pittsburghs warehouse and factory
district. His fathers large Italian family runs
a food wholesale business. But its 1933, and
the Depression is bringing tough times to
everyone. Money problems only add to Mikes
worries about his beloved grandfather, who is
getting forgetful and confused. Mike is being
tormented at school by a loud-mouth named Andy
Simms, who calls Mike Macaroni Boy. But when
dead rats start appearing in the streets, that
name changes to Rat Boy. Around the same time
Mike notices that his grandfather is also
physically sick. Can whatever is killing the
rats be hurting Mikes grandfather? Its a
mystery Mike urgently needs to solve.
5
Storm WarriorsWritten by Elisa Carbone
Driven from his home by the Ku Klux Klan and
still reeling from the death of his mother,
Nathan moves with his father and grandfather to
the desolate Pea Island on the Outer Banks of
North Carolina to start a new life. Pea Island
in 1895 is far from quiet.  The other island
residents include the surfmen, the African
American crew of the nearby U.S. Life-Saving
Station. Soon Nathan is lending an extra hand to
these men as they rescue sailors from sinking
ships. Working and learning alongside the
courageous surfmen, Nathan begins to dream of
becoming one himself. But the reality of
post-Civil War racism starts to show itself as he
gradually realizes the futility of his dream.
And then another dream begins to take shape, one
that Nathan refuses to let anyone take from him.
6
The Thief LordWritten by Cornelia Funke
Prosper and Bo are orphans on the run from their
cruel aunt and uncle. The brothers decide to hide
out in Venice, where they meet a mysterious
character who calls himself the "Thief Lord."
Brilliant and charismatic, the Thief Lord leads a
ring of street children who dabble in petty
crimes. Prosper and Bo relish being part of this
colorful new family. But the Thief Lord has
secrets of his own. And soon the boys are thrust
into circumstances that will lead them, and
readers, to a fantastic, spellbinding conclusion.
7
Technically, Its Not My Fault Concrete
PoemsWritten by John Grandits
An eleven-year-old boy named Robert voices
typicaland not so typicalmiddle-grade concerns
in this unique, memorable collection of hilarious
poems. His musings cover the usual stuff, like
pizza, homework, thank-you notes, and his
annoying older sister. In addition, he speculates
about professional wrestling for animals, wonders
why no one makes scratch-and-sniff fart stickers,
designs the ultimate roller coaster (complete
with poisonous spiders), and deconstructs the
origins of a new word, snarpy. The poems
layouts are graphically inventive.
8
Hello, Goodbye, I Love YouWritten by Pamela
Bauer Mueller
One Boy, one Dog, one Dream! Life is not easy
for twelve-year-old Diego Escobár. It was
wonderful raising Aloha from puppy hood to
eighteen months, but now he must return her to
the guide dog school for her formal training.
Diego always knew that Aloha was on loan to him,
but letting her go is proving to be the hardest
challenge of his young life. In this tender,
inspirational tale, based on the true-life story
of Aloha, Diego discovers that the sweet and sad
in life are often interwoven. The unconditional
love and trust between Aloha and Diego will
enable her to become the dog she was bred to be,
and in giving her up, Diego gains unexpected
rewards.
9
Night of the TwistersWritten by Ivy Ruckman
When a tornado watch is issued one Tuesday
evening in June, twelve-year-old Dan Hatch and
his best friend, Arthur, dont think much of it.
After all, tornado warnings are a way of life
during the summer in Grand Island, Nebraska. But
soon enough, the wind begins to howl, and the
lights and telephone stop working. Then the
emergency siren starts to wail. Dan, his baby
brother, and Arthur have only seconds to get to
the basement before the monstrous twister is on
top of them. Little do they know that even if
they do survive the storm, their ordeal will have
only just begun. . .
10
Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters
WeirdWritten by Vivian Vande Velde
Welcome to the fairy-tale world where Hansel and
Gretel are horrible children who deserve to be
baked and where Beauty is dismayed when her
beloved Beast turns human. In the world of the
Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird, when the
sky really does fall, Chicken Little becomes the
leader of her own religious movement, gets her
own TV show, collects millions of dollars to
build a theme park, and then makes off with the
money. These fractured fairy tales are both
humorous and unique, from their creative
beginnings to their surprise endings.
11
Fantastic Feats and FailuresWritten by the
Editors of Yes Magazine
This book spotlights 20 notable highs and lows in
engineering. Astronauts on Apollo 13 averted
disaster with the help of duct tape. The design
of the Sydney Opera House was based on the
segments of an orange. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
swayed so much it was nicknamed "Galloping
Gertie." From genius designs to deadly
design-flaws, the story of engineering is full of
oddities and surprises. Fantastic Feats and
Failures includes bridge and dome-building
projects, and other activities to test your
engineering know-how.