Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award

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Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award

• Grades 3 - 5

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Casey Back at Bat
It's a new season for the Mudville nine, and a
chance for mighty Casey to redeem himself after
the humiliating strikeout immortalized in Ernest
Thayer's famous poem. Casey is back up to bat
with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, two men
on, and Mudville behind by two runs. This time
around Casey hits the ball so hard that it
travels not merely through space but through
time.
By Dan Gutman
3
Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars
A collection of twenty whimsical poems about
comets, the stars, moon, and the planets. Each
broad double-page spread features a short, poem
about a subject such as the sun, each of its
planets, a comet, a constellation, or the
universe, set within an impressive painting.
ByDouglas Florian
4
Dolley Madison Saves George Washington
Dolley was a farm girl who became a fine first
lady when she married James Madison. When war
arrived at her doorstep Dolley had to meet
challenges greater than she'd ever known. So she
did one thing she thought might make a
difference she saved George Washington. Not the
man himself, but a portrait of him, which would
surely have been destroyed by English soldiers.
ByDon Brown
5
Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat
Emmy's world has turned upside down. Since her
family inherited a fortune, her parents have
become obsessed with status and money, her
teachers and fellow students ignore her, and her
welfare has been left in the hands of her
coldhearted nanny, Miss Barmy. Now, she can hear
the class pet, a rat, talking.
ByLynne Jonell
6
The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary
School

The fourth graders of Aesop Elementary School had
been called "precocious," "high-energy,"
"robust," and "just plain naughty". No teacher
wants to teach this year's fourth-grade class at
Aesop Elementary. Just as Mrs. Struggles, the
principal, is about to give up, Mr. Jupiter
appears with a flawlessly huge resume.
ByCandace Fleming
7
Hairy Hezekiah
Tired of his lonely life at the zoo, Hezekiah--an
ornery, very hairy Bacrian camel--busts out and
heads across country.  His adventure leads him to
an eccentric (and equally hairy) aristocrat, a
new life at a wildlife park, and company in the
form of a female camel. 
ByDick King-Smith
8
Henrys Freedom Box
Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. Nobody
keeps records of slaves' birthdays. All the time
he dreams about freedom, but that dream seems
farther away than ever when he is torn from his
family and put to work in a warehouse. When Henry
grows up and marries, he is again devastated when
his family is sold at the slave market. Then one
day, as he lifts a crate at the warehouse, he
knows exactly what he must do He will mail
himself to the North.
ByEllen Levine
9
How to Steal a Dog
Georgina Hayes is desperate. Ever since her
father left and they were evicted from their
apartment, her family has been living in their
car. With her mama juggling two jobs and trying
to make enough money to find a place to live,
Georgina is stuck looking after her younger
brother, Toby. When Georgina spots a missing-dog
poster with a reward of five hundred dollars, the
solution to all her problems suddenly seems
within reach. All she has to do is borrow the
right dog and its owners are sure to offer a
reward.
ByBarbara OConnor
10
Jim Limber Davis A Black Orphan in the
Confederate White House
The true story of the adopted black child of
Jefferson Davis. Jim Limber Davis was rescued
from an abusive guardian by Varina Davis when he
was only five years old. Jefferson and Varina
Davis welcomed him into their home, the
Confederate White House, as one of the family,
and Jim lived with them until the fall of the
Confederacy.
By Rickey Pittman
11
Lawn Boy
One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then
Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I
set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me
to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One
client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to
teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. As my
lawn business grew and grew so did my profits,
which Arnold invested in many things including
Joey Pow the prizefighter. That's when my 12th
summer got really interesting.
ByGary Paulsen
12
The Lemonade Club
Everyone loves Miss Wichelmans fifth-grade
classespecially best friends Traci and Marilyn.
Thats where they learn that when life hands you
lemons, make lemonade! They are having a great
year until Traci begins to notice some changes in
Marilyn. Shes losing weight, and seems tired all
the time. She has leukemiaand a tough road of
chemotherapy ahead. It is not only Traci and Miss
Wichelman who stand up for her, but in a
surprising and unexpected turn, the whole
fifth-grade class, who figures out a way to say
were with you.
ByPatricia Polacco
13
MarleyA Dog Like No Other
When the Grogan family is ready for a dog, they
choose Marley, a yellow furball of a puppy who
quickly grows into a large, rowdy Labrador
retriever. Marley has a zest for life, and as he
grows, so does his enthusiasm. He has an appetite
for whatever he can get his paws onfrom fine
jewelry to underwearand the one thing he always
finds is trouble. Marley even gets kicked out of
obedience school! Can this rambunctious pup ever
learn how to be a good boy?
ByJohn Grogan
14
Martina the Beautiful Cockroach
Martina, a lovely green Cuban cockroach, follows
her grandmother's advice and applies the coffee
test to all her prospective husbands when a
suitor comes calling, she spills coffee on his
shoes and quickly discovers how he'll behave when
angry. When suitor after suitor fails the coffee
test, she wonders if a little green cockroach can
ever find true love.
By Carmen Agra Deedy
15
Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little
It wasn't as if Moxy Maxwell hadn't tried to do
her summer reading. She and Stuart Little had
been inseparable all summer, like best friends.
If Stuart Little wasn't in her backpack, it was
in her lap . . . or holding up the coffee table .
. . or getting splashed when Moxy went swimming.
But now it's the end of Augustthe day before
fourth grade. And if Moxy doesn't read all of
Stuart Little immediately, there are going to be
"consequences."
ByPeggy Gifford
16
Satchel Paige Dont Look Back
Satchel Paige could throw a baseball like no one
else. But when he began his career in the 1920s,
even the best African American players were kept
out of the major leagues. Paige rose to stardom
in the Negro Baseball Leagues--and he waited for
his chance to play in the "big show." Finally, at
an age when most players retire, Paige proved
that staying in the game pays off.
ByDavid A. Adler