GATEWAY READERS AWARD

1
GATEWAY READERS AWARD

• 2004-2005
• List and presentation compiled
• by MASL
• Gateway Readers Award
• Committee

2
Introducing The Nominees 2004-2005

• Allende, Isabel City of the Beasts
• Anderson, Laurie Halse Catalyst
• Auch, Mary Jane Ashes of Roses
• Bechard, Margaret Hanging on to Max
• Cabot, Meg All-American Girl
• Dessen, Sarah This Lullaby A Novel
• Farmer, Nancy The House of the Scorpion
• Giles, Gail Shattering Glass
• Kidd, Sue Monk The Secret Life of Bees
• Klass, David Home of the Braves
• Korman, Gordon Son of the Mob
• Oates, Joyce Carol Big Mouth Ugly Girl
• Plum-Ucci, Carol What Happened to Lani
  Garver?
• Powell, Randy Three Clams and an Oyster
• Sebold, Alice The Lovely Bones A Novel

3
All American Girl By Meg Cabot

• Standing on a sidewalk, minding her own business,
  15 yr. old Samantha finds out that life can take
  an unexpected turn very quickly.
• That is what happens to her when she foils an
  attempt to assassinate the President of the
  United States and becomes a national hero
  overnight.
• And thats not all.

4
Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch

• Life for immigrants in America in the early
  1900s was wrought with pain and difficulty. For
  16 yr. old Rose Nolan, factory work was her only
  option in this new land. Working in the Triangle
  Shirtwaist Factory in New York City was an
  opportunity for several young girls until tragedy
  struck. FIRE!
• Young Rose Freedman, a real-life survivor and the
  inspiration for this story, crusaded for worker
  safety throughout her life, telling the story of
  the fire again and again to all who would listen.

5
Big Mouth Ugly Girlby Joyce Carol Oates

• The need to have a scapegoat causes school
  officials to accuse Matt Donaghy, a computer
  nerd, of plotting to blow up Rocky River High
  School.
• Ugly girl, Ursula
  Riggs, who knows the
• crucial facts,
  watches amazed as rumors
  fly and people come to snap
  conclusions. She knows it is up to her
• to clear Matts
  name, even if it means
• she has to get
  involved.

6
Catalystby Laurie Anderson

• Kate - daughter of a minister, honor-roll
  student, science whiz, substitute mom to a little
  brother, wonder woman in training - cant wait to
  graduate from high school and head to MIT. The
  only trouble - she has to be accepted first.
• Who could have known that life has something else
  in mind and that reaching out to help others may
  be a better route?

7
City of the Beastsby Isabel Allende

• Its not every day that a 15 yr. old boy gets to
  spend his summer vacation navigating the Amazon
  River in search of the legendary Yeti of the
  Amazon. Of course, not everyone has a grandmother
  who is a magazine reporter for International
  Geographic Magazine either.
• Alexander Cold must draw on all of his inner
  resources to survive this thrilling and
  unforgettable journey to the ultimate discovery

8
Hanging On To Maxby Margaret Bechard

• A baby changes everything! - especially for high
  school senior, Sam Pettigrew who is looking
  forward to college. When his girlfriend becomes
  pregnant and then decides she is not cut out for
  this mom thing, Sam finds out that she is
  planning to put their son, Max up for adoption.
  
• Sam cannot accept it. Thats how he ends up
  raising Max by himself, juggling school, work and
  fatherhood.
• Can he keep this up? Sam is forced to make a
  tough decision about what is best for Max.

9
Home of the Braves by David Klass

• Joe is the captain of the Lawndale High soccer
  team. He is looking forward to his senior year
  and has finally gotten up the nerve to ask Kris,
  his best friend from childhood, out on a date.
• Then enters Antonio, a.k.a. the Phenom - a
  Brazilian soccer star who steals the show as well
  as his girl. Football players go head-to- head
  with soccer players and violence threatens to
  destroy the school.

10
House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

• The life of a clone has its advantages. However,
  for Matt, there is still a hollowness inside. He
  understands that he is only a photograph of a
  real person - El Patron, lord of a country called
  Opium - and that clones are not human. Still he
  wonders - for what purpose was he made?
• The awful truth comes crashing in when El Patron
  becomes pale and weak. Soon it will be time for
  a brain implant to restore his mental abilities.
  Is that why El Patron has refused to let doctors
  destroy Matts brain?
• Matts only hope is to escape - with a little
  help from his friends.

11
The Lovely Bonesby Alice Sebold

• A brutal murder needs solving, but no one seems
  to be able to do it. Susie Salmon, the victim,
  watches from heaven as she sees her family
  disintegrate. Her father becomes obsessed with
  finding out what happened, her mother withdraws,
  and her brother and sister go through the motions
  of making sense of her disappearance.
• Who would suspect the nice old man living in
  their neighborhood?

12
The Secret Life of Beesby Sue Monk Kidd

• Running away from her harsh father and his
  peach farm to save her stand-in mother, a black
  woman named Rosaleen, Lilly heads for Tiburon,
  South Carolina - a name which she finds on the
  back of her deceased mothers picture. Killed
  when Lilly was four, her mother is a blurred
  memory and Lilly hopes Tiburon will hold the key
  and reveal what happened to her mother.
• In Tiburon, she and Rosaleen are taken in by
  three black beekeeping sisters who help reveal
  the past and give her hope for the future.

13
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

• Simon Glass is a geek whom everyone loves to
  hate. Thats why class hunk, Rob Haynes, decides
  to make him popular. As he said, True power
  would be making the sheep actually like Simon.
• This game of control and manipulation sets off a
  series of events that lead to murder.

14
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman

• Being the son of a powerful mobster is not all it
  is cracked up to be - especially when you meet
  this girl who could be the love of your life, and
  guess what? - Her dad is an FBI agent?
• What are the odds for the success of that
  relationship?

15
Three Clams and an Oysterby Andy Powell

• The chances of getting a team sponsor to pay for
  trips to compete nationally in a four-man flag
  football tournament are pretty slim without a
  reliable fourth player. The Three Clams,
  Dwight Deshutis, Rick Beaterson Flint
  McCallister, have had difficulty finding someone
  to replace long-time team mate Glen Como, the
  Oyster, who died. The back-up man, Cade
  Savage, has not proved reliable and the team is
  in jeopardy if they can not come up with a fourth
  player.
• Only two good choices are available - and one is
  a girl!

16
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

• A One-Hit Wonder - Thats how Remy sees her
  father who wrote a song for her on the road
  somewhere in Texas on the day she was born.
• Her mother well, she is working on her fifth
  marriage - She takes on husbands the way other
  people change their hair color.
• Its no wonder that Remy dumps guys before
  anything emotional can happen. That is, until
  Dexter comes along. Maybe opposites really do
  attract.

17
What Happened to Lani Garver?By Carol Plum-Ucci

• What is Lani Garver? The residents of Hackett
  Island arent even sure at first if Lani is a boy
  or a girl? Hes different -thats for certain,
  but Claire isnt sure she believes what other
  people say about him.
• Instead she is drawn to his wisdom and kindness
  which are attributes that most of her friends
  dont seem to have.
• Maybe he really is a floating angel sent to set
  her free to be herself.

18
Now Its Your Turn

• Read at least three (3) of the books on this list
  by March to be eligible to vote for the one you
  think is best.
• Votes will be collected from high schools across
  the state of Missouri and tallied to determine a
  winner.
• The Gateway Readers Award winner will be
  announced in April.
• (See Your Library Media Specialist for Details)