Massachusetts Children

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Massachusetts Childrens Book Award2015 A
state-wide reading and voting program for
students in grades 4-6
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MCBA

• What do I need to do?
• Read or listen to at least 5 of the books on the
  nomination list.
• Complete and hand in a Reading Response sheet
  for each book.
• Vote for my favorite in March 2015.

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And the nominees are
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The Friendship Matchmaker, by Randa
Abdel-Fattah Lara Zany is known throughout the
school yard as the Friendship Matchmaker-kids
call on her expertise and follow her
hard-and-fast rules to find best friendships.
Lara's documented everything from friendship
categories (the BOBF, or Bus Only Best Friend
the TL, or Total Loner the LBC, or Loner By
Choice) to strategies (BJF, or the Bungee Jump
Friend FTFP, or Field Trip Faux Pas). But when
new kid in school Emily Wong questions Lara's
methods, the two decide to compete by each
finding a TL a best friend.
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Little Dog, Lost, by Marion Dane Bauer Mark is a
boy who needs a dog. But he can't get his mom on
board with his plan.Buddy is a dog who needs a
boy. Buddy has an owner already, but not one who
understands the kind of love and care-the
"something more"-a dog needs. Mr. LaRue is a
neighbor who needs a community. He's alone all
the time in his huge old house-and everyone needs
more than that. What happen when all three come
together?
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Infestation, by Timothy J. Bradley Twelve-year-o
ld Andy Greenwood and fellow students at the
Reclamation School for Boys in the New Mexico
desert face an infestation of giant, mutant ants.
 The school is overrun by monstrous bugs, and
Andy himself comes face to face with mutant ants
the size of humans, equipped with pinchers that
can cut steel.
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Tortilla Sun, by Jennifer Cervantes While
spending a summer in New Mexico with her
grandmother, twelve-year-old Izzy makes new
friends, learns to cook, and for the first time
hears stories about her father, who died before
she was born.
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Crunch, by Leslie Connor The oldest Mariss
brother, fourteen-year-old Dewey, attempts to be
the "embodiment of responsibility" as he juggles
the management of the family's bicycle repair
business while sharing the household and farm
duties with his siblings after a sudden energy
crisis strands their parents far from home.
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The Secret Chicken Society, by Judy Cox When
Daniel's third-grade class raises baby chicks for
a class project and he takes the five chickens
home for the summer, he is surprised when one of
them turns out to be a rooster.
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The Great Unexpected, by Sharon Creech A
story of Sybil and Nula (now estranged sisters
who grew up together in Ireland) and Naomi and
Lizzie (both orphans in present-day USA) and
unraveling mysteries about family and identity.
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The Familiars, by A.J. Epstein and A.
Jacobson When a scrappy alley cat named Aldwyn
passes himself off as a magical animal companion
to Jack, a young wizard in training, Aldwyn and
his fellow "familiars," a know-it-all blue jay
and bumbling tree frog, must save the kingdom
after the evil queen of Vastia kidnaps Jack and
two other wizards.
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The Lost Treasure of Tuckernuck, by Emily
Fairlie Sixth graders Laurie and Bud attempt to
solve an eighty-year-old mystery at their
historic school before the building is torn down
to make way for a MegaMart
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Brendan Buckleys Sixth- Grade Experiment, by
Sundee T. Frazier Brendan Buckley is headed to
sixth-grade and he has lots of big questions.
Will he be able to keep his anole, Einstein,
alive? Why won't new girl Morgan Belcher leave
him alone? And what project will he propose for
the national science competition his class is
entering? He deals with issues with his African
American father, a new girl at school, and his
changing friendship with his best friend.
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The Fenway Foul-Up, by David A. Kelly Thanks to
Kate's mom, a sports reporter, cousins Mike Walsh
and Kate Hopkins have tickets to the Red Sox game
and All Access passes to Fenway Park. But as
they're watching batting practice before the
game, the lucky bat of Red Sox star slugger Big D
is stolen . . . right in front of dozens of
people. Without the bat, Big D can't seem to hit
a thing. Can Kate and Mike figure out who pinched
the bat before Big D and the Sox chalk up a loss?
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Lions of Little Rock, by Kristin Levine In 1958
Little Rock, Arkansas, painfully shy
twelve-year-old Marlee sees her city and family
divided over school integration, but her
friendship with Liz, a new student, helps her
find her voice and fight against racism. Liz is
bold and brave, and always knows the right thing
to say, especially to Sally, the resident mean
girl. But to stay friends, Marlee and Liz are
willing to take on integration and the dangers
their friendship could bring to both their
families.
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Dumpling Days, by Grace Lin Pacy's family is
going to Taiwan for an entire month to visit
family and prepare for their grandmother's 60th
birthday celebration. Pacy's parents have signed
her up for a Chinese painting class, and at first
she's excited. But everything about the trip is
harder than she thought it would be--she looks
like everyone else but can't speak the language,
she has trouble following the art teacher's
instructions, and it's difficult to make friends
in her class. At least the dumplings are
delicious...
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Flying the Dragon, by Natalie Dias Lorenzi
When Skye's cousin Hiroshi and his family move
to Virginia from Japan, the cultural differences
lead to misunderstandings and both children are
unhappy at the changes in their lives--will
flying the dragon kite finally bring them
together?
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White Fur Flying, by Patricia MacLachlan Zoe's
family rescues dogs in need. There is always a
warm body looking to cuddle or play. There is
always a new dog to be saved and loved. Zoe's
house is never silent. But the house across the
street is always silent these days. A new family
has moved in and Phillip, the boy, has stopped
speaking. He doesn't even want to try. Zoe knows
that saving dogs and saving boys are different
jobs, but she learns that some parts are the
same. Both take attention and care, understanding
and time. And maybe just a bit of white fur
flying.
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Capture the Flag, by Kate Messner Three kids
get caught up in an adventure of historic
proportions! When the original Star Spangled
Banner is stolen, seventh-graders Anne, José, and
Henry, all descendants of the Silver Jaguar
Society, pursue suspects on airport carts and
through baggage handling tunnels while stranded
at a Washington, D.C., airport during a
snowstorm.
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Dewey the Library Cat A True Story, by Vicki
Myron Abandoned in a library book drop slot in
the dead of winter, this remarkable kitten
miraculously endured the coldest night of the
year. When librarian Vicki Myron found him in the
morning, she washed him, nurtured him back to
health, and introduced him to his new home - the
library. Helping Ms. Myron through a difficult
time, and inspiring the struggling town of
Spencer, Iowa, Dewey gained worldwide fame as a
symbol of hope, warming the hearts of all with
his tail...or rather, his tale. 
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When Life Gives You O.J., by Erica S.
Perl Zelly Fried wants a dog more than anything,
so at the urging of her grandfather, during the
summer before sixth grade she takes care of a
"practice dog" made out of an orange juice jug to
show her parents that she is ready for the
responsibility, even though she is sometimes not
entirely sure about the idea.
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The Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan Percy
Jackson is back! Demigod Percy Jackson, still
with no memory, and his new friends from Camp
Jupiter, Hazel and Frank, go on a quest to free
Death, but their bigger task is to unite the
Greek and Roman camps so that the Prophecy of
Seven can be fulfilled.
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One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street,
by Joanne Rocklin When a mysterious man
arrives one day on Orange Street, the children
who live on the block try to find out who he is
and why he's there. Little do they know that his
story--and the story of a very old orange
tree--connects to each of their personal worries
in ways they never could have imagined.
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Sprinkles and Secrets, by Lisa Schroeder
Twelve-year-old Sophie is excited to have the
opportunity to audition for a television
commercial until she learns the company is
Beatrice's Brownies, the biggest competitor to
her best friend's family's cupcake shop. Includes
recipes for chocolate treats.
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Liar Spy, by Rebecca Stead Seventh-grader
Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an
apartment, his father's efforts to start a new
business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse,
being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who
wants his help spying on another resident of
their building. His assignment? Tracking the
mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment
upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding,
Georges starts to wonder what is a lie, and what
is a game?
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I Survived The Shark Attacks of 1916, by Lauren
Tarshis In the summer of 1916, ten-year-old
Chet Roscow, who had been thrilled by the news of
an aggressive great white shark attacking people
all along the Atlantic coast, goes swimming with
his friends in Springfield, New Jersey, one day,
and wonders if he sees a shark in the water.
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Edisons Gold, by Geoff Watson Solving a
centuries-old family mystery is Tom Edison's only
hope to stop his family from moving to Kansas.
His famous namesake and great-great-grandfather,
Thomas Edison, had discovered the secret formula
for changing metal into gold, and now Tom and his
friends are on a whirlwind adventure to find the
key to this monumental discovery. But can the
three friends uncover Edison's secret formula in
time and escape the clutches of an evil
billionaire?
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The Shadows (The Book of Elsewhere, Vol. 1) by
Jacqueline West When eleven-year-old Olive and
her distracted parents move into an old Victorian
mansion, Olive finds herself ensnared in a dark
plan involving some mysterious paintings, a
trapped and angry nine-year-old boy, and three
talking cats.
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Sources

• Cover images and text adapted from
• Follett School Solutions, Inc.
• www.titlewave.com