This Year

1
This Years Bluebonnets!
2
Radio RescueBy Lynne Barasch

• Radio Rescue is a story of a young boy who
  worked hard to become an amateur radio operator.
  When he was twelve-years-old, his hard work paid
  off, because he found himself in the position of
  sending a message and saving a family trapped in
  a hurricane.

3
Ereths Birthdayby Avi

• Feeling neglected when his friends ignore his
  birthday, Ereth, the grumpy porcupine, wanders
  away from home. Drawn by the scent of salt at a
  cabin, Ereth finds humans have set traps, one of
  which caught Leaper, a fox. She begs Ereth to
  tell her three kits of her death. The porcupine
  agrees, only to find helpless babes to whom he
  becomes a surrogate parent.

4
Edwina VictoriousBy Susan Bonners

• Edwina is the name of both a young girl and her
  spunky 90-year-old great-grandaunt. The younger
  Edwina, known as Eddy, discovers letters written
  by her aunt to community leaders more than 40
  years ago and is inspired to do some letter
  writing of her own.

5
Fly High! The Story of Bessie ColemanBy Louise
Borden and Mary Kay Kroeger

• Bessie Coleman embarked on an adventure that
  most women of her era were not given a chance to
  explore, and certainly not an African-American
  woman. She became a great stunt pilot and
  inspired other African-Americans by saying "You
  can be somebody. You can fly high just like me."

6
The School StoryBy Andrew Clements

• The publishing company where Hanna works wants
  more school story books. A school story is a
  book about what happens at school. Who knows more
  about school than someone who is there five days
  a week, nine months a year? Hannas 12-year-old
  daughter, Natalie begins to write

7
Love That DogBy Sharon Creech

• Writing in his journal for a literature class,
  Jack begins, "I don't want to because boys don't
  write poetry. Girls do." But as his teacher, Ms.
  Stretchberry, continues to present poems to the
  class. Jack not only begins to like poetry, he
  writes verses in his journal about his yellow
  dog, Sky.

8
The Yellow Star The Legend of King Christian of
DenmarkBy Carmen Agra Deedy

• The Star of David has been a symbol of pride and
  faith for Jewish families over the centuries.
  During World War II the Nazis forced Jews to wear
  the Star of David on their clothing at all times.
  King Christian was committed to keeping all Danes
  safe from harm and refused to let the yellow star
  segregate Danish Jews. Each morning King
  Christian rode alone on his horse throughout the
  streets of Copenhagen with a yellow star sewn on
  his finest clothing. After this, all Danes began
  to wear the yellow star, because they were one as
  a people. In the notes at the end of the book,
  the author takes care to distinguish fact from
  legend.

9
Spiders and Their Web SitesBy Margery Facklam

• Spiders are fascinating animals and actually
  have much in common with those who create
  computer Web sites. A spiders web is a
  communication center that must be built in the
  right place with materials that will not easily
  break. This book provides a close look at the
  characteristics and habits of twelve spiders and
  the daddy longlegs, which is sometimes mistaken
  for a spider.

10
The Year of Miss AgnesBy Kirkpatrick Hill

• In 1948, Miss Agnes, a dedicated teacher, comes
  to teach in a one-room school in an Athabascan
  village in Alaska. Miss Agnes is different from
  all the other teachers because she did not mind
  the smell of fish, she wore pants, and she opened
  up a world that changed this community forever.

11
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse HawkinsBy Barbara
Kerley

• Can you believe nobody knew what a dinosaur
  looked like or even what a dinosaur was before
  artist Waterhouse Hawkins built life-size models
  during the mid 1850s? In Englands Crystal
  Palace, his dazzling dinosaurs stirred the
  imaginations of all who saw them scientists,
  scholars and children. As more and more dinosaur
  fossils are discovered, many of Hawkins dinosaur
  models are shown to be inaccurate however, his
  creativity and vision inspired many people to
  learn about dinosaurs.

12
The RaftBy Jim LaMarche

• Nicky has to spend one summer vacation with his
  grandmother while his father works in the city.
  Nicky discovers that his grandmother is not
  typical.. He finds a talent for art as he draws
  pictures on the raft of what he sees. But, most
  importantly, he learns to love and respect his
  grandmother.

13
Dear WhiskersBy Ann Whitehead Nagda

• The fourth-grade assignment given by Mrs. Steele
  is to write a letter to a second-grade pen pal.
  Writing the letter isn't difficult but pretending
  to be a mouse writing the letter is another
  matter.

14
The Graduation of Jake MoonBy Barbara Park

• When Jake Moon is in 3rd grade, his grandfather,
  Skelly, develops Alzheimer's disease and life
  changes for him. Eventually Jake realizes they
  are changing places, with Skelly becoming the kid
  and him the grown-up. As Jake matures and learns
  more about this disease that steals the minds of
  its victims, he becomes more sympathetic and
  resentment evolves into acceptance.

15
Esperanza RisingBy Pam Munoz Ryan

• Esperanza Ortega was born into a life of wealth
  filled with servants, parties, and beautiful
  dresses. Then on the eve of her thirteenth
  birthday, Esperanzas father is murdered, and she
  and her mother are forced to flee from Mexico to
  California. In California, they live and work in
  the migrant labor camps of the San Joaquin Valley
  where Esperanza learns to be true to the meaning
  of her name, Hope. This novel is based on the
  life of the authors abuelita (grandmother).

16
The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic
RingBy Ruth Sanderson

• A brave, young huntsman, a magical golden mare,
  and a lovely, clever princess outwit a jealous,
  greedy Tsar in this original story based on
  elements from several traditional Russian
  folktales

17
The Mysterious Matter of I. M. FineBy Diane
Stanley

• Franny and her friend Beamer are puzzled by
  strange events in their school. Together the two
  friends set out to find the mysterious author and
  uncover the secret behind the books. What they
  discover there reveals the answers to several
  mysteries and helps prevent a tragedy.

18
And the Dish Ran Away with the SpoonBy Janet
Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel

• Everyone knows this story, but what happens when
  Dish and Spoon fail to return. Are they lost?
  Cat, Dog, and Cow set out to rescue their
  friends. They must rely on a map given to them by
  the Fork in the Middle of the Road. Along the
  way, the three friends meet many well-known
  characters.

19
Attack on Pearl Harbor The True Story of the
Day America Entered World War IIBy Shelley Tanaka

• The author replays Sunday, December 7, 1941,
  through the experiences of four young men each
  involved in a different way. The dramatic events
  unfold through the eyes of these four people and
  give the reader an understanding of the impact of
  this day in Americas history.

20
The Other SideBy Jacqueline Woodson

• Clover, a black girl, and Annie, a white girl,
  do not understand why the fence separates the
  black side and the white side of their town. Both
  girls have been instructed by their mothers not
  to go on the other side of the fence. Annie
  entices Clover to come and sit on the fence so
  they can get to know one another. The barrier
  between races becomes a peaceful perch where a
  new friendship is created.

21
Cockroach CootiesBy Laurence Yep

• Nine-year-old Teddy must confront the school
  bully when his younger brother, Bobby, incites
  Arnie's wrath. But, it is the younger brother
  who discovers Arnie's fear of insects and saves
  the older brother until a truce is declared.