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2022-2023 Battle of the Books
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
This is the first in a series which combines humor, adventure, and fantasy in a tale based on stories from Hindu mythology. Aru lives with her mother in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture. Her consistent tendency to lie about her life provokes her classmates into daring her to light a particular museum lamp. Though she knows she shouldn’t, Aru accepts the dare, and her action awakens the Sleeper. Aru and two companions (a unique pigeon as well as a sibling named Mini whom she had never known of before), thus begin a quest to stop the Sleeper from reaching the Lord of Destruction.El Deafo by Cece Bell
In this autobiographical memoir written in a comic-book style, Cece Bell recounts her experiences as a young girl. Cece, who lost her hearing at age four, explains what it was like to navigate in a hearing world. She describes friends and neighborhood children as well as how they treated her, and she vividly shows how what she thought and what she did (and said) did not always match – thus the dream to be the strong, smart superhero, El Deafo!From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
This award winning story is told in the form of a letter that Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is writing to her lawyer, Saxonberg. The letter describes the adventures of Connecticut native Claudia Kincaid, who with her younger brother Jamie (chosen because he always has money), runs away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Using their violin and trumpet cases to hold their clothes, and armed with a train ticket found while emptying the garbage, Claudia and Jamie begin their adventure. They hide in bathrooms during opening and closing times when security guards are checking around, eat lunch with school groups, and take baths and collect change in the restaurant fountain. They stumble upon a statue of an angel with a mysterious seal on the bottom, and become involved in a secret involving Mrs. Frankweiler, who becomes their friend and confidant, and the woman who helps them learn a lot about themselves.
Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald
This story centers on Teddy, whose serious injury during football practice puts him in a coma. Rumors soon begin to circulate suggesting that Teddy’s accident wasn’t really an accident afterall, causing suspicions to arise among friends, family, and others in the community. The author uses various means -- including the inner thoughts of characters, texts, newspaper transcripts, dialogue, and social media feeds -- to propel the story forward. Readers will want to learn not only the truth about what happened to Teddy, but will be encouraged to reflect on the risks of playing football.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds
This is one of four books in the “Track” series by an award-winning author who travels the country inspiring students of all ages to read and write. In this book, the main character is Castle “Ghost” Cranshaw who started running to escape violence in his home. A local track coach recruits Ghost for his team, the Defenders, but with his old shoes, homemade haircut, ratty clothes, and the neighborhood he’s from, Ghost just doesn’t fit in. Add to that his tendency toward anger and getting into fights, and it seems that Ghost is working against himself. Does he deserve a second chance to overcome these obstacles to become the runner he can be?
Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
11-year-old Michael lives with his parents in England. When his parents lose their jobs, they set out in their sailboat for a once-in-a-lifetime trip around the world. Although they face some tough times, their adventure is mostly one of joy, until the night before Michael’s 12th birthday when he disappears from the ship. He awakens on an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and cannot find the food and water he needs to survive. Then he discovers that his dog, Stella, is not his only companion. Kensuke is a Japanese sailor who has lived on the island since the bombing of Nagasaki during WWII. The old man and the young boy learn to trust and learn from one another as they make a life on the island while wondering if they will ever leave it.
Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
Jeffrey Lionel Magee is an orphan. After his parents were killed, he was sent to live with an aunt and uncle who kept a divided and silent home. One day when he was eleven, Jeffrey couldn’t stand the silence anymore and began running. He ran and ran from the East End (where the black people lived) to the West End (where the white people lived) and back again. His running turned into the adventure of a lifetime. He met Amanda Beale who carried a suitcase full of books to school. He met James “”Hands” Down, a star high school football player, and John McNab, a star Little League pitcher. He also met Mars Bar, a neighborhood boy, and Grayson, who worked at the park. Each of these people had an effect on Jeffrey, and he, in turn, affected them. Pretty soon, because of his running and throwing and hitting and knot-untying, people started calling him “Maniac”, but all he really wanted was for someone to call him home.
Pie by Sarah Weeks
This story, set in 1955, is fun, mysterious, and humorous. Ten-year-old Alice loves to help her Aunt Polly bake. But Aunt Polly is no ordinary baker. She gives away her amazing pies, but will never share her award-winning recipes. When she dies, she leaves her cat -- who is rather grumpy -- to Alice. But the cat disappears and Aunt Polly’s shop is ransacked. Alice and her friend Charlie try to figure out how a broken-into shop, a missing cat, pies, and secret recipes all fit together. (For those readers who like to bake there is a bonus -- pie recipes in every chapter!)
Poppy by Avi
Poppy is a deer mouse with a dilemma. Does she move her family next to a field of corn that is big enough to feed them all forever, or does she stay away because the field is watched over by her enemy Mr. Ocax, the owl? Mr. Ocax has declared himself to be king of Dimwood Forest, and Poppy must get his permission to move to the field from the house that the mice have lived in since the farmer left. And Poppy knows the importance of asking Mr. Ocax’s permission, for her friend met with disaster when he failed to do so. Does Poppy find the courage to face the great horned owl? Will Mr. Ocax grant his permission?
Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin
Rose Howard likes routine and rules. She is obsessed with homonyms (and happy that her own name is one – [rows]). And she loves her dog Rain (which is also a homonym -- reign). Sometimes it’s difficult for Rose’s single father, her teacher, and the students in her class to understand Rose and accept her need for unwavering routines, but Rain seems to understand her just fine. One night, a powerful storm sweeps through Rose’s rural town, and when her father lets Rain out of the house, Rain doesn’t come back. Rose creates a plan to find her missing dog, and with the help of her Uncle Weldon, sets out to put the plan into action.
Space Case by Stuart Gibbs
This first book in Gibbs’ Moon Base Alpha series centers on 12-year-old Dash Gibson who lives on the first lunar outpost with his family. While kids back home on earth might believe Dash’s life is exciting up in space, he actually finds it a bit dull. Until, that is, one of the base’s doctors dies under suspicious circumstances. Suddenly, Dash has a mystery to solve, and he resolves to do so even when the base’s commander warns him to leave the matter alone. This fun read is Science Fiction, Mystery, and Adventure all mixed together, and will inspire you to read more of Gibbs’ books in this and others of his various series.
The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
In this historical fiction story, Ada knows that there are worse things than the bombs that are falling in her London neighborhood during WWII. She has an untreated clubfoot which means she has been treated cruelly by her Mom all her life. While her younger brother Jamie is set to be evacuated to the relative safety of the English countryside, Ada is to remain at home. But she is determined to escape her homemade prison, and accompany Jamie. When Ada and Jamie are placed with a reluctant guardian named Susan, Ada finds new freedom while learning to ride a horse. And all of them learn about the true meaning of family from one another.
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
It is 1935 and eleven-year-old Turtle lives with her single mother, a housekeeper. When her mother lands a new job with an employer that does not want children around, Turtle is sent to live with her Aunt Minnie and cousins in Key West, Florida. Everything is different there, and as Turtle adjusts to her new environment, she finds a treasure map that she hopes will lead her to fortune and ease during this difficult time of the Great Depression. The author (who writes the Babymouse and Comics Squad books as well as many others), used her own family’s past as inspiration for this story.
Ungifted by Gordon Korman
Donovan Curtis likes to study his ancestry – mostly in the hopes of finding someone from his family tree who messes up like he does. Donovan doesn’t mean to mess up, and he never intentionally hurts anyone. But crazy things happen. One day, after again acting without thinking things through, Donovan ends up in the superintendent’s office about to face the consequences. But by a series of chance circumstances, Donovan instead receives a letter congratulating him on being accepted to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction – the special middle school for gifted children. Donovan is definitely not gifted, but he figures the ASD is a great place to hide from the superintendent, as well as the stress at home – which now includes his pregnant sister whose husband is overseas in the military, and his brother-in-law’s dog who is acting sick and a little crazy and seems to like only him. What will happen to Donovan next?
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Minli lives with her parents in a poor village at the base of Fruitless Mountain. There, as her family struggles to grow rice in the unforgiving soil, Minli dreams of a better life. Her imagination is fueled by the stories that Ba (her father) frequently tells, and one day she sneaks away to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how her family can change their fortune. Along the way, she meets a dragon, a kind boy, a goldfish man, a king, helpful twins and a ferocious tiger, among other people and creatures. While she is gone, Ma and Ba first search for her, then wait at home for her return. Minli is changed through her journey and Ma and Ba are changed as they wait. Will Minli finally find the Old Man of the Moon? Will she get an answer? Will she find her way home again?