Students in grades 3-5 are invited to participate in the 5th annual
Northborough-Southborough Children's Book Award (NSCBA.) Read or listen to 3
books from the list by May 27 and vote for your favorite!
CLOSED FOR THE SEASON (Hahn)
When 13-year-old Logan's family moves to a small Virginia town, he learns
that a murder took place in his new house three years earlier, and the murder
is still unsolved. Logan and his nerdy new neighbor, Arthur, team u to try to
solve the mystery only to discover the sinister, abandoned Magic Forest
amusement park, a newspaper reporter with secrets, shady property developers,
a menacing convict, and stolen library material!
DODGER AND ME (Sonneblick)
What do you do when your sister is evil, your only friend moves away and
you, once again, cause your baseball team to lose a game? If you're Willy
Ryan, you meet a genie in the form of Dodger, a furry blue chimpanzee that
wears surfer shorts and that only you can see. When Dodger promises to be
Willy's new best friend and gives him three wishes all his own, the fun and
craziness begin.
DYING TO MEET YOU (Klise)
Packed with puns and full of fun, this book will keep you on the edge of
your seat wondering who will get the upper hand at 43 Old Cemetery Road.
Olive C. Spence (hint: "I Love Suspense..."), the eccentric old ghost, or
Ignatius B. Grumply, the crotchety children's book author? If you like your
stories slightly spooky and very funny, this story (written through letters,
postcards, memos, etc.) is for you!
GUYS READ FUNNY BUSINESS (Sciezsca-editor)
A collection of 10 humorous stories by some well-known children's authors,
including David Lubar, Jack Gantos, Kate DiCamillo and the book's editor, Jon
Scieszka. Be ready to laugh as you read about, among other things, dangerous
stunts, damaged flesh, alien-body takeovers and switch-wielding grandpas.
I'M STILL SCARED (DePaola)
What was it like to be a kid in Connecticut during World War II? In this
installment id dePaola's popular autobiographical series, 2nd grader Tomie
describes life on the home front in the immediate aftermath of the bombing of
Pearl Harbor, and how that attack changed everything for his family and friends.
IVY AND BEAN TAKE CARE OF THE BABYSITTER (Barrows)
Bean's just found out that her parents are leaving her for the afternoon
with meanie Nancy, her big sister. What to do? Should Bean sit quietly on
the living room couch and obey the rules? Or should Bean make a rope ladder
and escape out her window? Bean needs Ivy to help. Working together, the two
girls learn how to turn a bad babysitter into a great time.
LADY LIBERTY (Rappaport)
The Statue of Liberty owes her life to many people, including Florence de
Forest, a 10-year-old girl who donated her two roosters to the fundraising
efforts and the workers who spent 16 hours a day building her. This story of
the birth and building of one of America's most important landmarks includes
fascinating facts about how Lady Liberty came to be.
LUNCH LADY AND THE CYBORG SUBSTITUTE (Krosoczka)
Did you ever wonder whether your school lunch lady had super powers? Or
maybe a secret special gadget or two, like a spatu-copter or lunch-tray
laptop? You will laugh your way through this tale of an evil substitute
teacher and his plans to win the Teacher of the Year award. Luckily, Lunch
Lady and her sidekick betty defeat his scheme with the help of three brave
students.
MASTERPIECE (Broach)
Marvin, a very artistic beetle, joins forces with 11-year-old James to trap
the thief of an Albrecht Durer drawing from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Especially for fans of "From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler"
and "Chasing Vermeer."
MUDSHARK (Paulsen)
Principal Wagner confidently deals with a faculty washroom crisis, a
psychic parrot, and a terrorizing gerbil, but when sixty five erasers go
missing, he enlists the help of the school's best problem solver and lost item
locator, 12-year-old Lyle Williams, also know as Mudshark.
THE NAKED MOLE-RAT LETTERS (Amato)
The new romance between "ratlady" and Frankie's widowed father does not
make Frankie happy. She begins an email campaign to put a stop to this new
relationship. Meanwhile, life is not treating Frankie so well and she begins
to get in trouble at school. Corresponding with "ratlady" may turn out to be
a solution to all her problems.
NIGHTMARE AT THE BOOK FAIR (Gutman)
While helping set up the school book fair, sports-loving/book-hating Trip
is knocked unconscious by a shelf of falling books, and wakes up (in a new
chapter titled "Horror") outside an eerie haunted house. About to have his
face cut off at the command of leering Professor Psycho, Trip suddenly finds
himself in a chapter called "Sports Fiction," carrying the ball in the Super
Bowl. Each chapter introduces a new genre and starts with the previous one's
last line, until Trip comes to and discovers that his negative attitude toward
reading has bee thoroughly spoiled.
OUT OF MY MIND (Draper)
Since Melody, 10, cannot walk or talk because of cerebral palsy, she has
been stuck in a classroom learning the same preschool lessons year after year.
But inside is a brilliant mind just waiting to shine!
PHILIPPA FISHER'S FAIRY GODSISTER (Kessler)
If you have read "Cinderella," you know all about fairy godmothers--sweet
little old ladies who help you when you need it the most. But, you probably
don't know anything about god-sisters! In this book, you will meet Daisy, a
modern fairy with an attitude, who isn't too crazy about humans. Philippa is
lonely and could use a friend, but her three wishes make her life worse rather
than better. Will Daisy help Philippa turn her bad situation around? Read
this book to find out.
THE PUZZLING WORLD OF WINSTON BREEN (Berlin)
Winston sees puzzles everywhere. But when he and his sister Kate try to
find the solution to some puzzle pieces they find in an old box, they become
part of a dangerous treasure hunt. (The story includes puzzles and word games
for you to solve along with Winston and Kate.)
SCAT (Hiaasen)
Nick and Marta are both suspicious when their biology teacher, the feared
Mrs. Bunny Starch, disappears, and try to uncover the truth despite the police
and headmaster's insistence that nothing is wrong.
THE SMALL ADVENTURE OF POPEYE AND ELVIS (O'Connor)
If YOU found little boats made out of Yoo-Hoo cholocale milk cartons
containing mysterious messages floating down the creek, wouldn't you want to
find out where they were coming from?
STRANGER NEXT DOOR (Kehret)
Pete the Cat, a self-assured feline who doesn't shy away from danger, is
introduced in this fast-paced mystery. Pete's owner, Alex, is having a rough
time: He has just moved, he misses his old neighborhood and he's become the
target of bullies. When 12-year-old Rocky and his family move in next door,
Alex is thrilled, though Rocky's evasiveness is puzzling. Is he hiding
something? Could he be responsible for the rash of vandalism and arson in the
development? Pete, of course, discovers who is behind these crimes. The
problem then becomes one of making his humans understand.
SUNNY HOLIDAY (Paratore)
Sunny Holiday loves dandelions, the color yellow, her best friend Jazzy,
her parents, her teacher, and holidays. In fact, she loves holidays so much
she decides to create her own. She things kids should have a holiday they can
look forward to every single month of the year!
WALL BALL (Markey)
Sixth-grader, Banjo. H. Bishbash is known by his Rambletown Rounders
teammates as "The Great Walloper" because of his excellent hitting skills.
baseball is a distant memory for the team because of a seemingly never-ending
harsh winter. The start of the season has been delayed three times, and the
boys are itching to defend their championship. While waiting for the first
game, the close-knit group hits upon the idea of organizing a
charity-fundraising hot-chocolate stand at school, which will serve spectators
who have come to see the parking lot's extraordinary snow mound resembling
Mount Rushmore.
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