Browse Books by Year

2013 List | 2012 List | 2011 List

Current List In Progress

Click here to see all the titles.

Poetry

DR. BIRD'S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Roskos
Author's First Name: 
Evan
Publisher: 
HMH (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Publication Date: 
2013
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

16 year old James Whitman is depressed and anxious, for good reason: namely, his abusive parents, whom he calls "the brute" and "the banshee." Feeling a connection to Walt Whitman (no relation), James attempts to celebrate life anyway by yawping, hugging trees and joining the high school literary magazine, which brings him closer to both an attractive girl and solving the mystery around his sister's expulsion from both school and the family home. Funny, dark, and poignant. Fourteen and Up. Sylvie Shaffer

DESTINY, REWRITTEN

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Fitzmaurice
Author's First Name: 
Kathryn
Publisher: 
Katherine Tegen
Publication Date: 
2013
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

If the secret to your father's identity was written in the margins of a poetry book...would you do anything to track down that book? Eleven year old Emily Elizabeth Davis answers with a hearty "YES!" Her mother named her Emily after the famed poet Dickinson and believes it is her destiny to be a poet. Emily has her own plans. The sadness of a missing father is compensated by the antics of a hilarious little brother, and the quirkiness of Emily's brainiac best friend. With enough twists and turns to keep it exciting, this novel opens young reader's eyes to how one small decision can unexpectedly change your destiny. Ten to Fourteen. Anne Womack

FOLLOW FOLLOW

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Singer
Author's First Name: 
Marilyn
Illustrator's First Name: 
Josee
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Masse
Publisher: 
Dial
Publication Date: 
2013
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

Singer has delivered a collection of reverso poems that proves worthy of its companion book, Mirror Mirror. She has tackled all kinds of folk and fairy tales with stories like Tortoise and the Hare, the Princess and the Pea, Puss in Boots, and the Emperor's New Clothes. Anyone who enjoyed the first volume will be thrilled with the publication of this book. Seven to Ten. Joan Kindig

FORGIVE ME, I MEANT TO DO IT: FALSE APOLOGY POEMS

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Levine
Author's First Name: 
Gail Carson
Illustrator's First Name: 
Matthew
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Cordell
Publisher: 
Candlewick
Publication Date: 
2012

Irreverent poems voicing the mildly hostile actions of fairy tale characters, siblings, and animals follow the scheme and character of William Carlos Williams’ “This Is Just To Say.” Cordell’s imaginative line-drawings add delicious details to the rationale behind each poem.

I Lay my stitches down, poems of American Slavery

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Grady
Author's First Name: 
Cynthia
Illustrator's First Name: 
Michele
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Wood
Publisher: 
Eerdmans
Publication Date: 
2012
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 

In 14 poems the voices of 14 different slaves are heard, describing the hardships of their individual lives and their dreams of freedom. The theme of quilt patterns is carried out in those dreams and in Michele Wood's powerfully living illustrations. [publication date waiting to be verified]

IN THE WILD

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Elliott
Author's First Name: 
David
Illustrator's First Name: 
Holly
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Meade
Publisher: 
Candlewick
Publication Date: 
2010

Meet the elephant, “powerful, yet delicate as lace,” the panda, “a bear in silk pajamas,” and twelve other wild animals that come to life through colorful verse and bold watercolor and woodcut illustrations.

MISS CRANDALL'S SCHOOL FOR YOUNG LADIES & LITTLE MISSES OF COLOR

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Alexander
Author's First Name: 
Elizabeth
Second Author's First Name: 
Marilyn
Second Author's Last Name: 
Nelson
Illustrator's First Name: 
Floyd
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Cooper
Publisher: 
Wordsong
Publication Date: 
2007

Twenty-four beautifully crafted sonnets evoke Miss Crandall's mid-nineteenth century school in Connecticut: the students' fervor, the local vigilantes, and the school's ultimate fiery end. Subdued illustrations complement this important and little-known story.

Word after Word after word

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
MacLachlan
Author's First Name: 
Patricia
Publisher: 
HarperCollins
Publication Date: 
2010
2013 Nomination (not yet selected): 
A book about the power of words and the power of teachers. This is similar to Love that Dog in terms of encouraging student writing, but follows the response of 5 students in a fourth grade class as a writing teacher comes into the class to share some special lessons.
A short read about how one visiting teacher helps students to find their "words" and discover more about themselves and their lives. This is a simple story with lots to discuss.

JABBERWOCKY: THE CLASSIC POEM FROM LEWIS CARROLL'S THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, AND WHAT ALICE FOUND THERE

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Carroll
Author's First Name: 
Lewis
Illustrator's First Name: 
Christopher
Illustrator's Last Name: 
Myers
Publisher: 
Jump at the Sun
Publication Date: 
2007

This familiar poem is reset on a city basketball court where the Jabberwock is a gigantic player, and the ball goes "snicker-snack" as it drains the basket. Intense fiery colors, black silhouettes, and a bold typeface add excitement and drama.

DIAMOND WILLOW [AUDIOBOOK]

Author Information
Author's Last Name: 
Frost
Author's First Name: 
Helen
Narrator's First Name: 
Jennifer
Narrator's Last Name: 
Ikeda
Publisher: 
Recorded Books
Publication Date: 
2009

This coming of age story in the Alaskan wilderness sparkles to life with an inspired narrator and cast, bringing listeners the magic of living close to nature and traditional Alaskan beliefs. Survival drama abounds, complete with injured sled dogs and raging storms. Hearing the images in this book of diamond-shaped verses may be even effective than reading them. Ages 10-14.

Syndicate content