Use this webpage to read about the 2007-2008 Reading Unites Book Award nominees and decide which ones you might like to read! Fourth and fifth grade students from Unit 5, District 87, Metcalf and Heyworth Schools will be reading these books and voting in April 2008 for their favorite titles. You must read at least 5 books from this list to be eligible to vote. (If your teacher or librarian reads one aloud, you may include it as one of your 5 books.) Don't worry if the cover of your library's copy of the book is not exactly the same as those shown here. The books are in order by the author's last name.
Happy Reading!
~256 pages
Sixth grader Hero is tired of the teasing she receives
about her name, which is based on a character from one of Shakespeare's
plays. Concentrating on a friendship with the elderly lady next
door, she learns that an enormous diamond disappeared from the home in
which Hero now lives. Helped by Mrs. Roth and cute eighth-grader Danny,
Hero launches into a secret search for the missing gem.
~224 pages
A toddler drowns in a kayak accident that was caused by a prank. Brady knows that his friends caused the accident, and must decide whether he will reveal the truth.
~231 pages
On Adam's 12th birthday a mysterious stranger gives him the opportunity to tour the world in 40 days. He accepts the challenge, telling his mother he is going to summer camp. Soon he discovers he is part of a global game, racing against other kids for a prize of $4 million.
Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
~176 pages
How would life be if you had a computer that did your homework for you? Computer genius Brenton figures out a way to do it, and he and 3 other students begin using the machine, and as the story unfolds things get out of hand.
The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
~208 pages
A father becomes the caretaker of an old mansion, and he and his daughter live in a trailer on the grounds. The daughter, named Diana, is lonely and meets a girl her own age and her little brother. Diana soon has many questions about the children, as well as the wicked former owner who died mysteriously in the house.
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
~336 pages
If you are looking for a predictable fairy tale you won't find it here. Fourteen year old Miri lives on Mount Eskel, where people in the community mine a special stone called linder. The girls are given an opportunity to attend a special school to compete for marriage to the prince. As Miri is educated, she looks for ways to better the lives of the villagers from the mountain. She also learns "quarry speak" which she must use to save herself and the other girls from harm.
Flush by Carl Hiaasen
~ 272 pages
Noah's dad sinks a gambling boat as a protest for the illegal dumping of raw sewage into the water off the Florida Keys. While Dad is in jail, Noah and his little sister devise a daring plan to expose the boat owner's illegal dumping practice and help their father.
Defiance by Valerie Hobbs
~128 pages
How would you feel if you were 11 years old and discovered your cancer has returned? Toby defiantly decides not to tell his parents. A friendship with an elderly poet named Pearl seems to reinforce his decision...or does it?
Secret pf Platform 13 by Eva Ibbotson
~192 pages
If you are a fan of Harry Potter books, you will enjoy this fantasy set on an enchanted island that is only open for 9 days every 9 years. The baby prince of the island has been kidnapped by a nasty woman, and the king and queen assemble a rescue team made up of a hag, a one-eyed giant and a fairy.
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise
~ 144 pages
When Dry Creek Middle School needs a new drinking fountain, they contact Florence Waters. Instead of a plain fountain, she has something entirely different in mind. Told in memos, newspaper articles, transcripts and letters this story is a fast read with lots of humor and word play thrown in.
Rules by Cynthia Lord
~208 pages
12 year old Catherine makes up a lot of rules to help her autistic brother David understand his world. (For example, "No toys in the fish tank," and "It's okay to hug your mom but not the man at the video store." )When she meets and befriends a paraplegic, she starts to understand that behavior rules are not as important as being accepting of others.
Porch Lies: Tales of Tricksters, Slicksters and Other Wily Characters by Patricia McKissack
~160 pages
The 9 funny stories in this book are based on stories that the author heard as a child, when family and friends would gather on her grandmother's porch and tell tales. Stories include one about the famous outlaw Jesse James, and a gravedigger who might dig up a body to steal some jewels.
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
~144 pages
Four brothers go to war with their neighbors, three sisters who have just moved into the house next door. One practical joke follows another as the two families try to get the best of each other.
Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park
~96 pages
With its opening lines, "I don't want to make you cry. I just want to tell you about Mick. But I thought you should know right up front that he's not here anymore. I just thought that would be fair." readers are drawn into the story about Phoebe's brother Mick, who died in a bicycle accident. The book is both funny and sad, as Phoebe recounts humorous memories about Mick as well as the pain her family is going through with the loss of him.
Crooked River by Shelley Pearsall
~272 pages
The year is 1812, and two girls are given the task of caring for an Indian who has been captured by their father and other men in the community. While Rebecca first believes in the Indian's guilt, she comes to believe in his innocence and tries to think of a way to rescue him from being hanged.
The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco
~Picture book
What would it be like to wake up one night and find a Jewish girl in your bedroom? Monique's French village is occupied by Nazi troops during WW II, and her parents are hiding the girl to protect her.
Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
~544 pages
Don't let the number of pages scare you in this unique book, which is a blend of many black and white illustrations and text. Hugo lives in the walls of the train station in Paris, where he tends to the clocks and steals food to survive. His discovery of a broken automan, a human-like figure sitting poised to write or draw, leads him from one adventure to another as he tries to repair it and discover the message it will write.
Blue Jasmine by Kashmira Smith
~192 pages
What would it be like to leave family behind in India and come to America? Twelve year old Seema is both scared and excited. On arrival in Iowa City, she struggles not only with American English and customs but also with Carrie, a classmate who makes fun of her.
Doing Time Online by Jan Siebold Oliver
~96 pages
When Mitch plays a practical joke that backfires, his punishment is to report to the police station twice a week and chat online with an elderly nursing home resident named Wootie.
Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip
~336 pages
When Adam Canfield becomes a reporter for the school newspaper, "The Slash," he and two other writers discover that the school principal is using money for her own purposes.