KENTUCKY BLUEGRASS AWARDS

20123-5 MASTER LIST

because of mr. terupt

by Rob Buyea*Delacorte Press, 2010

*pronounced “Boo-yeah”

Rob Buyea’s website: http://www.robbuyea.com/

Meet the kids in Mr. Terupt’s ClassJessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who has a hard time fitting in

Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next

Peter, class prankster and troublemaker

Danielle, who never stands up for herself

Luke, the brain, and the undisputed Dollar Word champ

Shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast

And finally, Jeffrey, who hates school.

Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, even if he doesn’t let them get away with much…until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone. 

because of mr. terupt…

You won’t be able to put this book down!

Big Nate: In a Class by

Himselfby Lincoln Peirce

Harper, 2010

Supremely confident middle-school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.

“Today you will surpass

all others.”

It all begins with a fortune cookie…

Meet Big Nate’s creator,

Lincoln Peirce.*

*Sounds like “purse”’ Author name pronunciation courtesy of TeachingBooks.net**Photo and biographical information courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers

Lincoln Peirce is a cartoonist-writer and the creator of the comic strip Big Nate, which appears in 200 U.S. newspapers. He lives with his family in Portland, Maine. **

Click the video link below to:

• meet Big Nate’s creator, author/illustrator Lincoln Peirce

• learn how to draw Big Nate • watch Jeff Kinney’s interview with

Lincoln Peirce.

(Lincoln Peirce and Jeff Kinney know each other. Does this mean that Greg Heffley and Big Nate are friends?)

Click here to choose a video about Lincoln Peirce and his character, Big Nate.

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Book covers courtesy of WorldCat and HarperCollins Publishers

Get to know Big Nate. He really is in a class by

himself!

BonesBy Steve Jenkins

Scholastic Press, 2010

Do you think you know a little something about bones?

Author and illustrator Steve Jenkins knows a lot about bones.

For instance, human babies are born with over 300 bones, but adults have only 206 bones.

Bones are alive.

Bones come in a wide range of sizes and shapes,

They grow as an animal grows,

get stronger when they are strained,

and repair themselves if they get broken.

Every bone in the body has it’s particular

place to be and job to do.

We cannot survive without bones. They support our bodies

and protect our organs.

Without bones we would be a squishy sack of skin.

Click here to find out how Steve Jenkins gets ideas for making many of his books.

You too will be an expert on the subject of

bones once you have read

Bones: Skeletons and how they work,

by Steve Jenkins.

The Fantastic Secret of

Owen JesterBy Barbara

O’ConnorFarrar Straus and Giroux, 2010

After Owen captures an enormous bullfrog, names it Tooley Graham, then has to release it, he and two friends try to use a small submarine that fell from a passing train to search for Tooley in the Carter, Georgia, pond it came from, all while avoiding nosy neighbor Viola.

…but Viola learns Owen’s secret, and she may just ruin everything by telling. Owen knows what it will take to keep Viola quiet, but is he willing to do it, and if he does, will his two best friends ever forgive him?

http://www.barboconnor.com/

You’ll love the excitement, adventure, aggravation, and fun

as you read The Fantastic Secret of

Owen Jester, by Barbara O’Connor.

The Magician’s Elephant

By Kate DiCamilloIllustrated by Yoko

TanakaCandlewick Press, 2009

When a fortune teller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions that he needs to ask: Does his missing sister still live? And if so, how can he find her?

The fortuneteller's mysterious answer (An elephant! An elephant will lead him to her!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that you will hardly dare to believe it’s true.

Perform this Reader’s Theater script from The Magician’s Elephant

There are three parts; Peter (a young boy), the Narrator, and the Fortuneteller

Narrator: Peter stood in the small patch of light making its sullen way through the open flap of the tent. He let the fortuneteller take his hand. She examined it closely, moving her eyes back and forth and back and forth, as if there a whole host of very small words inscribed there, an entire book about Peter Augustus Duchene composed atop his palm.

Fortuneteller: (slowly, after a pause) Huh.

Narrator: She dropped his hand and squinted up at his face.

Fortuneteller: But, of course, you are just a boy.

Peter: I am ten years old.

Narrator: Peter took the hat from his head and stood as straight and tall as he was able.

Peter: And I am training to become a soldier, brave and true. But it does not matter how old I am. You took the florit, so now you must give me my answer.

Fortuneteller: A soldier brave and true?

Narrator: She laughed and spat on the ground.

Fortuneteller: Very well, soldier brave and true, if you say it is so, then it is so. Ask me your question.

Narrator: Peter felt a small stab of fear. What if after all this time he could not bear the truth? What if he did not really want to know?

Fortuneteller: Speak. Ask.

Peter: My parents.

Fortuneteller: That is your question? They are dead.

Narrator: Peter's hands trembled.

Peter: That is not my question. I know that already. You must tell me something that I do not know. You must tell me of another -- you must tell me . . .

Narrator: The fortuneteller narrowed her eyes.

Fortuneteller: Ahh. Her? Your sister? That is your question? Very well. She lives.

Narrator: Peter's heart seized upon the words. She lives. She lives!

Peter: No, please.

Narrator: He closed his eyes. He concentrated.

Peter: If she lives, then I must find her, so my question is, how I do I make my way there, to where she is?

Narrator: He kept his eyes closed; he waited.

Fortuneteller: The elephant.

Peter: What?

Narrator: He opened his eyes, certain that he had misunderstood.

Fortuneteller: You must follow the elephant. She will lead you there.

Click here to meet THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT

Click here to see a video about Kate DiCamillo and her work.

Do you believe in magic?

Do you believe in miracles.

You will once you have read The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo.

See some amazing illustrations, and meet Yoko Tanaka, the illustrator.

Meet Kate DiCamillo, the author of The Magician’s Elephant..

Other Books by Kate DiCamillo

Mockingbird (Mok’-ing-

bûrd)By Kathryn Erskine

Philomel Books, 2010

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white.  Things are good or bad.  Anything in between is confusing.  That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. 

But now Devon’s dead, and her father cries a lot.  Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how.

When Caitlin reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs.

In her search for closure, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

How do you say “Erskine”? Click here to find out

.

Click here to visit Kathryn Erskine's blog.

Author, Kathryn Erskine

Discover how Caitlyn makes a friend and finds closure for herself, and for her father in Mockingbird (Mok-ing-burd) by Kathryn Erskine.

RatfinkBy Marcia Thornton

JonesDutton Children’s Books, 2010

Poor Logan. He always seems to be getting into trouble. Fifth grade will be different. Then Grandpa moves in. Grandpa is becoming more and more forgetful and Logan doesn’t want him doing embarrassing things - especially in front of his friends.

Then there is Emily Scott. She’s had it in for Logan since the first day of school. She is trying to set him up so he looks like he turned ratfink on his best friend, Malik. And when Emily produces an embarrassing photo of Logan, will he really turn “ratfink” to preserve his reputation and save Grandpa?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f52g2HMojP8

Is Logan a ratfink, or does he end up doing the right thing?

Marcia Thornton Jones, author of Ratfink, lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband and two cats, Coco and Calli. She has written lots of books on her own. She has also co-written many others, including the Bailey School Kids books, with her writing partner, Debbie Dadey.

Teachers and students may visit Marcia Thornton Jones’ website for fun activities, including 3-act play scripts of some of her books. www.marciatjones.com.

Coco-Mo VelvetCalliope Felice

The Strange Case of

Origami YodaBy Tom Angleberger

Amulet Books, 2010

Some say it takes the wisdom of Yoda to survive sixth grade.

Meet Dwight, a sixth-grade oddball. Dwight does a lot of weird things, like wearing the same T-shirt for a month or telling people to call him “Captain Dwight”. This is embarrassing, particularly for Tommy, who sits with him at lunch every day.

But Dwight does one cool thing. He makes origami. One day he makes an origami finger puppet of Yoda. And that’s when things get mysterious. Origami Yoda can predict the future…

Want to make an Origami Yoda of your own? Just click on the link below and follow directions. You’ll soon have a Yoda of your own,and you will get to meet Tom Angleberger, the author.

Click here for video instructions fo creating Origami Yoda.

Tom Angleberger, Creator of Origami Yoda.

http://riddleburger.wordpress.com/

Tom Angleberger artist-turned-writer. He is a columnist for the Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia, and began work on his first book while in middle school. Tom is married to author-illustrator Cece Bell. He lives in Christianburg, Virginia.

Coming Soon!

Turtle in Paradise

By Jennifer HolmRandom House, 2010

Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending.

It’s 1935 and times are hard. So when Turtle's mama gets a job house-keeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she's never met.

Florida's like nothing Turtle has ever seen. It's hot and strange, full of ragtag boy cousins, a wagonload of babies, a crotchety old grandmother she didn’t know she had, and a secret treasure.

Other Books by Jennifer Holm

http://www.jenniferholm.com/02_mybooks/01_overview.html

Wild GirlBy Patricia Reilly

GiffWendy Lamb Books, 2009

Lidie lives in Jales, Brazil, where she’s free to ride, to be a wild girl, and to dream of going to live with her father and older brother, Rafael, in New York City. Finally Lidie is 12—time to leave Brazil for New York.

Meanwhile, a filly is born and begins her journey to a new home too. As Lidie’s story unfolds, so does the filly’s.

Lidie’s father runs a stable at a famous race track, and Rafael is training to be a jockey. As much as they want to make Lidie feel welcome, they still think of her as the little girl they left behind. They don’t even know what a strong rider she is, and that she’s determined to befriend and ride the wild filly her father has just bought: Wild Girl.

Click here to find even more books by Patricia Reilly Giff.

Author, Patricia Reilly Giff

2012 KBA 3-5 Master List Snapshots