2013 Children’s

Sequoyah

Masterlist

The masterlists are not intended to be an automatic recommendation of the books. Since selection policies vary, please apply your specific selection criteria to each title and purchase those titles that best meet the needs of your library or school. It is not the intention of the committees that every student must read every book on the masterlists

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger Tommy and his friends try to decide whether or not a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn and voiced by their loser classmate Dwight, can really predict the future and give reliable advice. If Tommy follows Yoda’s guidance at the 6th grade dance, will he dance with the cutest girl in school or make a fool of himself?

The Fast and the Furriest by Andy Behrens Twelve-year-old Kevin Pugh and his beagle Cromwell live the couch-potato life although his former-pro-athlete father disapproves. A dog-agility competition on television and Cromwell’s talent for the sport inspire Kevin to form Team Cromwell and compete; but is it enough to satisfy his father?

Out of My Mind

by Sharon D. Draper

Most people think ten-year-old Melody is mentally handicapped because cerebral palsy makes her unable to speak or control her body, but her mind is incredibly gifted. They are astonished when a new adaptive computer lets her show her knowledge, but she must still face a world that is often cruel and always difficult.

The Buffalo are Back

by Jean Craighead George

The story of the buffalo is intertwined with the story of the prairie. Learn how both were nearly lost and how people like President Theodore Roosevelt helped to bring them back.

How to Clean a Hippopotamus: A Look at Unusual Animal Partnerships

By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page.

Concise text and Jenkins’ paper collage illustrations create a symbiosis of their own as they show how various animal pairs live and work together to their mutual benefit. Both familiar and lesser known examples are included as well as supplementary material on the creatures’ size, habitant and habits.

Fish by Gregory Mone Twelve-year-old “Fish” Reidy is waylaid while delivering a package for his uncle and soon finds himself on the Scurvy Mistress amidst a crew of crusty, ill-tempered pirates. Fish works to earn the Captain’s trust and must use cleverness, courage and his incredible swimming ability to survive the pirate life and thwart a deadly mutiny.

Black Elk’s Vision: A Lakota Story By S.D. Nelson The clash of white and Lakota cultures is clearly depicted in this first-person account of the Battles of Little Big Horn and Wounded Knee through the eyes and visions of Black Elk, a Lakota wachisha wakan – medicine man, as well as his later travels to New York City and Europe with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor Young Owen discovers a two-man submarine that has fallen off a passing train, and he and his friends plan to launch it in the pond near Owen’s rural Georgia home to search for Tooley Graham, his enormous, recently liberated pet frog. But their plans may fall apart after Owen’s annoying neighbor Viola discovers their secret.

The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco Young Trisha looks forward to her new school, where she thinks she will no longer be in a special class and is dismayed to find she is in Room 206, the “junkyard.” But her wise teacher instills pride and unity in all her “Junkyard Wonders” by showing them that a junkyard is a place of infinite possibilities just waiting to be developed.

Ramsey, Calvin. Ruth and the Green Book by Clavin Ramsey Ruth, an African-American child, relates her family’s car trip from Chicago to visit relatives in Alabama, the racism they encounter and the help they receive from other African-Americans and the Green Book.

Star in the Forest by Laura Resau Eleven-year-old Zitlally takes refuge in an old junkyard near her Colorado trailer park after her illegal immigrant father is deported to Mexico. In this metal “forest” she makes a needed friend and discovers and cares for a neglected dog, believing it to be her father’s “spirit dog” that she must keep safe so her father will return.

Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer Singer’s original poetic form she calls reversos retell 14 classic folk tales from two viewpoints which are reflected in the split illustrations. Each poem is paired with an inverted version of the same lines in reverse order, changing the perspective and literally turning the tale on its head.

The Dancing Pancake by Eileen Spinelli Sixth-grader Bindi’s once normal life is spun out of control when her parents separate, forcing her to move to a new apartment, find new friends and help her mother with a new business venture, The Dancing Pancake. The staff and customers of the café help Bindi adjust to life’s changes, both good and bad, in this novel in verse.

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker, the daughter of a vagabond, is sent to stay with her father’s old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where her dad grew up. While her father works on the railroad in 1936, she learns more about him, his past, and the mysteries of Manifest.

On the Blue Comet By Rosemary Wells During the Great Depression 11-year-old Oscar Ogilvie and his father lose their house and beloved train sets. Oscar must live with stern Aunt Carmen when his father goes west to find work, and his loneliness leads him on a great adventure through time and space aboard the Blue Comet.