Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice 2011-2012Grades 3-5

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of

Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal

By: Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

This biography profiles the life of Bass Reeves, a former slave who was recruited as a deputy United States Marshal in the area that was to become Oklahoma.

The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes

By: Roderick Townley

A mysterious stranger commissions a single, valuable shoe from a humble cobbler, changing forever the cobbler's life and the life of his young apprentice.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity

By: Mac Bernett

When twelve-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective, he must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information. Book #1

The Dream Stealer

By: Sid Fleischman

A plucky Mexican girl tries to recover her dream from the Dream Stealer, who takes her to his castle where countless dreams and even more adventures await.

The Dunderheads

By: Paul Fleischman

When Miss Breakbone confiscates Junkyard's crucial find, Wheels, Pencil, Spider, and the rest of the Dunderheads plot to teach her a lesson.

Extra CreditBy: Andrew Clements

As letters flow back and forth, between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides, sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

Flight of the PhoenixBy: R. L. LaFevers

With his parents lost at sea, Nate lands on the doorstep of a distant cousin, the world's last remaining beastologist. Soon he is whisked off on his first expedition, to Arabia, where the world's only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg. Book #1

The Hidden Bestiary of Marvelous, Mysterious, and (Maybe Even)

Magical Creatures

By: Judy Young

This book contains journal entries in which Basil Bernard Barnswhitten documents his exploration of rare animals and his findings.

Little Sister is Not My Name: Sassy Series Book 1

By: Sharon Draper

Fashion-savvy Sassy does not like being the smallest student in her fourth-grade class, until a family emergency calls for a pint-sized hero. Book #1

Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11

By: Brian Floca

Simple text and illustrations describe the flight of "Apollo 11" and the Moon landing in 1969.

Redwoods

By: Jason Chin

While reading a book about redwood trees on the subway, a young boy travels as he learns, all the way to the forests of California.

Sea of the Dead

By: Julia Durango

When thirteen-year-old Kehl, fifth son of the Warrior Prince Amatec, is kidnapped by the Fallen King and forced to map the entire Carillon Empire, he also discovers a secret about his own past.

Tsunami!

By: Kimiko Kajikawa

A wealthy man, who everyone calls Ojiisan, which means grandfather, sets fire to his rice fields to warn the innocent people in a Japanese village of an approaching tsunami.

We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes!

By: Patrick Jennings

When Crusher the snake is captured, her only thought is to escape, but as time goes by and she befriends the other inmates of the "zoo," she realizes that freedom also means leaving companions behind.

Wild Girl

By: Patricia Reilly Giff

When twelve-year-old Lidie leaves Brazil to join her father and brother on a horse ranch in New York, she has a hard time adjusting to her changed circumstances, as does a new horse that has come to the ranch.