Barnum's Bones by Tracey Fern

Grades: 3-4

Do you love dinosaurs? Would you like to be a “Bone Hunter?”
Barnum Brown did and was! As a boy Barnum loved bones and he dreamed about finding bones from a species that no one had ever found before. Read this true story about an unusual boy who became famous for finding bones.

Author Website: http://www.traceyfern.com/

Bill the Boy Wonder: the Secret Co-creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman

Grades: 3-6

Who really created Batman? After years of obscurity, Batman’s true
creator is finally credited with the invention of one the most famous
superheroes of all time.

Author Website: http://noblemania.blogspot.com/
     ***NOTE: Some school filters may block this BLOG***

Brother from a Box by Evan Kuhlman

Grades: 4-6

Sixth-grader Matt Rambeau finds out what it is like to have a brother
(some assembly required) when his father, a computer genius, creates a robot kid named Norman. Norman goes to school with Matt, shares his feelings and ideas, plays, and even does chores, but will he be able to fight for his "life" when he ends up being chased by spies?

Author Website: None

Dogs on Duty:Soldier's Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent

Grades: 3-6

Throughout history, dogs have been key contributors to military units.
This book follows man’s best friend onto the battlefield, showing
readers why dogs are uniquely qualified for military missions, how they
are trained, become soldiers, and what happens when they retire.

Author Website: http://www.dorothyhinshawpatent.com/

Double Dog Dare by Lisa Graff

Grades: 4-6

 Fourth grade students Francine and Kansas are in a double dare contest
to win the morning announcer spot for their school. These dares are out
of control until the two enemies discover their common secret.

Author website:  http://www.lisagraff.com/

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

Grades: 5-6

When Sage is taken from his orphanage by a nobleman, his life
completely changes. He soon discovers that he is part of a plot to
impersonate the long lost prince of the kingdom. Since only one boy
will be chosen, defiant Sage has to be the one … or it could mean his
death.

Author Website: http://www.jennielsen.com/

The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Evil Penguin Plan by Maxwell Eaton III

Grades: 3-6

Beaver brothers, Ace and Bub, are planning on winning the surfing
competition. Evil penguins are plotting a zany attempt to turn the
beaver’s tropical island into a polar resort. There is action, adventure,
silly puns and lots of fun packed into this little graphic novel.

Author Website: http://www.maxwelleaton.com/index.htm

Jake and Lily by Jerry Spinelli

Grades: 4-6

Twins Jake and Lily have always shared a special connection called
“goombla,” but the summer of their eleventh birthday their relationship
begins to change. Jake becomes friends with a group of local boys, the
“Death Rays,” and Lily, feeling abandoned, turns to her understanding
grandfather, Poppy, for help in finding her own way.

Author Website: http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm

King of the Mound: My summer with Satchel Paige by Wes Tooke

Grades: 4-6

Nick loves baseball and helping out the Bismarck Churchill’s, the semiprofessional baseball team for which his father is a catcher. During the summer of 1935, as he is recovering from polio with a brace on one leg, he gets to see the great pitcher, Satchel Paige, play ball and learn important lessons about overcoming the odds.

Author Website: http://site.westooke.com/

Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead

Grades: 3-6

After moving to a new neighborhood and attending his first Spy Club
meeting, Georges meets Safer, an exciting new friend! But when
Georges is assigned a new mission spying on his mysterious neighbor,
Mr. X, he begins to learn that Safer has been keeping some very serious
secrets of his own.

Author Website: http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Grades: 3-6

Inspired by the true story of a gorilla who spent 30 years alone in a
cage at an indoor zoo in a mall, this beautifully written book is told
from the point of view of Ivan, the Gorilla. Follow his struggle to free
himself and a baby elephant from his down and out “domain.”

Author Website: None

Snakes by Nic Bishop

Grades: 3-6

Are all snakes poisonous? How do they find their prey? Did you know
they hear by using the bones in their jaws? Explore the fascinating and
sometimes horrifying world of snakes with vivid, full page photographs
and engaging facts that will give you a new appreciation of these scaly
silent creatures.

Author Website: http://www.nicbishop.com/

The Templeton Twins have an idea by Ellis Weiner

Grades: 3-6

This hilarious adventure features genius inventors, nefarious kidnappers, and a pair of very clever 12-year-old twins. The narrator makes you laugh out loud with his snarky comments.

Author Website: http://www.ellisweiner.com/

Three times lucky by Sheila Turnage

Grades: 3-6

Eleven years ago during a hurricane, “Mo” was rescued by the Colonel,
and her “Upstream Mother” has yet to claim her! Now a neighbor has
been murdered, her best friend Dale’s family is in turmoil, the Colonel
is missing, and another hurricane is beginning to blow!

Author Website: http://www.sheilaturnage.com/

True (sort of...) by Katherine Hannigan

Grades: 4-6

Deli Patterson was trouble. But, her temper is getting the best of her…one more trip to the principal’s office and she will be kicked out of school and break her mother’s heart. Deli befriends a girl named Ferris who is a mysturiosity (an extremely curious mystery). What they accomplish together is amazing!

Author Website:http://www.katherinehannigan.com/

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George

Grades: 4-6

Every Tuesday, Castle Glower adds a new room, tower or even a whole
wing. Princess Celie, who lives there with her family, happily maps the
changes. When the King and Queen are taken captive, it is up to Celie
and her siblings, with a little help from the magic castle, to save the
kingdom.

Author Website: http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

Ungifted by Gordan Korman

Grades: 5-6

Donovan Curtis has a flare for trouble. In a twist of fate, Donovan finds himself in a school for gifted students. Is his “gift” for trouble enough to help him survive?

Author website: http://www.gordonkorman.com/

The Whole Story of Half a Girl by Veera Hiranandani

Grades: 4-6

Just when Sonia Nadhamuri, did not think it could get any worse – it
did! This half Indian, half Jewish American girl’s dad has lost his job
and she must leave her beloved alternative school and enroll in the new
world of public school. During the year, she discovers what really
matters and who her true friends are in order to make her whole again!

Author Website: http://www.veerahiranandani.com/

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Grades 4-6

August Pullman was born with a craniofacial abnormality—a genetic
defect that caused his facial features to be severely deformed. Told
from multiple perspectives, this is the tale of August’s transition from
home school to private middle school. Will he make friends? Will he
decide to stay at the school? And can the people around him learn to
see past his appearance?

Author website: http://rjpalacio.com/

The Year of the Book by Andrea Cheng

Grades 3-6

Follow 10-year-old Anna Wang through a year of her life as she
navigates fourth grade, balances her Chinese-American cultural
identities, reads some amazing books and finds her true best friend.

Author website: http://www.andreacheng.com/

And the 2013 RICBA winner is...

Sidekicks by Dan Santat!

                                                                                        

Author	Title	Votes
Santat, Dan	Sidekicks	750
Buyea, Rob	Because of Mr. Terupt	675
Wardlaw, Lee	Won-Ton: A Cat Tale Told In Haiku	576
Weeks, Sarah	Pie	554
Selznick, Brian	Wonderstruck	465
Tashjian, Janet	My Life as a Stuntboy	417
Sweet, Melissa	Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade	408
Boelts, Maribeth	The P.S. Brothers	395
Jurmain, Suzanne Tripp.	Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John  Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud	386
de La Peña, Matt	A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis	371
Perl, Erica S.	When Life Gives You O.J.	310
Carman, Patrick	Floors	301
Jacobson, Jennifer	Small as an Elephant	267
Messner, Kate	Marty Maguire	226
Lai, Thanhha	Inside Out & Back Again	157
Mills, Claudia	Fractions = Trouble	121
Couloumbis, Audrey	Jake	116
Shang, Wendy Wan-Long	The Great Wall of Lucy Wu	108
Cervantes, Jennifer	Tortilla Sun	96
Deedy, Carmen Agra and Randall Wright	The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale	92
TOTAL VOTES: 6,791 from 72 schools and 2 public libraries