2001-2002 Annotated Booklist

Battle of the Books -- Annotated List -- 2001-2002

Nothing but the Truth -- Avi
Philip Malloy, a 9th grader from Harrison High, NH, causes some trouble in Miss
Narwin's class by humming to the National Anthem. The problem is that Miss Narwin
leads him into a vortex of problems, which he does not seem to be able to escape. She claims that Philip "was causing a disturbance." So many people get involved that it becomes a HUGE problem concerning everyone. In time, Philip says, "I don't want to go back." I really liked this book because of all the suspense in it. It was told through transcripts, journal entries, and conversations. Anyone who likes books with suspense should read this book.

Ender’s Game -- Orson Scott Card
Ender's game is a sci/fi novel that tells the story of a young boy named Andrew
Wiggum (named Ender by his sister Valentine). The story takes place on an asteroid in the future. Earth has been attacked twice by an alien species called the Buggers, nearly destroying the human race. Mankind begins training young geniuses to fight as soldiers and commanders in Earth's defense in case of another attack. Ender is extremely intelligent for age six and gets sent off to battle school to train. He quickly rises among the ranks of people at battle school until he is at the top. He then begins training to lead Earth's fleet in battle.

The Wanderer -- Sharon Creech
The Wanderer has to be my favorite book of Sharon Creech's. If you love the sea,
sailing, fishing or swimmming, marine life or any sea animal then you'll love this book. The book has Sophie's and Cody's journals of their journey on the sea. It is especially neat to see what Cody writes about Sophie and what Sophie writes about Cody. Everyone in the story has a distinct character. This book is a must read! It is also not very hard to get through, the print is rather large and I read it in only two days! It really shows the ups and downs of a sailor's life!

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key -- Jack Gantos
Joey Pigza has problems. Big problems. He was emotionally abused by his
grandmother. He has never met his dad. He can't get along in his elementary school
classroom because of his mood swings and his "dud meds." We gradually see that Joey
must have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), which is not being effectively controlled with his current medication. Joey's life is a terrifying roller-coaster ride, and Jack Gantos,author of the Rotten Ralph books, drags the reader along to see what life is like with ADD. The story is written from the boy's point of view in a sharp, worried style that veers out of control when Joey does.

Among the Hidden -- Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a society where family size is strictly limited to two children, Luke is a third
child. Living in an attic bedroom to avoid being seen by authorities, Luke peers through an outside vent and observes another ""shadow child"" hiding in a nearby home, thereby beginning a secret friendship with Jen, who plans to rebel against the government system. The conclusion is abrupt, but the novel plot is thought provoking and readable.

Jason’s Gold -- Will Hobbs
Within hours of hearing the thrilling news, fifteen-year-old Jason Hawthorn
jumps a train for Seattle, stow away on a ship bound for the goldfields, and joins
thousands of fellow prospectors attempting the difficult journey to the Klondike. The Dead Horse Trail, the infamous Chilkott Pass, and a five-hundred-mile trip by canoe down the Yukon River lie ahead. With help from a young writer named Jack London, Jason and his dog face moose, bears, and the terrors of a subartic winter in this bone-chilling survival story.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town -- Kimberly Willard Holt
Summer in the tiny Texas town of Antler is traditionally a time for enjoying
Wylie Womack's Bahama Mama snow cones and racking up the pins at Kelly's Bowl-a-
Rama, but this year it's not going well for Toby Wilson. His 13-year-old heart has been broken twice: once by his mother, who left him and his father to become a country singer in Nashville, and then again by his crush Scarlett Stalling, the town beauty who barely acknowledges Toby's existence. But when Zachary Beaver, "The World's Fattest Boy," comes to Antler as part of a traveling sideshow, Toby begins to realize that there might just be people who have it worse than him. By reaching out to Zachary in small ways--such as helping him realize his lifelong dream of being baptized--Toby is better able to put his own problems into perspective.

Good Night, Maman -- Norma Fox Mazer
From Booklist
Miriam Bat-Ami's Two Suns in the Sky tells the story of the World War II Emergency
Refugee Camp in Oswego, New York, from the alternating viewpoints of a local teenager and a young Holocaust survivor in the camp. Mazer's focus is on the Jewish refugee story, starting in Europe, where for two years Karin Levi and her older brother, Marc, are in hiding and on the run from their Paris home. Karin's father has been rounded up for Auschwitz. Her mother ("Maman") is ill, and, in a tearing parting , the children have to leave their mother behind if they are to get away.

The Hero and the Crown -- Robin McKinley
Although she is the daughter of Damar's king, Aerin has never been accepted as
full royalty. Both in and out of the royal court, people whisper the story of her mother,the witchwoman, who was said to have enspelled the king into marrying her to get an heir to rule Damar-then died of despair when she found she had borne a daughter instead of a son. But none of them, not even Aerin herself, can predict her future.

A Long Way from Chicago -- Richard Peck
For those who grew up in storytelling families, there's nothing more comforting
than a voice settling in to tell a family tale. A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO will put
you in mind of storytelling afternoons on the front porch. Peck's Newbery Honor title fairly begged to be recorded, for it's the seven episodic chapters-one for each summer that Joey and Mary Alice visit their gun-totin' Grandma Dowdel in her Illinois town-that make the book memorable. Ron McLarty adopts the perfect unruffled tone as he relates the series of outrageous tales, all taking place from 1929 to 1935 and starring the gruff and grumble Grandma Dowdel and her two Chicago grandchildren. A cast of small-town characters-eccentric, pompous, or unpretentious in turn-complements the story.

Captain’s Dog -- Roland Smith
Born the runt of his litter and gambled away to a rusty old riverman, the
Newfoundland pup Seaman doesn't imagine his life will be marked by any kind of glory-beyond chasing down rats. But when he meets Captain Meriwether Lewis, Seaman finds himself on a path that will make history. Lewis is just setting off on his landmark search for the Northwest Passage, and he takes Seaman along. Sharing the curiosity and strength of spirit of his new master, Seaman proves himself a valuable companion at every turn. Part history, part science-and adventure through and through-The Captain's Dog is the carefully researched, thrilling tale of America's greatest journey of discovery, as seen through the keen, compassionate eyes of a remarkable dog.

Shabanu -- Suzanne Fisher Staples
Eleven-year-old Shabanu is the younger daughter in a family of nomadic camel
herders living in the Cholistan desert area of modern Pakistan; she is fiercely proud of her family and way of life. But she attempts to run away rather than marry a man chosen for her. The vivid portrayal of life and death in this desert world is stunning in its honesty.

Sammy Keyes and the Sister of Mercy -- Wendelin Van Draanen
Sammy is serving detention at St. Mary's church where she find herself a suspect
when Fr. Mayhew's gold cross is stolen from the safe. Intertwined around this main event are equally riveting ones: Sammy's relentless curiosity about Holly, who she notices while working at the Homeless Shelter; the junior high school rivalry between Sammy and Heather that escalates during baseball season; and the flamboyant manners of the Sisters of Mercy who descend upon St. Mary's. This story personifies the Sammy Keyes character, with all its adolescent love, anger, and humor. Listeners who love baseball will delight in this novel, as the playoffs for the championship highlight this story. Mystery fans will enjoy this 1999 Edgar Award winner for Best Children's Mystery.

Bat 6 -- Virginia Euwer Wolff
Three years after the end of World War II, 11-year-old Aki Mikami and her
family return to their home and orchard in Bear Creek Ridge. They've been gone for six years--since the day in 1942 when they were forced to join tens of thousands of other Americans of Japanese ancestry in internment camps. Coinciding with their return, the Japanese-hating Shazam, whose father died at Pearl Harbor, comes to live with her grandmother in the nearby town of Barlow.

Chinese Cinderella -- Adeline Yen Mah
Chinese Cinderella is the perfect title for Adeline Yen Mah's compelling
autobiography in which, like the fairy-tale maiden, her childhood was ruled by a cruel stepmother. "Fifth Younger Sister" or "Wu Mei," as Yen Mah was called, is only an infant when her father remarries after her mother's death. As the youngest of her five siblings, Wu Mei suffers the worst at the hands of her stepmother Niang. She is denied carfare, frequently forgotten at school at the end of the day, and whipped for daring to attend a classmate's birthday party against Niang's wishes. Her father even forgets the spelling of her name when filling out her school enrollment record. In her loneliness, Wu Mei turns to books for company: "I was alone with my beloved books. What bliss! To be left in peace with Cordelia, Regan, Gonoril, and Lear himself--characters more real than my family... "