Battle of the Books

2012-13

Who can participate? 4th-5th grade students

Form teams of 4-6 students from the same grade level

Everyone who wants to participate can

What’s it all about? It’s like a book club for students who

love to read and discuss books

Teams read from a list of 20 great books

Teams meet often to share impressions, compare notes and master the details

Teams compete in the spring

How do I sign up? Take home a registration form and talk it

over with your parents (permission required)

Talk to your friends - round up a team Recruit an adult team manager or coach

to help you stay organized Turn in your team forms to

Ms. Hodgson by October 1st

2011-12 Champions:The Fantastic Word Eaters

What books are on the list?

The Beloved Dearlyby Doug Cooney

Although his father has forbidden it, Ernie is a twelve-year-old business tycoon and he makes a tidy profit in the pet funeral business. But when he refuses to give his star employee a raise and the business starts to fall apart, it takes the death of his own dog to bring everyoneback together.

Coyote Autumnby Bill Wallace

When 12-year old Brad and his family move from a Chicago apartment to a home in the woods of Oklahoma, a motherless coyote shows up as his first opportunity to raise a pet, but what will his parents think?

Dexter the Toughby Margaret Peterson Haddix

A sympathetic teacher and her writing assignment help fourth-grader Dexter deal with being the new kid in school after he punches another kid on the first day.

Emily’s Fortune*by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

While traveling to her aunt's home in Redbud by train and stagecoach, quiet young Emily and her turtle, Rufus, team up with Jackson, fellow orphan and troublemaker extraordinaire, to outsmart mean Uncle Victor, who is after Emily's inheritance.(*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

The Flag of Fifty-Six Starsby Susan Goldman Rubin

Recounts the true events of May 6, 1945, when members of the U.S. Army marched into the Mauthausen concentration camp during World War II, and were presented with a makeshift United States flag by a groupof prisoners of war.

Frindleby Andrew Clements

Nick Allen is very bright and when he starts 5th grade with Mrs. Granger, he learns she has a reputation for never letting her students get away with anything. However, her love of dictionaries and his love of mischief combinefor a rousing year of challenges for both.

From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweilerby E. L. Koningsburg

Claudia decides to run away to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. She and little brother Jamie set up residence in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her search for the owner of a beautiful statue solves a mysteryand ultimately helps herfind her way home.

Guinea Dog*by Patrick Jennings

Rufus has been dreaming of getting a dog. But his dad has a few objections: They whine. They gnaw. They bark. They scratch. They beg. They drool. When Mom comes home with an alternative, no one in the family is ready for what happens next. (*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

The Great Turkey Walkby Kathleen Karr

In 1860, fifteen-year-old third-grader Simon Green attempts to herd one thousand turkeys from Missouri to Denver, Colorado, in hopes of selling them at a profit.

Junkyard Wonders*by Patricia Polacco

Trisha is excited about starting fresh in a new school until she learns she is assigned to the room called the junkyard. Her school year takes a surprising turn when her new teacher begins the year by reading the definition of genius and telling them that’s what they are. Based on PatriciaPolacco's childhood.(*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

Moon Over Manifest*by Clare Vanderpool

Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past.(*WAW 6-8 Nominee)

Out of My Mind*by Sharon Draper

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined tolet everyone know it… somehow. (*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

Punishedby David Lubar

Logan and his friend Benedict are playing tag in the library when he gets caught by a mysterious man. When Logan doesn't apologize sincerely, the mysterious gentleman punishes him by causing him tospeak in puns.

Sixteen Years In Sixteen Secondsby Paula Yoo

This true story about Korean American Sammy Lee shares how he worked hard to become an Olympic diver in an age when racism and prejudice ruled in America. He also honored his father's wishes and became a doctor.

Small Steps-The Year I Got Polioby Peg Kehret

The popular children’s author describes her real-life battle with polio at age thirteen and her efforts to overcome its debilitating effects.

Star in the Forest*by Laura Resau

After eleven-year-old Zitlally's father is deported to Mexico, she takes refuge in her trailer park's forest of rusted car parts, where she befriends a spunky neighbor and finds a stray dog. She nurses him back to health and begins to believe she must keephim safe so that herfather will return. (*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

Tuck Everlastingby Natalie Babbitt

The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growingany older.

Turtle in Paradise*by Jennifer Holm

When her mother gets a job as a housekeeper for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida in 1935. (*WAW 3-5 Nominee)

When Marian Sangby Pam Munoz Ryan

An introduction to the life of Marian Anderson, extraordinary singer and civil rights activist, who was the first African American to perform at the Metropolitan Opera, and whose life andcareer encouragedsocial change.

The Year of Miss Agnesby Kirkpatrick Hill

Ten-year-old Fred (short for Frederika) narrates the story of school and village life among the Athapascans in Alaska during 1948 when Miss Agnes arrived as the new teacher.

Battle of the Books

2012-2013