Massachusetts Children’s Book Award nominees2012-2013

The Golden Ghost,By Marion Dane Bauer

Delsie knew it wasn't a good idea to dare her best friend Todd to explore the abandoned houses by the old mill. But she couldn't back down after the words slipped out of her mouth. Delsie and Todd sneak inside and discover two strange things. Someone is living there. And something doesn't want Delsie to leave. It's a dog, a strange golden dog, that only Delsie can see!

because of Mr. Terupt,by Rob Buyea

It’s the start of a new year for seven kids at Snow Hill School. There’s Jessica, the new girl, smart and perceptive, who’s having a hard time fitting in; Alexia, a bully, your friend one second, your enemy the next; Peter, class prankster and troublemaker; Luke, the brain; Danielle, who never stands up for herself; shy Anna, whose home situation makes her an outcast; and Jeffrey, who hates school. Only Mr. Terupt, their new and energetic teacher, seems to know how to deal with them all. He makes the classroom a fun place, until the snowy winter day when an accident changes everything—and everyone.

Falling in, by Frances O’Roark Dowell

Isabelle Bean is trying to pay attention to her teacher, but she hears a buzz in her ear that she can’t seem to shake. Isabelle’s so distracted by the buzz that she gets sent to the principal’s office, and then while awaiting her punishment, she tumbles into an adventure—into another world that’s a little bit different, a little bit Hansel and Gretel-y, a little bit like a fairy tale. Which would be great, but since she shows up in fairy-tale land wearing her favorite high, pointy boots, the fairy-tale people start thinking that Isabelle is a witch—and not just any witch, but the witch!

Mockingbird,By Kathryn Erskine

From inside Caitlin's head, readers see the very personal aftermath of a middle school shooting that took the life of the older brother she adored. Caitlin is a bright fifth grader and a gifted artist. She also has Asperger's syndrome, and her brother, Devon, was the one who helped her interpret the world.

Now, it’s up to Caitlin to help herself heal with some help from her counselor, and doing so, helps the whole community heal from this terrible tragedy.

The Robe of Skulls: The First Tale from the Five

Kingdoms,By Vivian French

High above the mountain village of Fracture, trouble is brewing. The sorceress Lady Lamorna wants a skull-studded gown of deep black velvet, but her treasure chest is empty of gold. That doesn’t stop her from kidnapping, blackmailing, and magic to get what she needs. Will her plans be foiled by the heroic Gracie Gillypot, two chatty bats, a gallant, but scruffy prince, a troll, and some very ancient crones?

Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Practicing the Piano

(but she does love being in recitals),

By Peggy Gifford

Preparing for her piano recital, Moxy puts all her time and energy into her dress and the other nine things she has to do before her big night, including making a fake ermine trim for her cape; trying on her crown, warming up her voice in case she gets asked to sing and most important of all--putting on her stage make up, leaving no time for actual rehearsal. Will she get stage fright? Will she get stuck on the same part? Who knows what will happen when Moxy gets on stage?

Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel,

By Nikki Grimes

Dyamonde Daniel may be new in town, but that doesn't stop her from making a place for herself in a jiffy. With her can-do attitude and awesome brainpower, she knows the whole neighborhood in about a minute. The only thing puzzling her is the other new kid in her class. He's awfully grouchy--but Dyamonde's determined to get to the bottom of his frowning attitude. Who knows--maybe they have something in common, and maybe they could even be friends.

Roberto & Me, by Dan Gutman

What would you do if you knew there was going to be a terrible accident?

When Stosh travels into the past to meet Roberto Clemente, a legendary ballplayer and a beloved humanitarian, he’s got only one goal: warning Roberto not to get on the doomed plane that will end his life in a terrible crash.

Turtle in Paradise,By Jennifer Holm

In 1935, jobs are hard to come by, and Turtle's mother is lucky to find work as a live-in housekeeper. When she learns that her employer can't stand children, she sends her 11-year-old daughter from New Jersey to Key West, Florida to live with relatives. Turtle discovers boisterous cousins, Nana Philly, and… buried treasure.

Guinea Dog,By Patrick Jennings

Rufus has been dreaming of getting a dog. His best friend has one. His worst friend has one. But his dad has a few objections: They whine. They gnaw. They bark. They scratch. They beg. They drool.

But then, Rufus’s mother comes home with a guinea pig. And if Rufus's dad thinks dogs are a problem, he won't know what hit him when he meets the Guinea Pig that Thinks She's a Dog. She barks. She bites. She'll even eat your homework.

Scumble, by Ingrid Law

In this sequel to Savvy, Ledger’s 13th birthday arrives with the usual family inheritance of a “savvy”—a power unique to each individual, who must then learn how to control this new talent. At first it seems that Ledge’s savvy is one for destruction: “I could blow stuff apart without a touch, but during a summer visit to Uncle Autry’s Wyoming ranch, Ledger struggles against 13-year-old Sarah Jane Cabot, an aspiring reporter looking to expose the family’s secrets, and whose businessman father is trying to foreclose on the ranch.

Touchblue, by Cynthia Lord

The state of Maine plans to shut down her island's schoolhouse, which would force Tess's family to move to the mainland--and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. Fortunately, the islanders have a plan too: increase the numbers of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a thirteen-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home.

“An exquisite second novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES!”

Shoot-Out: Mike Lupica’s Comeback

Kid),By Mike Lupica

What happens when a star player ends up on the worst team? He either learns to lose or he stops playing the game he loves. These are the choices facing Jake, who has gone from champion to last place, testing his sportsmanship every time his soccer team gets waxed. It is his teammate Kevin who shows Jake that being a good captain means scoring and assisting off the field as much as being the star player on it.

The Sixty-Eight Rooms,By Marianne Malone

The Chicago Art Institute has a collection of 68 exquisite miniature rooms made in the 1930s by Mrs. James Ward Thorne. Each of the 68 rooms is designed in the style of a different historic period, and every detail is perfect, from the knobs on the doors to the candles in the candlesticks. Some might even say, the rooms are magic.

Imagine—what if you discovered a key that allowed you to shrink so that you were small enough to sneak inside and explore the rooms’ secrets? What if you discovered that others had done so before you? And that someone had left something important behind?

Everything for a Dog,By Ann M. Martin

Bone is a stray dog, all alone in the world, looking for a safe place to call home. Charlie is devastated by the death of his older brother, but at least he has his brother’s dog to comfort him. All Henry wants is a dog of his own, and even when his best friend moves away, his parents still won’t let him have one. Bone, Charlie, and Henry don’t know each other, but their lives are about to connect in a very surprising way. Because dogs, and dog lovers, have a way of finding each other . . .

The Candymakers,By Wendy Maas

In the town of Spring Haven, four children have been selected to compete in the national candymaking contest of a lifetime. Who will make a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Yellow Lightning Chew?

Will it be Logan, the candymaker's son, or Miles, or Daisy, or Philip, the suit-and-tie-wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook?

This story is told from each contestant's perspective and filled with mystery and friendship.

Heart of a Samurai,By Margi Preus

Manjiro is 14 when a freak storm washes him and his four fishing companions onto a tiny island far from their homes in Japan. Shortly before starving, they are rescued by an American whaling ship. But it’s 1841 and there is distrust between Japan and America. The captain, however, forges a bond with the boy, and when offered the chance of going to America as Whitfield’s son, he picks the path of adventure. Bracketed by gritty seafaring episodes—salty and bloody, the book’s heart is its middle section, in which Manjiro, possibly the first Japanese to set foot in America, deals with the prejudice and promise of a new world.

The Magic Thief, Book 1, by Sarah Prineas

Conn should have dropped dead the day he picked Nevery's pocket and stole the wizard's locus magicalicus, a stone used to focus magic and work spells. But for some reason he did not. Astonished and intrigued, Nevery agrees to take Conn on as his helper apprentice, on the condition that the boy find a locus stone of his own within a month. But with his wizard lessons and attempts to discover who — or what — is stealing the city of Wellmet's supply of magic, time is running out for Conn to find his stone.

Mamba Point,By Kurt Scaletta

Linus and his family have moved to Liberia, where his father works for the U.S. embassy. Shy and anxious, the 12-year-old keeps seeing a friendly black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the country, and he discovers that he has a kaseng, a connection with this particular animal. He secretly brings the snake home, forgetting it is a deadly animal, and you can imagine what happens. Mamba Point is a tightly wound tale, from the author of Mudville, that will make you laugh, hold you in suspense, and have you checking underneath your bed to make sure there aren't any mambas slithering about.

The Night Fairy,By Laura Amy Schlitz

What would happen to a fairy if she lost her wings and could no longer fly? Flory, a young night fairy no taller than an acorn and still becoming accustomed to her wings — wings as beautiful as those of a luna moth — is about to find out. What she discovers is that the world is very big and very dangerous. But Flory is fierce and willing to do whatever it takes to survive.

Shooting Kabul,By N.H. Senzai

In July 2001, as 11-year-old Fadi and his family hurriedly board a truck to begin their escape from Afghanistan, six-year-old Mariam lets go of her brother's hand and is tragically left behind. In San Francisco, Fadi struggles with fitting into American middle school culture, an Afghan native in the months following 9/ 11, and eventually finds a place in the photography club. Still, he is most concerned with the part he played in losing Mariam and getting her back. A photography contest with the prize of a trip to India seems to be his best means of getting back to Afghanistan to find his missing sister.

The Emerald Atlas, Book 1: Book of Beginnings,By John Stephens

Kate, Michael, and Emma have been in one orphanage after another for the

last ten years. Ripped from their parents as babies, they are being protected from a horrible evil of

devastating power, an evil they know nothing about.

Until now.

Before long, Kate, Michael, and Emma are on a journey to dangerous and

secret corners of the world...a journey of allies and enemies, of magic and

mayhem.  And—if an ancient prophesy is correct—what they do can change history, and it is up to them to set

things right.

My Life as Book,By Janet Tasjian

Twelve-year-old Derek is not a reader. His assignment to read three books over the summer stinks. But then something that he wants to read catches Derek’s eye. In the attic, he finds a 10-year-old article about a teenage girl who drowned on a Martha’s Vineyard beach. Usually playful and in trouble, Derek now turns his attention to solving this mysterious puzzle.

An illustrator himself, there is much to remind you of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books.

Moon Over Manifest, By Clare Vanderpool

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend while he works a

railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions, Abilene

jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to

learn about the boy her father once was. There she

discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including

some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler.

These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends

on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are

warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”

One Crazy Summer,By Rita Williams-Garcia

It's 1968 and Delphine and her younger sisters are sent to

Oakland, California to visit the mother that abandoned them soon after the youngest was

born. The girls have grand ideas about a mother who will hug

them and take them to Disneyland.

Instead, their mother, Cecile, doesn't want anything to do with them. She cares more about her poetry than her kids, sends them to a Blank Panther-run summer

camp during the day and for Chinese food…every single night. The girls learn about revolution

and family in a summer they will never forget.