NAME _______________________ Grade in 2015-16____
Texas Bluebonnet Award 2015-2016 for
Grades 3rd – 6th The Texas Library Association sponsors
this reading list solely to encourage free voluntary reading. The titles
may be read in 3 ways: independently, with someone, or to someone.
Please write the DATE the book was read in the blank and turn into
the school library on the due dates. Happy Reading!
1. _____ Always Abigal by Nancy Cavanaugh: Sixth-grader Abigail, is assigned a different
homeroom than her two best friends, and she didn’t make the pom-pom squad. She learns a lot
about popularity and true friendship when paired with unpopular Gabby for a yearlong
assignment. It's not like Abigail can stop her classmates from making fun of Gabby...right?
2. _____ Emily’s Blue Period by Cathleen Daly: Emily wants to be an artist. She likes painting and
loves the way artists like Pablo Picasso mixed things up. "When Picasso was sad for a while,"
says Emily, "he only painted in blue. And now I am in my blue period. "It might last quite some
time.
3. _____ The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage: When Miss Lana accidentally buys a
haunted inn at the Tupelo auction, Mo LoBeau and her best friend Dale set out to solve their
second big case before the town's big 250th anniversary bash. A laugh out loud, ghostly,
Southern mystery.
4. _____ The Great American Dust Bowl by Don Brown: On a clear, warm Sunday, a wild wind
whipped up millions of specks of dust to form a duster, a savage storm, on America's high
southern plains. Sand and dirt fell like snow, people got lost and suffocated, and that was just the
beginning.
5. _____ Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi: Mahatma Gandhi's grandson tells the story of how
his grandfather taught him to turn darkness into light.
6. _____ The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy: Liam, Frederic,
Duncan, and Gustav, all former princes who had been rejected by their princesses and cast out of
their castles, encounter trolls, witches, and dragons during their quest to become heroes. Book 1
*(ON THE 4TH GR SUMMER READING LIST)
7. _____ The Lost Planet by Rachel Searles: Chase Garrety has no memory when he wakes up on
planet Trucon. This is what he does know: he has a message, “Guide the star”. AND he knows
that time is running out. Book 1
8. _____ The Misadventures of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble by Frank Cammuso: Frequently
admonished for her impulsive behavior, Salem Hyde, a young witch, ignores long lectures by her
dignified animal companion and enters a spelling competition at school only to discover that the
"spelling" involves words instead of magic. Book 1
9. _____ Mountain Dog by Margarita Engle: When his mother is sent to jail in Los Angeles, elevenyear-old Tony goes to live with his forest ranger great-uncle in the Sierra Nevada Mountains,
where Tony experiences unconditional love for the first time through his friendship with a rescue
dog.
10. _____ The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier: Irish orphans Molly, age fourteen, and Kip, age
ten, travel to England to work as servants in an old manor house, and soon the siblings are
confronted by a mysterious stranger and secrets of the cursed house.
11. _____ *Quinny & Hopper by Adriana Schanen: Two polar-opposite 8-year-olds who become
summer best friends find their friendship threatened by the uncertainties of a new school year.
*(ON THE 3RD GR SUMMER READING LIST)
12. _____ The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant: "If only all the ideas in the
world could be found in one place." With this in mind, chronic list-maker Peter Mark Roget wrote
his THESAURUS, first published in 1852.
13. _____ Rutherford B., Who Was He? Poems about Our Presidents by Marilyn Singer: Fortythree men with forty-three passions, but with one thing in common: a presidential place in
America's history. Hilarious illustrations and innovative rhyme brings the presidents of the USA to
life in this book which includes poetry, biographical information, quotes by each president, and
much more.
14. _____ Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos: When 13-year-old Margaret's father is
sentenced to death for a crime he didn't commit, she knows the only way to save him is to use
the forbidden family power of time travel.
15. _____ The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert: Lois always knew she was
an artist. Her parents encouraged her by teaching her how to sew, saw wood, pound nails, and
by giving her colorful art supplies. The renowned Caldecott Honoree and illustrator of Chicka
Chicka Boom Boom provides an inspiring inside look at her colorful picture book career.
16. _____ Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez & Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation: by
Tonatiuh Duncan: Years before the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling BROWN v. BOARD OF
EDUCATION, Sylvia Mendez, an 8-year-old girl of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage, played an
instrumental role in MENDEZ v. WESTMINSTER, the desegregation case of 1946 in California.
17. _____ Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman: 12-year-old Hope lives in a post-World War 3 town
called White Rock, where everyone must participate in Inventions Day, though Hope's inventions
always fail. Her unique skills come in handy when a group of bandits invades the town. Book 1
18. _____ *The Vanishing Coin by Kate Egan: Mike feels as though he can't do anything nearly as
well as his neighbor Nora, until the two discover a mysterious magic shop, and Mike finds
something he is good at. Book 1 *(ON THE 3RD GR SUMMER READING LIST)
19. _____ When the Beat was Born: DJ Kool Herc & the Invention of Hip Hop: by Laban Hill:
Kool Herc brought the Jamaican DJ style from Kingston to the Bronx, ushering in an era of break
dancing and rapping MCs, all set to a thumping, bumping beat.
20. _____ Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick: Zane is a charismatic
12-year-old boy visiting a relative in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits. Unexpectedly
separated from his family, Zane and his dog face the terror of Katrina's wind, rain, and horrific
flooding.
This form is due in the library on Friday, 1/15/16, with at least 5 books read in order to
attend the voting celebration for your favorite TX Bluebonnet Book nominee. If you
continue reading and read at least 12 from the list, you will receive the TX Bluebonnet
Reading award in May 2016. The list is due back in the library again by Friday, 4/ 22/16.
Parent signature due 1/15/16 (at least 5 books read):______________________________
Parent signature due 4/24/16 (at least 12 books read): ____________________________