Welcome Readers!
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AGENDA
Introduction (Randi, then individual
steering committee members)
Nominated Titles (Powerpoint with
group votes) Jana
Wild Card Voting (Separate
PowerPoint plus flip chart voting)
David & Jessica
Timeline (David)
Suggestions/Improvements for next
year (Crystal & Rachel)
WILDCARDS
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Level 1 Grades 7-9
 Audrey Wait
 Impossible
 Curse as Dark as Gold
 Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow
 No Choirboy
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Level 2 Grades 10-12
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Little Brother
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
Eat This, Not That
Echo Moon Lake
Playing with Matches
Astounding Wolf Man
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her
mother and younger sister in the poorest
district of Panem, the remains of what used
be the United States. Long ago the districts
waged war on the Capitol and were
defeated. As part of the surrender terms,
each district agreed to send one boy and
one girl to appear in an annual televised
event called, "The Hunger Games." The
terrain, rules, and level of audience
participation may change but one thing is
constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister
is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in
her place.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is
a normal boy. He would be completely normal if
he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being
raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary
guardian who belongs to neither the world of the
living nor of the dead. There are dangers and
adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient
Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a
desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls,
the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer. But
if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come
under attack from the man Jack--who has
already killed Bod's family. . . . Beloved master
storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous
new novel for the audience that embraced his
"New York Times" bestselling modern classic
coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with
breathtaking adventures, the graveyard book is
sure to enthrall readers of all ages.
Airman by Eoin Colfer
Conor Broekhart was born to fly. In fact, legend
has it that he was born flying, in a hot air balloon
at the Paris World's Fair. In the 1890s Conor and
his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off
the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying
the science of flight with his tutor and exploring
the castle with the king's daughter, Princess
Isabella. But the boy's idyllic life changes forever
the day he discovers a deadly conspiracy against
the king. When Conor tries to intervene, he is
branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison
island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his
life, as he and the other prisoners are forced to
mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.
There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and
that is to fly. So Conor passes the solitary months
by scratching drawings of flying machines on the
prison walls. The months turn into years; but
eventually the day comes when Conor must find
the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and
take to the skies.
Graceling by Kristin Shore
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From publisher:
Katsa has been able to kill a man with
her bare hands since she was eight-she's a Graceling, one of the rare
people in her land born with an
extreme skill. As niece of the king, she
should be able to live a life of privilege,
but Graced as she is with killing, she is
forced to work as the king's thug.
When she first meets Prince Po,
Graced with combat skills, Katsa has
no hint of how her life is about to
change. She never expects to become
Po's friend. She never expects to learn
a new truth about her own Grace--or
about a terrible secret that lies hidden
far away . . . a secret that could destroy
all seven kingdoms with words alone."
http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780547258
300?id=4513772280679
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
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From the publisher:
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A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl
on the run from a town where all thoughts
can be heard -- and the passage to
manhood embodies a horrible secret.
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of
men. Ever since the settlers were infected
with the Noise germ, Todd can hear
everything the men think, and they hear
everything he thinks. Todd is just a month
away from becoming a man, but in the
midst of the cacophony, he knows that the
town is hiding something from him -something so awful Todd is forced to flee
with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice
he hears too. With hostile men from the
town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a
strange and eerily silent creature: a girl.
Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the
germ like all the females on New World?
Propelled by Todd's gritty narration,
readers are in for a white-knuckle journey
in which a boy on the cusp of manhood
must unlearn everything he knows in order
to figure out who he truly is.
http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780763639310?id
=4513772280679
Venomous by Christopher Krovatin
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From the publisher:
Locke Vinetti is a high school junior, disenchanted
and more than a little hostile. In fact, for years
he's had a lousy social life because of a problem
he has with his anger--a force he calls "the
venom." Ever since he was eight years old and bit
off a piece of a classmate's nose, he's been
something of a loner. But all that is about to
change when he goes out with his one friend,
Randall, to meet some of Randall's crew hanging
out at Riverside Park. Because in addition to
meeting his kindred spirit, Casey--who has his
own problems with his own kind of venom-Locke meets the spikey blue fairy-haircut Goth
girl of his dreams. And if their relationship is
going to work, he knows he has to rid himself of
the venom once and for all. Interspersed with
comic book adventures of the fantasy anti-hero
alter-ego Locke has invented for himself,
"Venomous" is a fast-paced, funny, and ferocious
read about one teenage boy's struggle with his
inner demons.
http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781416924
876?id=4513772280679
Realistic Fiction
Level 1
Grades 7-9
Disreputable History
of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
From the Publisher
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father's "bunny rabbit."
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.
Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy,
word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.
Frankie Landau-Banks.
No longer the kind of girl to take "no" for an answer.
Especially when "no" means she's excluded from her boyfriend's
all-male secret society.
Not when her ex-boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places.
Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them.
When she knows Matthew's lying to her.
And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.
Frankie Landau-Banks, at age 16:
Possibly a criminal mastermind.
This is the story of how she got that way.
Book cover - http://e-lockhart.com/main/?page_id=7
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Review by Laura Downing
Book cover – www.amazon.com
An historical fiction novel based during the
revolutionary war set in New York city. It
chronicles the life of a 13-year old slave, Isabel,
and her younger sister Ruth (who is "simple"
and has what seem to be epileptic "fits" at
times), both of whom should have been freed
when their owner died but were sold again
back into slavery to a couple where the
mistress of the house is cruel and demanding.
When Ruth is "sold", or so Isabel is led to
believe, the story revolves around everything
Isabel does to find her and regain freedom for
them both, including actions which result in her
being branded with the letter "I" on her cheek
for being Insolent. Unfortunately you have to
wait for the sequel to find out if Isabel finds
Ruth and if she gains her freedom after
escaping New York.
Waiting For Normal by Leslie Connor
From the Publisher
Addie is waiting for normal.
But Addie's mom has an all-or-nothing approach to
life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, jubilation or
gloom, her way or no way.
All or nothing never adds up to normal.
All or nothing can't bring you all to home, which is
exactly where Addie longs to be, with her half
sisters, every day.
In spite of life's twists and turns, Addie remains
optimistic. Someday, maybe, she'll find normal.
Leslie Connor has created an inspiring novel about
one girl's giant spirit. waiting for normal is a
heartwarming gem.
Book cover – www.ala.org
Black Box by Julie Schumacher
Review by Laura Downing
A very dark book about
depression and how it affects
the depressed person and their
entire family. Brings about
feelings of empathy for the
younger sister, Elena, who feels
she has to take care of Dora
(her older sister who had
depression)and keep Dora's
secrets. It will resonate with
many teens today. It was a
"heavy" read but would appeal
to both boys and girls.
Book cover - http://www.julieschumacher.com/BlackBox.html
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
From the Publisher
One inch from the wall of brown turf, he froze.
'There's something here. In the earth. A hand.'
Digging for peat in the mountain with his Uncle
Tally, Fergus finds something that makes his heart
stop. Curled up deep in the bog is the body of a
child. And it looks like she's been murdered. As
Fergus tries to make sense of the mad world
around him - his brother on hunger-strike in prison,
his growing feelings for Cora, his mam and da
arguing over the Troubles, and him in it up to the
neck - a little voice comes to him in his dreams, and
the mystery of the bog child unfurls.
Set in Ireland in the 1980s, Bog Child is a powerful
novel that explores the sacrifices made in the name
of peace, and the unflinching strength of the human
spirit.
Book cover - http://www.randomhouse.com.au/systempicts/9780385614313.jpg
Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt
From the Publisher
“Henry Smith’s father told him that if you build your
house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble
will never find you.”
Book cover - http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com
But Trouble comes careening down the road one
night in the form of a pickup truck that strikes
Henry’s older brother, Franklin. In the truck is Chay
Chouan, a young Cambodian from Franklin’s
preparatory school, and the accident sparks racial
tensions in the school—and in the well-established
town where Henry’s family has lived for
generations. Caught between anger and grief, Henry
sets out to do the only thing he can think of: climb
Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, which
he and Franklin were going to climb together. Along
with Black Dog, whom Henry has rescued from
drowning, and a friend, Henry leaves without his
parents’ knowledge. The journey, both exhilarating
and dangerous, turns into an odyssey of discovery
about himself, his older sister, Louisa, his ancestry,
and why one can never escape from Trouble.
Realistic Fiction
Level 2
Grades 10-12
Over and Under
by:Todd Tucker
“Set during the summer of 1979, Alex
and Tom are best friends, they do
everything together, whether it's
exploring caves, shooting rifles, or
sneaking out at night. Meanwhile, a
labor strike is slowly ripping the small
Indiana town apart, and while the two
boys' fathers are on opposite sides, the
two try to remain blissfully ignorant, but
must accept the changes around them.
Alex and Tom find themselves growing
up during their last summer of
innocence..” –Marisa Frantz
Realistic/Historical Fiction
http://www.amazon.com/reader/0312379900?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader_0312379900
Level 2
City of Thieves
By: David Benioff
“A writer visits his grandfather in Florida to record his
account of the siege of Leningrad during WWII. His
grandfather's story is much more than mere facts, it
covers a boy's journey to manhood, love, war, and an
unlikely friendship. Lev Beniov is a young Jew who
finds a dead German paratrooper in the middle of
Leningrad. He is immediately arrested by Russian
soliders and thrown into jail. His cellmate, Koyla, is a
charismatic soldier arrested for desertion. Instead of
facing a death squad, the two are given a task to find a
dozen eggs for a general. Faced with the impossible,
the two men are forced to go looking in the most
unlikely of places, even enemy territory.” –Marisa
Frantz
Realistic/Historical Fiction
Level 2
http://www.amazon.com/reader/0452295297?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader_0670018708
Mudbound
By: Hillary Jordan
“Winner of the Bellwether Prize, Mudbound is
set at the end of World War II in the
tormented Mississippi Delta. It depicts the
story of forbidden love and betrayal situated in
a time when the brutality of the Jim Crow
South was still raging. Hillary Jordan's use of
lyrical language to weave together the voices
of the characters allows the reader to fully
understand the impact the setting and social
issues are having on each of the characters and
encourages the reader to embrace each
character's individual concerns.” –Karen Wells
Realistic/Historical Fiction
Level 2
http://www.amazon.com/reader/1565126777?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader_1565126777
Jellicoe Road
By: Melina Marchetta
“After what some would see as a slow, confusing
start, this complex story of friendship and love
mesmerizes the reader with its characterizations of
teens living at a state-run boarding school in
Australia. Marchetta's heroine, Taylor Markham
searches for answers in the mystery of her past and
finds hope and joy as she unravels the threads of
her present relationships.” –Sandra Bailey
Realistic/Historical Fiction
Level 2
http://www.amazon.com/reader/0061431834?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader_0061431834
Secret Story of Sonja Rodriquez
By: Alan Lawrence Sitomer
“Torn between immigrant stereotypes and who she
wants to be, fifteen-year-old Sonia Rodriguez struggles
with the burden of taking care of her demanding family
while trying to graduate high school and still be a
regular teenager. When her worlds collide because of
her secret boyfriend and predator uncle, Sonia and her
whole family are at a crossroads that will change their
family's path.” –Laura Opper Hodo
Realistic/Historical Fiction
Level 2
http://www.amazon.com/reader/1423110722?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib%5Fdp%5Fpt#reader_1423110722
Graphic Novels & Manga
Level 1 Top 3 titles
Johnice Dominick, Dr. Stephanie Huffman, Jonathan Nichols,
Dr. Wendy Rickman
Savage by David Almond
When Blue Baker wrote his
magically wild and
gruesome story about a boy
savage, he was dealing with
the death of his father and
the town bully. Now, Blue’s
creation has developed a
life of its own, and Blue
must figure out where he
ends and the savage begins.
--Jonathan Nichols & Johnice
Dominick
Into the Volcano by Don Wood
Two brothers, an erupting
volcano, and trusted family
guides who are hiding a
secret. A two-day hike
becomes a perilous and
dangerous excursion. Can
the boys solve the mystery
and escape the volcano
before it unleashes its fury?
--Jonathan Nichols & Johnice
Dominick
Life Sucks by Jessica Abel,
Gabriel Soria, & Warren Pleece
Being a vampire isn’t all
glitz and glamour. You
don’t always get the girl or
live in a mansion. Dave
works at a gas station and
loves a girl who’s in love
with another vampire . . .
life sucks!
--Jonathan Nichols & Johnice
Dominick
Graphic Novels & Manga
Level 2 Top 4 titles
Anna Bates, Amanda F. Garrison, Will
Hose, Amy Jordan, Amy Miller, Devona
Pendergrass, Darby Wallace, Adam Webb
Silver Surfer: Requiem
by J. Michael Straczynski
& Esad Ribic
Journeying to his home
planet to die, Norrin Radd
tries to make a difference
in the worlds through
which he passes.
--Anna Bates
Green Arrow: Year One
by Andy & Jock Diggle
Queen is a frivolous
playboy with little care for
anyone or anything-apparently even himself.
But when he's doublecrossed and marooned on
a jungle island, he finds
that he does care about
something: justice!
--www.amazon.com
Atomic Robo: Atomic Robo and the
Fightin’ Scientists of Tesladyne
by Brian Clevinger & Steve Wegener
"Atomic Robo is a self-aware,
wise-cracking . . . robot created
by Nikola Tesla who's now in
the employ of the US
government and tasked with
battling supernatural and
unexplained threats to the
planet's safety.”
--Atomic Robo
Pitch Black: Don’t Be Skerd
by Youme Landowne & Anthony Horton
The true story of one artist who introduces another to his
world as a homeless man living in the subway tunnels.
--Anna Bates
What the World Eats
By: Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio
Every day, millions of families around the world gather--at the table or on
the floor, in a house or outdoors--to eat together. Ever wondered what a
typical meal is like on the other side of the world? Or next door? Cultural
geographers visited twenty-five families in twenty-one countries to create
this fascinating look at what people around the world eat in a week. What
the World Eats includes photo galleries and illustrated charts about fast
food, safe water, life expectancy, literacy rates, and more! This
enthralling glimpse into cultural similarities and differences is at once a
striking photographic essay and an essential study in nutrition and the
global marketplace.
Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in
the Wild, Wild West
By: Sid Feleishman
This biography covers enough of Samuel Clemens's
youth for readers to appreciate how autobiographical
Twain's later novels were, but the seven years that the
writer spent meandering the Wild West are at the
heart of the book. Fleischman chronicles Clemens's
various bouts of gold fever and get-rich-quick
schemes in the Nevada Territory and the San
Francisco area, but shows that it was always his
newspaper writing that provided stability. At age 30,
Clemens was reborn as Mark Twain when his short
story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras
County" was accepted by a magazine and drew
popular acclaim. An "Afterstory" provides brief
information on Twain's subsequent marriage and the
publication of the novels for which he is most famous.
Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle
For Freedom
By: Margarita Engle
The Surrender Tree transports readers to
another era. Spanning the years 1850–1899,
Engle's poems construct a narrative woven
around Cuba’s Wars for Independence. The
poems are told in alternating voices, though
predominantly by Rosa, a "freed" slave and
natural healer destined to a life on the lam in
the island' s wild interior. A great look into
Cuba's troubled past through poetry.
Farts: A Spotter’s Guide
By: Crai Bower & Travis Millard
This hilarious book identifies the habitat,
range, voice, and 'field marks' of ten common
wind breakers, from the gentle hiss of the
Silent-but-Deadly to the rip-roaring flatulation
of the Seismic Blast. The attached battery
powered fart machine reproduces each
emanation in accurate sound. Grossly hip
illustrations by the Fudge Factory's yes, you
read that right Travis Millard depict the
offenders and offendees in brilliant detail.
Printed on durable card stock, this is pure,
unbridled entertainment for the giggling child in
all of us.
Gadget Nation: A Journey
through the Eccentric World of
Invention by Steve Greenberg
Permanence
By: Kip Fulbeck
Once a fringe phenomenon, tattooing is now a full-blown
cultural fact. More than 40 million people in the U.S. alone
have tattoos, all with unique stories about why they chose to
indelibly mark their bodies. Permanence combines
photographic tattoo portraits with these stories, told in the
subjects' own words and handwriting. Kip Fulbeck brings
together young and old of all races, religions, and political
persuasions from celebrities to suburban moms to Hells
Angels. Including interviews with celebrity tattooers Kat Von D
and Oliver Peck (Miami Ink), hardcore legend Evan Seinfeld,
and some regular folks, Permanence is an entertaining and
enlightening portrait of the tattooed population today.
Arkansas Teen Book Award Timelines
2009 (2008 © books)
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10/24/09
 Meet with Readers
 Decide on wild cards
 Finalize list & announce at
ARLA
12/1/09 Distribute Reading Lists
Statewide
12/1/10 Announce Winners
4/20/11 Honor 1 winner at AAIM
10/24/11 Honor 1 winner at ArLA
2010 (2009 © books)
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10/24/09 Start soliciting readers &
Book titles for next year’s list
4/15/10
 Decide on Reading Groups
 Distribute Reading lists
 READ!!!
9/25/10 Meet with Readers
 Decide on Wild cards
 Finalize list & announce at
ARLA
12/1/10 Distribute Reading List
Statewide
12/1/11 Announce Winners