2002 – 2003
Hoosier Award Nominee Books
By Kirsten Sidebottom
What is the Hoosier Award?
The Hoosier Award Nominees for the 2002-2003 year are:
1. The Barn Burner by Patricia Willis
2. The Battlefield Ghost by Margery Cuyler
3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
4. The Boxes by William Sleator
5. Captain’s Dog by Roland Smith
6. Dear Mrs. Ryan, You’re Ruining My Life by Jennifer B. Jones
7. The Ghost of Lizard Light by Elvira Woodruff
8. The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park
9. The Landry News by Andrew Clements
10. Missing in the Mountains by T. S. Fields
11. Mister and Me by Kimberly Willis Holt
12. The Moonlight Man by Betty Ren Wright
13. The Riches of Oseola McCarty by Evelyn Coleman
14. Ruthie’s Gift by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
15. See the Stars: Your First Guide to the Night Sky by Ken Croswell
16. Suitcase by Mildred Pitts Walter
17. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
18. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
19. Winners Take All by Fred Bowen
20. The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill
The Barn Burner
by Patricia Willis
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Ross's family is very poor and it's during the Depression when no one has any money. He fights with his
parents and his mom tells him to "get out of my sight." He leaves and ends up sleeping in a barn that starts
on fire. When he wakes up, he sees that there are horses in the barn and quickly lets them go free before
leaving. When he is running away, the owner sees him and accuses Ross of setting the fire. Later that day
he meets Mary Warfield and her children who are moving into another house. Mary's husband has gone
away to look for work and she must take care of the family by herself. After Ross helps her, Mary invites
Ross to stay with them. While searching for the real barn burner Ross finds a job making bricks. Ross is
able to give Mary money to help run her family and to get a safe way home after he finds the barn burner.
This was a very good book. It keeps your interest on every page and I learned something about the Great
Depression when there were many poor people.
The Battlefield Ghost
by Margery Cuyler
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
John and Lisa move into an old house in Princeton, New Jersey, near where the Battle of
Princeton during the Revolutionary War took place. When exploring their house and
barn, someone or something keeps pushing them. They get scared until they realize
that it is the ghost of an Hessian soldier who died during the War and that he doesn't
want to hurt them. He has something he wants to tell them. They hear all about the
battle and help the soldier find his horse who was killed in the same battle. I really don't
like history or ghost stories, so this wasn't my favorite.
Because of Winn-Dixie
by Kate DiCamillo
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Opal is 10 years old and her parents are divorced. She moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and she is very
lonely because she has no friends. She finds a stray dog inside of a local grocery store. Winn-Dixie helps
Opal make new friends with some of stranger people in town. She becomes friends with Gloria Dump, who
everyone in town thinks is a witch, with the rich librarian, Miss Block, and with Otis, who spent time in jail
but now owns a pet store. Winn-Dixie helps Opal meet these new people who help Opal find happiness
even though she doesn't know where her mother is. She learns to be happy where she is with what she has.
I really enjoyed this book. Whenever there is an animal in a story that plays a big part, I like it. I also liked
this story because it shows that you can be happy even if things are going exactly as you would like them
to. I love animals, so I really enjoyed this book.
The Boxes
by William Sleator
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Annie's parents are dead and she has been living with her Aunt Ruth. Aunt Ruth's brother, Uncle Marco,
also lives there some of the time, but he travels a lot. Annie works hard for Aunt Ruth who works in a
bank. Uncle Marco is leaving on another trip and wants Annie to watch some boxes for him. They are very
heavy, but he puts one in the basement and the other one in Annie's closet. Uncle Marco swears Annie to
secrecy and tells her she is not to open them. Annie is just too curious and opens the box in the basement
and finds this ugly looking crab creature. That night she dreams about the box in her closet and it looks
like a clock. In her dream she learns how to open the metal box. The next day she opens it and it looks
exactly like it did in her dream. She runs to the basement and finds out that there isn't just one crab
creature, but many more. I don't like science fiction very much, but once you got over the strangeness, it
really was a good book. The plot was much better than the crabby creatures!
The Captain’s Dog
by Roland Smith
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is told by Seaman, a Newfoundland dog.
President Thomas Jefferson gave the Lewis and Clark tribe a mission. The mission was to
find and map the most direct route to the Pacific Ocean. The story tells how captains
Lewis and Clark both got the men together, gathered supplies, and completed their
mission. They had many adventures during their trip.
I thought the book was very good. My favorite part was when they met
Sacagawea. I stayed up late reading because it was such a great book and I didn’t want
to put it down!
Dear Mrs. Ryan,
You’re Ruining My Life
Main
Menu
by Roland Smith
Excerpt
from book
Harvey Ryan's parents were divorced and he lived with his mother, who was an author. Mrs. Ryan would
come to school and share stories about some of the embarrassing things Harvey would do at home. Harvey
definitely didn't like it, and that's where the title of the book comes from. Harvey and his good friend, Seal,
come up with an idea that might get his mom thinking about something else. Seal is playing in a school
concert and both Mrs. Ryan and Harvey go. Harvey convinces his mother they have to sit in front. Just as
they thought, Mr. Stevens, the school principal, sits down right next to Mrs. Ryan. Then Mr. Stevens takes
Mrs. Ryan to a lecture and they start dating. Now Mrs. Ryan is too busy to cause a lot of problems for
Harvey.
This was a good book. There was something going on all the time, so it is an easy book to finish!
The Ghost of Lizard Light
by Elvira Woodruff
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Jack Carlton is upset. His family moved from Iowa and from all his friends, especially Denton, to live in a
cottage next to a lighthouse called Lizard Light on the Atlantic Ocean. The only friend Jack has is his lizard,
Ned. The first night in his bedroom in the new cottage, Jack is thinking about Denton, his best friend. Ned
becomes very nervous. Nothing would calm him down. And then Nathaniel Witherspoon
appeared. Nathaniel is a ghost, the ghost of Lizard Light. Nathaniel tells Jack, "You're exactly the boy I
need."
Nathaniel and Jack become friends and explore the beach and the lighthouse after Jack's parents are
asleep. On a field trip to the Minty Museum, Jack discovers an old rusted knife with a whalebone
handle. This knife turns out to belong to Nathaniel's father, who died at sea over 150 years ago. This knife
opens up a mystery that Jack and Nathaniel work to solve.
I don't really like scary books, but Nathaniel is a friendly ghost and it is almost as if he were real. It was
really a good book.
The Kite Fighters
by Linda Sue Park
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
This book takes place in 1473 in Seoul, Korea. In the beginning there is a ceremony where Kee-sup becomes a man. He
now wears a special hat and white clothing. Young-sup is jealous of the privileges Kee-sup has and doesn't like having to
give him the respect for an adult. To Young-sup he is still his brother, friend, and playmate. Sometimes the brothers
don't get along, but their love of kites always brings them together. Kee-sup is very good at making kites and Young-sup
is very good at flying kites. One day when they are flying the new kite Kee-sup made Young-sup the King, who is just a
boy himself, notices the beautiful kite. He has his servants carry him to meet Kee-sup and Young-sup. He asks Kee-sup
to make him a kite for the New Year's Kite Competition. When the King decides he can't fly the kite in the competition
because other people won't want to beat him, he asks Young-sup to fly it for him. This is a problem for the father, who
thinks Kee-sup should be the one to fly the King's kite since he is the oldest son. I had trouble getting into this book,
mostly because I had trouble keeping Young-sup and Kee-sup apart. Finally, I was able to get through the confusing part
of the story, and I got to where I thought was interesting. It ended up being a very good book.
The Landry News
by Andrew Clements
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Cara Landry is a 5th grader and is angry about her parents' divorce. She wants to be a journalist when she grows up. Her
teacher, Mr. Larson, has taught for a long time and just assigns the students projects. He doesn't teach them
anything. He just spends the rest of the class reading newspapers. Cara doesn't like this because she wants to learn to
write better. Cara starts a newspaper called "The Landry News." She writes an editorial about how he isn't teaching in the
class. When Mr. Larson sees Cara's writing, he doesn't like what she wrote about him, but he sees that her newspaper
was very good. This excites him and he starts teaching journalism in the class. Cara is the editor, and the class writes
stories for the newspaper.
The principal read the editorial about Mr. Larson and then a story about divorce in the newspaper. The principal tries to
fire Mr. Larson and the class fights to keep him.
This book is easy to read and the story goes fast. Most students will like it, because it is about teachers and their
students. It also teaches that no matter how bad things get, if you want something bad enough, there is a way to get
it. You just have to keep trying. Also if you are bored with something, you should try to find something interesting about
it.
Missing in the Mountains
by T.S. Fields
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Jarod, who’s 11 years old, and his sister, Jennifer, 8 years old, and their parents go on a ski trip in
Colorado resort. Jarod and Jennifer go on a slope when the see a bully from their old school. He
follows them and pushes Jennifer down. Jennifer and Jarod are afraid that he might hurt them, so
they go on the caution zone thinking they will only stay there until the bully leaves. But they get
tired of waiting and try to go down the slope. Jarod gets buried in an avalanche. Jennifer works
hard to find him and pull him out, but when he gets out, it is too dark try to go the rest of the way
home. They build a snow igloo, where they hope to stay warm and safe until morning comes.
Will they come out alive? I really liked his book because I like mysterious books. The author
made it a great book, when they felt scared it made me feel scared and when they were cold I felt
cold too!
Mister and Me
by Kimberly Willis Holt
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Jolene Jasmine Johnson’s father died when she was a baby so her Momma (Ruby) and Grandpa
Foster have to take care of her. Then her Momma starts to date Leroy Redfield. He is really loud.
Jolene doesn’t want to get to know him so she decides to call him “Mister” instead of Leroy.
Leroy gives her candy, but she still doesn't like him. Mister knows that Jolene doesn’t like him, he
tries to make her like him. Momma feels hurt because she wants Jolene to like him since she is
going to marry Mister. Jolene tries to get Momma’s love back by accepting him into her family.
This was a good book. I didn’t like the way Jolene treated Mister, but the author gave it a
wonderful ending!
The Moonlight Man
by Betty Ren Right
Excerpt from book
Main
Menu
When 15-year-old Jenny Joslin and her family move to Crescent Lane, she doesn't think they are the only
ones living in the house. Pictures appear and disappear from the wall. There are loud crying noises coming
from neighbor's house. There seem to be disasters all around her home and they all seem to be connected
to the "moonlight man." Even Jenny and her younger sister have seen "something" wandering in the woods
around their street. Jenny decides that she is going to find out exactly what is happening. She goes to the
library to find out about the neighborhood before they moved there. She talks to neighbors on the street,
and starts to think that the "moonlight man" is somehow connected to the Carpeks who have lived in the
neighborhood a long time.. They aren't very friendly, so Jenny gets no help from them. So who exactly is
the "Moonlight Man?"I liked this book even though I don't particularly care for ghost stories. Jenny used
the lifeskill of determination to solve the mystery and it was interesting how she learned facts. I read the
book mostly during the day and not before I went to sleep at night.
The Riches of Oseola
McCarty
by Evelyn Coleman
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
When Oseola McCarty, who was called Ola, was 5, she moved to Hattiesburg , Mississippi with
her Grandma and aunt. They worked hard everyday doing chores like such as washing clothes by
hand on a washboard, making candles, and ironing for people. They were paid 50 cents for each
bundle of clothes. Through the course of her life, Ola learned to save her money. When she was
87, she gave over $150,000 to the University of Mississippi. I liked this book, because I like to
learn about things that happened before I was born. It was a good example of what being thrifty
can do for you.
Ruthie’s G ift
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Ruthie is the only girl in a house with seven brothers. She is the only 3rd grader at her
school. She feels very lonely. She is a tomboy but wants to become more like a girl. She sees a
doll in the Sears catalog and begins to save money to buy. She thinks if she gets a doll that it will
make her more like a girl. When twins named Hallie and Mallie move in next door to Ruthie, they
become friends, but before long Ruthie’s tomboy habits scare them and they start to avoid her.
I liked this story a lot. It is about fitting in and being like other kids. It is something all kids go
through. In the end Ruthie learns a valuable lesson which makes the book even better!
See the Stars:
You’re First Guide to the Night
Sky
by Ken Croswell
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
This book is all about the stars and the different forms they make in the sky. The different forms
are called constellations. Each season the sky changes and different stars are more easily seen.
This is a guide to the night sky. Each month a different constellation is studied. January is Orion
the Hunter; February is the Big Dipper and the North Star.
The book was pretty easy for me to understand, but only because my brother has a web page
about the Winter Constellations and last year my Girl Scout troop went to the Merrillville
Planetarium to see the sky at different times of the year.
Suitcase
by Mildred Pitts Walter
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Alexander, who is called Xander by his family and friends, is really tall and he has big feet. People
make fun of him and call him Suitcase sometimes. Xander is a very good at drawing, but his
father wants him to play sports and not waste his time with drawing. To make his father happy,
he spends time at a sports center, where he meets a coach who becomes his friend. Xander is
challenged to do his best at basketball. In the end, both his father and Xander are happy. I don't
know anything about basketball, so this book didn't really interest me. It did show that
sometimes your parents want you to try something you don't think you're good at and when you
do, you could be surprised!
Through My Eyes
by Ruby Bridges
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
This is a true story written by Ruby Bridges about her experiences when she was 6 years old in
1960 in New Orleans, Louisiana. When Ruby was 6 years old, African Americans could not go to
"white" schools. She had to go to schools especially for African Americans. A new law was made
that school integration had to start in September 1960. Integration is when they don't separate
people into different schools because of what color your skin is.
The book was very sad, but it explained a part of history I never knew about. My parents had to
explain a lot to me, because I didn't understand some of the words and what some events were
all about. This book would be good for everyone to read, since it explains how it feels to be
judged by something you can't change.
The Wanderer
by Sharon Creech
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Thirteen-year-old Sophie loves the sea, and she longs to see Bompie, her grandfather who lives in England.
So when her three uncles and two cousins decide to sail from their home in the U.S., across the Atlantic
Ocean to Ireland, and then to England, to visit Bompie, she begs to go along. She'd be the only girl aboard,
though, and Uncle Mo and Uncle Stew don't want to take her. Uncle Dock and her father know how
important it is to her and she is able to go along. Sophie doesn't totally understand why making this trip is
important to her. She thinks the sea is calling her to be away, but she also feels something is pulling her
back. She only knows that sailing to Ireland in Uncle Dock's 45-foot sailboat, The Wanderer, to visit
Bompie, is something she has to do. Her uncles and cousins make fun of her, but she proves herself to
them during the trip. I liked this book very much. Sometimes I feel confused like Sophie about something I
decide to do. This book was a page turner, you couldn’t stop reading.
Winners Take All
by Fred Bowen
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Kyle Holt is 12 years old and loves baseball. He plays outfielder on the Reds team. The winner of the
game between the Reds and the Cubs will be in first place and headed for the championship. The
score is 3-3 when Kyle sees the ball about to go over the fence. He jumps over the fence with the ball
in his glove, but the ball falls onto the ground. Kyle wants to win so much that he quickly places the
ball back into his glove and pretends that he caught it. The Reds won 4-3 and Kyle is the hero.
It felt good to be the hero and to get all the attention. A story about his great catch is even in the
newspapers. Everything feels right, but ....
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but the plot was really good. It sends a strong message
about cheating and lying. Boy or girl, this is a good book.
The Year of Miss Agnes
by Hill Kirkpatrick
Main
Menu
Excerpt from book
Frederika goes to an one-room schoolhouse in the Alaskan frontier. Teachers come, but never
stay long. Then Miss Agnes Sutterfield comes to her town and everything changes. They never
had a teacher like her before. Miss Agnes warms the schoolhouse before students arrive in the
morning and doesn't seem to b bothered by their habits. She puts away the old school books and
teaches them about their history. At night she teaches the children and their parents.
Because my dad used to live in Alaska, I liked this book, because it gave me an idea of how his life
was then. Miss Agnes shows that anyone can be part of a community if you have an open mind
to different ways of doing things.