Pennsylvania Young Readers’
Choice Award
2012-2013
Grade 3 – Grade 6
Unforgettable Season: The Story of
Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams and the
Record-Setting Summer of '41
by Phil Bildner;
illustrated by S. D. Schindler
At the start of the 1941 baseball
season, neither Joe DiMaggio of the
New York Yankees nor Ted Williams of
the Boston Red Sox were beloved by
baseball fans. But all that soon changed
with DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak
and Williams’ impressive .400 batting
average. Baseball appeals to all ages and
genders and whether you are a Yankee
Fan or a Red Sox Fan, you can’t help but
admire the winning spirit and work ethic
of these two baseball legends. This
book reads as if it were a conversation
between the reader and an avid baseball
fan as he alternates between the
amazing summers of Joe DiMaggio and
Ted Williams and the our joy and love of
the game. Play ball!
Because Of Mr. Terupt
by Rob Buyea
What do you do when your teacher
is not acting “normal”? Do you
complain about him? Seven fifth
graders at Snow Hill School discuss
how their lives have been changed by
Mr. Terupt. He does not teach in the
normal way, instead he lets the
students figure things out for
themselves. When Mr. Terupt goes
into a coma after getting hit on the
head with an ice ball thrown by a
student, they all realize that he is a
very special person. Read this book
to find out what good news all the
students get when Mr. Terupt comes
back for the last day of school.
Spunky Tells All
by Ann Cameron
illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Spunky the dog lives with Julian and Huey
Bates from The Stories Julian Tells
series and describes his family from a
dog’s point of view. Being a clever dog he
knows what Sit, Stay, Come, Shake Hands
and Good Dog mean. Unfortunately,
Spunky also knows what Bad Dog means
too. When he misbehaves and accidentally
swallows Mr. Bates’ sock, he is in big
trouble. Discussing Spunky’s problem
without even asking his opinion, Julian
suggests getting a cat to keep Spunky
company. The family agrees and a fluffy
spoiled cat named Fiona moves in.
Horrified by his new “playmate” Spunky
tries to ignore her nasty tricks of
drinking out of his water bowl and mushing
up his Nibbles. Read to find out what
Spunky does when Fiona goes missing and
no one in the Bates family can find her.
The Cheshire Cat: A Dickens of a Tale
Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright;
illustrated by Barry Moser
For Skilley, a ragged eared cat with multiple
scrapes, scars and a broken tail, the famous pub, Ye
Olde Cheshire Cheese seems like the perfect place
to relax. Famous for the grandest cheese in
England, the pub is infested with fat mice indulging
themselves. Tired of a life scavenging and battling
other Toms for food, Skilley finds he’s ready for a
change. He slinks in the front door of Ye Olde
Cheshire Cheese. Noticing his “cruel-looking”
appearance, the innkeeper realizes almost
immediately this mouser is just what the inn
requires. The Cheshire Cheese attracts the finest
writers in London, such as Charles Dickens, Wilkie
Collins, William Makepeace Thackery, and Edward
Bulwer-Lytton. Skilley does notice that Mr. Dickens
often curiously examines him. Life soon proves to
be difficult at the Inn as the mice are too clever to
manipulate and an old nemesis returns. H threatens
to become the head mouser of Ye Olde Cheshire
Cheese and finish off a fight the two adversaries
began long ago. Read to discover the secret that
Skilley is too ashamed to share and some
unimaginable friendships that change his life
forever.
Titanic Sinks!
by Barry Denenberg
We’ve all read books about the catastrophic
sinking of the Titanic. This one is different.
Dennenberg gives us a remarkably fresh
perspective by presenting a combination of fact
and fiction to retell the story from the building
and launching of the world class ship to its
unbelievable sinking and botched rescue. The
author creates a true “you are there” feeling
through photographs, fictional diary entries,
newspaper articles, journalists’ notes, interviews,
menus, provision lists and much more. We meet
both the heroes and the cowards. We sense the
initial denial and confusion, and then feel the
fear and panic in our chest as the reality of the
situation becomes obvious. We can’t help but ask
ourselves what we would have done if we were
there. Dennenberg based everything on factual
information from extensive research. It includes
plenty of fascinating photographs including one
picture of the iceberg that may have been the
one to take down the Titanic. You won’t be able
to put this book down until the last page is read.
Tuesday at the Castle
by Jessica Day George
Princess Celie’s favorite day is
Tuesday – that’s the day that the
Castle Glower adds a new room, moves
a room, or redecorates. Celie’s family
has always had a special relationship
with the Castle, but Celie seems to
have an even closer bond. Disaster
strikes. The king and queen’s
entourage are attacked while they
are on their way to their oldest son’s
graduation from Wizard School and
now they are missing, presumed dead.
The Councilors are pushing Prince Rolf
to declare himself King. Will the
Castle protect the family or declare
allegiance to a new king? Will Celie’s
maps of the castle help her save the
family and the Castle? If you like
action and adventure, you’ll want to
read this book!
Belly Up
by Stuart Gibbs
Wisecracking twelve year old Teddy Fitzroy
and his parents live at FunJungle Theme Park in
San Antonio, Texas. Everyone is shocked when
Henry the Hippo, the park’s star attraction, is
found dead, floating belly up in his pool. The
official word is that the hippo died of natural
causes, but Teddy suspects otherwise and
decides to sneak into the autopsy (super
yucky). When Teddy overhears that Henry was
probably murdered, he begins his own
investigation. Teddy strikes up a friendship
with Sunshine McCracken, feisty daughter of
JJ McCracken, owner of FunJungle and soon
they are swimming through the poop infested
waters of the Hippo River looking for evidence.
As they creep closer to the truth, it becomes
clear that the killer wants Teddy to stop his
investigation. First, he is set up in a much too
close encounter with a poisonous mamba snake
and then comes face to face with a hungry
tiger. Coincidence? He doesn’t think so. Find
out if Teddy survives the hippo hi-jinks and
solves the murder of Henry the Hippo.
The Boy Who Invented TV: The
Story of Philo Farnsworth
by Kathleen Krull;
illustrated by Greg Couch
What happens to a boy with big
ideas who dreams of bringing people
together to share his sense of
wonder in the world? That boy just
might grow up to invent something
wonderful, like television. Philo
Farnsworth grew up working hard,
studying hard, and learning about
the thrilling world of magnetism and
electricity, despite being teased and
bullied at school. Read The Boy who
Invented TV to find out how a 14year old boy plowing a potato field
envisioned how images could be
transmitted.
Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!
by Matthew McElligott and Larry
Tuxbury;
illustrated by Matthew McElligott.
What do potatoes, exploding volcanoes,
and a 200 year-old inventor have in
common? Just ask Victor. Middle school
student Victor is determined to win this
year’s science fair, so he carefully
analyzes and determines the best paths
to follow. But his well-ordered life and
plan are jolted when he discovers a
secret basement in his house that leads
to an electrifying discovery! None other
than THE Benjamin Franklin is alive and
well…with some slight modifications
such as bolts in his neck and ripples of
blue static that shimmer from his
fingers. Join Victor and Ben as they
race around Philadelphia sending shockwaves everywhere they go!
Masters of Disaster
by Gary Paulsen
Henry Mosley watched a documentary and
decided he and his two friends Riley and
Reed should have some adventures. “I’m
working to create a series of tasks that
will Prove Our Manhood and show us What
We’re Made Of. And if we play our cards
right, we might Alter the Course of
History a time or two. And, of course,
Impress Girls and Get Them to Notice
Us.” Henry designs the adventures, Riley
records them and Reed, of course, is the
one to carry out the assignments. Their
first task is to break the world’s record
for the most forward airborne
summersaults on a bike, and what better
place to launch their attempt then from
their vacationing neighbor’s roof? How can
they top this adventure? You’ll have to
read the book to discover more of their
“disasters.”
Around the World
by Matt Phelan
Who hasn’t heard of the book Around
the World in Eighty Days by Jules
Verne? Many of us also know that
book was the inspiration for many
races around the world including,
most famously, one by Pennsylvaniaborn journalist Nellie Bly (Elizabeth
Corchran) in 1889. Phelan includes
three tales of courageous travelers
who journey around the planet. The
first is the obscure cyclist, Thomas
Stevens, who in 1884 bicycled around
the world on a bicycle with the huge
front whee! Nelly Bly’s challenge to
travel around the world in less than
80 days is the second. And the third
traveler in this collection is retired
sea captain Joshua Slocum who sailed
around the world alone in 1895.
Phelan’s graphic novel inspires all of
us to reach for the stars and set our
sights on nothing short of the world.
Aliens on Vacation
by Clete Barrett Smith
David “Scrub” Elliot isn’t happy
about leaving his friends and
basketball camp in Florida to
spend the summer with his
grandmother at her Intergalactic
Bed and Breakfast in the Pacific
northwest. Scrub soon discovers
that the guests are a bit on the
odd side, in fact they appear to be
travelers from other planets! Soon
Scrub is in charge of dressing the
aliens and helping them maintain
their “cover” as tourists while the
local sheriff and his daughter cast
their suspicious eyes over the inn
and its strange inhabitants.
The Emerald Atlas
by John Stephens
Life has been hard for Kate, Michael and
Emma. Tossed from orphanage to
orphanage over the past ten years, they
end up in a gloomy, mysterious stone
house in Cambridge Falls, where they
appear to be the only orphans! Touring
the mansion, they discover an ironbarred room with 60 old dormitory beds,
secret passageways, and a mysterious
book which whisks them back to a time in
Cambridge Falls when families are
separated, children are prisoners,
dwarves exist and magic is real! The
siblings meet the Countess, Dr. Pym,
Abraham and Gabriel and have to
discover who will help and who is really
their enemy. Along the way they realize
it is up to them to not only save
Cambridge Falls, but the world! Are you
up to the challenge to discover the
secrets with Kate, Michael and Emma?
My Life as a Book
by Janet Tashjian;
illustrations by Jake Tashjian
Twelve year old Derek Fallon is looking
forward to a summer filled with tossing
avocado grenades, smashing action
figures under trucks and climbing onto
his garage roof to mess with the satellite
dish in his California home. His parents
have other plans for him however, and
send him to Learning Day Camp for six
weeks. Derek is miserable but uncovers a
major distraction in his attic. He finds a
ten year old newspaper article about an
accidental death of teenage girl on a
Martha’s Vineyard beach. His parents
don’t want to fully explain the event but
somehow Derek knows he is connected to
this mystery. He sets out to discover the
truth behind the girl’s death. If you like
Wimpy Kid’s Jeff, you will love Derek too.
This is a very funny, satisfying story.
Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story
by Thomas F. Yezerski
Have you ever gone to New York City with your
family by car, train or bus, and passed an area that
looked all swampy and flat. Have you wondered what
it was? Welcome to the Meadowlands, a huge
wetlands area in New Jersey where the Hackensack
River meets the Newark Bay. In this book, author
Thomas Yezerski explains wetlands: areas where
freshwater and salt water from the ocean meet and
make the ground swampy, spongy, and flat. Lots of
very interesting plants and animals thrive in
wetlands, things like bog turtles, ospreys and
sunflowers. Read about how glaciers formed the
Meadlowlands thousands of years ago. Learn about
the Lenni Lenape Indians who first started living
there, and the European settlers who followed them.
After decades of polluting the area with industrial
by-products, read about how people started to
realize the value of the Meadowlands and began
efforts to save them from destruction. If you are a
nature freak who loves exploring outdoors, you are
going to love this book. If you love drawing things
from nature, you are going to love Mr. Yezerski's art
work as well. You might even want to find out more
about mummichogs, and impress your friends!
Remember, it is easy to participate. Just read or
listen to at least 3 books from the list by March
1, 2013. At that time Mrs. Haltiwanger will
distribute ballots. Votes will be sent to the awards
committee by March 15 and the winning titles and
authors will be announced at the annual
Pennsylvania School Librarians Conference.
Keep reading!!!
Annotations adapted from psla.org
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