Thursday, May 23, 2013

2014 Illinois Caudill Award Books (That I Have Read Thus Far)

Here is a link to the .pdf of the current Caudill Nominees: http://www.rcyrba.org/pdf/2014%20MasterList.pdf'


When this list was released rather recently (an award voted on by fourth to eighth graders in Illinois), I had already read a couple of books on the list (and can't recommend them enough):  Wonder by R.J. Palacio (2012) and The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (2011).   However, I hadn't read any of the others!

Since the list was released, I have read the following titles:

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson (2010) - A girl with a different name and a different kind of family life learns more about who she is.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer (2011) - A girl whose mom is on the run from a bad relationship wants to become a famous baker.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg (2011) - This is a fun (if sometimes a little disgusting) book that I would highly recommend to my eleven-year-old nephew.  It is really about famous people in history and how they died - and what happened in some cases before and after they died.

Mockingbird: (Mok'ing-bûrd) by Kathryn Erskine (2010) - A girl with Aspergers is dealing with her own grief (as well as how to manage her OCD and thought processes), and her father's, after her older brother died in a school shooting.  (I could not put this book down.)

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols (2008) -  A boy is dying after several years of living with cancer.  He writes his memoir for everyone to remember him.  He also makes a "bucket list" of things he wants to do before he dies.   His incredible family and friends make many of these things happen for him - even a first kiss and a ride in a blimp. (Warning: Both this book and the book listed above this one are definitely tearjerkers!)




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