Special Collections
Bluebonnet Award Winners
Description: The Texas Bluebonnet Award winners are selected by librarians, teachers, parents, students and other interested persons and are appropriate for grades 3-6. #award
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When The Beat Was Born
by Laban Carrick Hill and Theodore TaylorBefore there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc. On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx.
Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks--the musical interludes between verses--longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is When the Beat Was Born.
From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, Laban Carrick Hill's book tells how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.
A John Steptoe New Talent Award Winner
2017 Texas Bluebonnet Award
Wait Till Helen Comes
by Mary Downing HahnTwelve-year-old Molly and her ten-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their seven-year-old stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard. If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.
But they do—when Helen comes.
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
The Uglified Ducky
by Willy Claflin and James StimsonResets Hans Christian Andersen's tale, "The Ugly Duckling," in the Northern Piney Woods of Alaska, where a baby moose is raised by a family of ducks who try to teach him to waddle, quack, and fly but cannot see his true beauty.
Tornado
by Betsy ByarsA tornado is coming, and once Pete the farmhand gathers the family safely in the storm cellar, he distracts them with a favorite tale about a tornado from his childhood--and the surprise it brought: Among the debris left by this twister was a doghouse, complete with a dog inside! Pete goes on to tell more stories about this hole-digging, cardtrick-playing dog, aptly named Tornado; and it isn't hard to see how Tornado, and the stories about him, soon become a part of both past and present families.
Togo
by Robert J. BlakeTogo wasn't meant to be a sled dog. He was too feisty and independent to make a good team member, let alone a leader. But Togo is determined, and when his trainer, Leonhard Seppala, gives him a chance, he soon becomes one of the fastest sled dogs in history! His skills are put to the ultimate test, though, when Seppala and his team are called on to make the now-famous run across the frozen Arctic to deliver the serum that will save Alaska from a life-threatening outbreak of diphtheria. In the style of Akiak, winner of the Irma S. and James H. Black Award for Excellence in Children's Literature, along with five state awards, Robert J. Blake's detailed, carefully researched oil paintings complete the story of the adventure that inspired the internationally famous Iditarod race.
Time for Andrew
by Mary Downing HahnWhen he goes to spend the summer with his great-aunt in the family's old house, 11-year-old Drew is drawn eighty years into the past to trade places with his great-great uncle who is dying of diphtheria.
There's A Boy in the Girl's Bathroom
by Louis SacharBradley Chalkers IS the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls. No one likes him--except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren't afraid to try. But when you feel like the most-hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . .Winner of 19 Children's Choice AwardsFrom the Trade Paperback edition.
Ten Rules You Absolutely Must Not Break if You Want to Survive the School Bus
by John GranditsKyle is dreading his first trip aboard the school bus. Luckily, his big brother, James, is a school bus expert. James gives Kyle ten rules for riding the bus that he absolutely, positively must obey if he wants to avoid getting laughed at or yelled at, pushed around, or even pounded. During his fateful ride, Kyle grapples with each unbreakable rule. Along the way, he discovers that the school bus isn't so bad, and he may even have a thing or two to teach his brother.
Superfudge
by Judy BlumeSometimes life in the Hatcher household is enough to make twelve-year-old Peter think about running away. His worst problem is still his younger brother, Fudge, who hasn't changed a bit since his crazy capers in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. If you ask Peter, Fudge is just an older -- and bigger -- pain.
Then Peter learns that his mom is going to have a baby and the whole family is moving to Princeton for a year. It will be bad enough starting sixth grade in a strange place and going to the same school as Fudge. But Peter can imagine something even worse. How will he ever survive if the new baby is a carbon copy of Fudge?
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
The Strange Case Of Origami Yoda
by Tom AnglebergerIn this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that weren't strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice. Dwight's classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
by Lane Smith and Jon ScieszkaA revisionist storyteller provides his mad, hilarious versions of children's favorite tales in this collection that includes Little Red Running Shorts, The Princess and the Bowling Ball, Cinderumpelstilskin, and others.
Snot Stew
by Bill WallaceThe game of Snot Stew that Kikki the kitten's young owners play is setting a bad example for Kikki's brother, Toby. He's turning into a bully -- and that spells danger when he starts taunting Butch, the nasty dog on the other side of the fence. Can Kikki keep Toby from getting into big trouble? And will she have the courage to rescue him if he does?
Skinnybones
by Barbara ParkPlay Ball???"I've played Little League baseball for six years now. But to tell you the truth, I'm not exactly what you'd call a real good athlete. Actually, I'm not even real okay. Basically, what I'm trying to say here is, I stink."For the smallest kid on the baseball team, Alex "Skinnybones" Frankovitch has a major-league bigmouth! But even Alex knows he's gone too far when he brags his way into a pitching contest with T.J. Stoner, the best baseball player -- and biggest creep -- in the entire school. What a mistake! This might be one mess that not even Alex can talk his way out of--
Shoeless Joe And Black Betsy
by Phil BildnerNo one knew better than Shoeless Joe Jackson what was needed to become the best baseball player ever: a good bat. And no one knew more about bats than Ol' Charlie Ferguson of South Carolina, a good friend of Joe's. With love, nurture, and a lot of hard work, the two friends created Black Betsy -- the finest bat in all the land. And with a bat the likes of her by his side, you can bet Joe went all the way to the major leagues!
Shiloh
by Phyllis Reynolds NaylorMarty will do anything to save his new friend Shiloh in this Newbery Medal–winning novel from Phillis Reynolds Naylor.When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight—and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun—and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty's secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd's anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?
Sergeant Reckless
by Patricia McCormick and Iacopo BrunoThe inspiring true story of Reckless, the brave little horse who became a Marine.
When a group of US Marines fighting in the Korean War found a bedraggled mare, they wondered if she could be trained to as a packhorse. They had no idea that the skinny, underfed horse had one of the biggest and bravest hearts they’d ever known. And one of the biggest appetites!
Soon Reckless showed herself more than willing to carry ammunition too heavy for the soldiers to haul. As cannons thundered and shells flew through the air, she marched into battle—again and again—becoming the only animal ever to officially hold military rank—becoming Sgt. Reckless—and receive two Purple Hearts.
Ramona and Her Father
by Beverly Cleary and Tracy DockrayRamona just wants everyone to be happy. If only her father would smile and joke again, her mother would look less worried, her sister would be cheerful, and Picky-picky would eat his cat-food. But Ramona's father has lost his job, and nobody in the Quimby household is in a very good mood.
Ramona tries to cheer up the family as only Ramona can -- by rehearsing for life as a rich and famous star of television commercials, for instance -- but her best efforts only make things worse. Her sister, Beezus, calls her a, pest, her parents lose patience with her, and her teacher claims she's forgotten her- manners. But when her father admits he wouldn't trade her for a million dollars, Ramona knows everything is going to work out fine in the end.
Newbery Medal Honor Book
Winner of Pacific Northwest Library Association’s Young Reader’s Choice Award
Fountas and Pinnell Level: O
Lexile: 691L - 770L
Reading Recovery: 34
DRA: 34
PM Readers: 24 Silver
Grade: 3
Ages: 8 - 9
Learning A to Z Level: S
Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1
On The Road
by Lucy Nolan and Mike ReedDown Girl spends her days protecting her master, Rruff, from Here Kitty Kitty and the neighborhood squirrels. But when Rruff invites Down Girl on a road trip, Down Girl knows she’s in for an even bigger adventure. With her best friend, Sit, along for the ride, the fun really begins. These two dogs never know quite where they’re going, but one thing’s certain. When they hop into a car, they’re sure to drive everyone crazy!
One Potato, Two Potato
by Cynthia C. DefeliceMr. and Mrs. O'Grady are so poor they have just one of everything to share – one potato a day, one chair, one blanket full of holes, and one gold coin for a rainy day. After digging up the last potato in their patch, Mr. O'Grady comes upon a big black object. It's a pot – no ordinary pot, for what they soon discover is that whatever goes into it comes out doubled! Suddenly the O'Gradys aren't destitute anymore. But what they really long for is one friend apiece. Can the magic pot give them that? This retelling of a Chinese folktale pays tribute to the author's Irish heritage, and to the joys of an old marriage, new friendships, and the impulse to share. Using pen and gouache, the artist shows the "simple" characters in all their winning complexity. One Potato, Two Potato is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade
by Barthe DeclementsWhen fat Elsie Edwards walks into Jenny Sawyer's fifth grade class, she's the last person Jenny expects to be friendly with. Elsie is not only fat, she steals everyone's lunch money to buy candy. And when the book club money disappears, the whole class is punished. Nothing's fair! The teacher, Mrs. Hanson, is very strict. Fractions are impossible. And Jenny is assigned as Elsie's guide in school. Nothing's fair! But Elsie turns out to be a math genius. She helps Jenny learn fractions. Elsie's diet begins to work. Then Jenny and her friends discover that Elsie's fat really covers up a good friend. Nothing's fair-but some things are not as bad as they seem!
Math Curse
by Jon Scieszka and Lane SmithWhen the teacher tells her class that they can think of almost everything as a math problem, one student acquired a math anxiety which becomes a real curse.
The Last Kids on Earth
by Max BrallierA Netflix Original series! The first book in the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series, with over 7 million copies in print!"Terrifyingly fun! Delivers big thrills and even bigger laughs."--Jeff Kinney, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen year old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and the fiercest girl Jack knows, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? Told in a mixture of text and black-and-white illustration, this is the perfect series for any kid who's ever dreamed of starring in their own comic book or video game. Covers may vary.
If I Built A School
by Chris Van DusenIn this exuberant companion to If I Built a Car, a boy fantasizes about his dream school--from classroom to cafeteria to library to playground. My school will amaze you. My school will astound. By far the most fabulous school to be found! Perfectly planned and impeccably clean. On a scale, 1 to 10, it's more like 15! And learning is fun in a place that's fun, too. If Jack built a school, there would be hover desks and pop-up textbooks, skydiving wind tunnels and a trampoline basketball court in the gym, a robo-chef to serve lunch in the cafeteria, field trips to Mars, and a whole lot more. The inventive boy who described his ideal car and house in previous books is dreaming even bigger this time.
The Houdini Box
by Brian SelznickVictor is forever trying to escape from locked trunks, walk through walls, and perform any number of Houdini's astonishing magic tricks. . . without success. Then -- amazingly -- he actually meets his idol, and begs Houdini to explain himself. A mysterious locked box is the magician's only answer, and Victor is left to wonder: Does the box contain the secrets to the most famous magic tricks ever performed?
The Hot and Cold Summer
by Johanna HurwitzRory and Derek were best friends but with Bolivia visiting next door, would their friendship last?