We librarians love a book list, especially when it’s chock full of excellent books! Here are some of our favorite titles that made the cut for this school year’s Rebecca Caudill Nominees, the reader’s choice award for Illinois students in grades 4-8.
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Alyssa recommends... |
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Small Spaces by Katherine Arden 11-year old Ollie’s class field trip to a farm takes a grim turn when the bus breaks down on the way home. Her teacher tries calling for assistance but there’s no cell service out in the cornfields. He orders them to stay on the bus with the driver while he walks back to the farmhouse for help, which means that Ollie and her classmates are now stuck in the middle of nowhere. Already uneasy and with night falling quickly, Ollie’s digital watch begins to display a warning in flashing letters—RUN—prompting Ollie and two of her friends to flee the bus. They head into the woods as the sky grows dark and eerie, pursued by haunted scarecrows. In order to survive the night, Ollie and her friends must avoid large areas and stick to the small spaces instead. Small Spaces is the perfect autumnal read for those who like stories with extra thrills and chills. |
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Stefanie recommends... |
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Drum Roll, Please by Lisa Jenn Bigelow Melly is feeling a lot of different emotions as she and her best friend Olivia head to Camp Rockaway for two weeks of music camp. As an introvert, she is already being forced way out of her comfort zone by playing her drums in front of complete strangers (not to mention just being in a camp full of complete strangers), and on top of that, her parents just told her that they are getting a divorce right before she left home. When Melly and Olivia are assigned to different bands, Melly’s life is turned upside down, but maybe, in the best way possible. Full of heart and spirit, this book is all about believing in yourself and persevering, finding love where you least expected to, navigating friendship when your best friend seems to take you for granted, and processing really hard and scary emotions when your world feels like it’s falling apart. And there are a lot of music puns! |
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Demitra recommends... |
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Resistance by Jennifer A. Nielsen Just wow. Resistance tells the story of Chaya Lindner, a Jewish teen that looks just aryan enough to get past authorities with forged papers as she moves through the ghettos of Poland to smuggle food and weapons in and perhaps smuggle people out. The tension in the story is palpable and you will find yourself reading at a breakneck pace to find out what happens next. Though the book is historical fiction, it incorporates real instances of the bravery, resilience and determination of the Jewish people as they fought to survive a force of people and beliefs that was set on seeing their utter destruction. If you are looking for your next WWII read, this is it.
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Allison recommends... |
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MaryJo recommends... |
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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Will witnesses his own brother Shawn’s death right in front of him. Gunned down by someone, and Will thinks he knows who. He also knows the rules of the neighborhood, one of them being, if someone kills someone you love, you have to get revenge. Will grabs Shawn’s gun, and takes the elevator down to follow the rules. But, on each floor, William is visited by ghosts of his past, and they all share their stories of gun violence. Will begins to contemplate his decision, and the rules of the neighborhood. Should he follow the neighborhood rule and avenge his brother’s death, even if that means there is no future for him? The entire story that takes place all in a 67 second elevator ride, and is a powerful, thought provoking story to tell. Readers will not be able to put this novel in verse down once they start. |
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Ann recommends... |
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Chris recommends... |
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