Indian Paintbrush Award Nominees

What are the Indian Paintbrush Awards?

Sponsored by the Wyoming Library Association and the Wyoming State Reading Council, the Indian Paintbrush Book Award provides the opportunity for Wyoming youth in grades 4-6 to select a favorite book and honor its author.

Its purpose is to help Wyoming students in grades 4-6:
Become acquainted with the best contemporary authors
Become aware of the qualities that make a good book
Set a goal to read at least three good books
To honor an author whose books Wyoming students have enjoyed.

For the list of current nominees read on! The web site which gives current nominees and past winners is located at:
http://www.ccpls.org/html/indianp.html

the Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

Buckley, Michael - The Fairy Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm #1)

From the Albany County Public Library catalog:
This first book in the Sisters Grimm series introduces two orphaned sisters, Sabrina and Daphne, who are sent to live with their mysterious grandmother. When they learn they are descendants of the Brothers Grimm, they soon discover it is the Grimm family's legacy to keep the Everafters in line--and the two sisters are the sole heirs to this challenge. So far there are 5 books in the series.

Sounds similar to Fablehaven. I'll have to read it and compare....

Genre: fantasy in a contemporary setting.
Doorway of appeal: haven't read it yet!
Nonfiction reads: any fairytales would be good to combine with this story.

Book web site:
http://sistersgrimm.com/newsite/index.html

No Talking by Andrew Clements

Clements, Andrew - No Talking

It's fifth grade boys versus fifth grade girls - who can say the fewest words in the next 48 hours? The teachers and principal are suspicious of the contest, and the kids move from a competition between boys and girls to a Gandhi-esque statement of civil disobedience. The kids are clever as they figure out how to communicate using few words.

Obvious non-fiction selection: biography of Gandhi.

Author web site:
http://www.andrewclements.com/

Legend of the Wandering King by Laura Gallego Garcia

Gallego García, Laura - Legend of the Wandering King

I haven't read this one yet. The reviews in journals give it a mystical, ancient Arabia feel. It's translated from Spanish, Gallego García is from Valencia, Spain. The first thing I thought when I read the synopsis was "wow, that reminds me of one of my favorite books, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho." When I went to the author's web site, there it is listed as one of her favorite books! I can hardly wait to read it and see if there are more similarities.

click on the "translate this page"
BIENVENIDOS A LA PÁGINA WEB DE LAURA GALLEGO- [ Translate this page ]

Getting Air by Dan Gutman

Gutman, Dan - Getting Air

Twelve year old skateboarders who survive a plane crash. Eleven year old bookworm sister saves the day on several occasions. Eighty year old knitter shares wisdom. Beautiful flight attendant rounds out the group. Not a realistic story, but a good tale for those who are willing to suspend disbelief. Even though they get on each others nerves, the boys are nice kids in a tough situation. All six characters work together to survive.

Cool author web site.
http://www.dangutman.com/

Toby Wheeler, Eighth Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

Heldring, Thatcher - Toby Wheeler, Eighth Grade Benchwarmer

Toby wants to hang out with his basketball star friend and joins the basketball team. He learns that getting involved (being on a team, being friends with the coach's daughter) is more complicated than expected. Nice treatment of peer pressure, dealing with relationships. First person narrative gives it a personal note.

Author's website:
http://thatchertheauthor.com/

Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

Kadohata, Cynthia - Weedflower

Another one I'm on the wait list for! Summary from Albany County Public Library catalog:

With remarkable insight and clarity, the Newbery Medal-winning author of "Kira-Kira" explores an important and painful topic through the eyes of a young Japanese-American girl living in California just as the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor.

Home page for author:
http://www.kira-kira.us/

I picked this one up last night and didn't put it down until I was done. How many people in our society are aware of the injustices that Japanese Americans faced during WWII?

Even before the bombing at Pearl Harbor, Sumiko is dealing with discrimination in her classroom and social life. After the bombing, these American citizens lost all their rights and freedoms and were "evacuated" to holding camps because of their ethnic background. The story of Sumiko and her family is heartbreaking and, sadly, realistic. This story is told focusing on 12-year-old Sumiko, but gives voice to the concerns and difficulties faced by her intergenerational family. The language evokes a feeling of loneliness and abandonment. It is hopeful toward the end.

Other books that show the inequities of war (not necessarily Japanese-Americans):
Chapter books:
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
The Diary of Ann Frank
Cristophe's Story by Nicki Cornwell (mid-early readers)
Picture book:
Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki
another story with the same feel, although it's about migrant workers not wartime:
Esperanza Rising by Pamela Munoz Ryan

Some non-fiction books:
Albany County Public Library has
J 940.53 B91J
The Japanese American internment : civil liberties denied
and this Young Adult book on the topic:
YA 940.5317 N499J
Japanese American internment during World War II : a history and reference guide

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Kinney, Jeff - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

This is the first in a series. Derived from an online comic, but not a full blown graphic novel. Describes the trials and tribulations of middle school from kid's perspective. Light, entertaining. Middle school students will respond to daily routines. Protagonist is a caricature of an adolescent: oblivious to all but his own drama. In that way, reminds me of Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little by Peggy Gifford whichuses photographs by Valorie Fisher to illustrate.

Official web site for the book:
http://www.wimpykid.com/

Swindle by Gordon Korman

Korman, Gordon - Swindle

Baseball cards, cheating adults, plots to get back at the cheating adult. Shades of Hoot by Carl Hiaasen? I won't know until I read it.....

Author's official site:
http://gordonkorman.com/

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson

Larson, Kirby - Hattie Big Sky

Another one I need to read. Historical fiction, set in 1918. Female protagonist, 16-year-old orphan. Not only a story about the hardships of homesteading, also about biases during wartime.

Author's official web site:
http://www.kirbylarson.com/
Book's official web site:
http://www.hattiebigsky.com/

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Lord, Cynthia - Rules

Wow - I have a lot of reading to do.
This one has a young female protagonist in a very realistic situation. Older sister trying to make sense of life with an autistic brother.

Author's website:
http://www.cynthialord.com/

Heat by Mike Lupica

Lupica, Mike - Heat

Michael Arroyo is a 12 year old little league baseball star. Mike, his brother Carlos (17) and their father come to New York from Cuba. It's a great sports story, but also a story about a family that has relocated to pursue a better life. Carlos and Mike face many challenges as they keep their family together and keep Mike playing in the district little league playoffs as his team competes to participate at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. These are appealing young people who are coping with a series of difficult situations. Lupica also wrote Travel Team, another sports story. My three sons (15, 13, 8) all enjoyed these books, and they're not usually big fans of sports books. They related to the characters.

Lupica is a sports columnist, and has quite a few books for young adults.
Haven't found an author site except through the publisher and online newsletters:
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=18276
http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=535

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Mull, Brandon - Fablehaven

Real world and fantasy creatures meet at Fablehaven. Two children: Kendra (13), the good girl rule follower, and Seth (10) the adventurous risk taker discover the haven for fantastic creatures as they spend 17 days at their paternal grandparents estate. The children face severe consequences when they don't follow the rules, but they persevere and save their grandparents, and the world of Fablehaven. A good fantasy story, interesting twist at the end regarding the housekeeper. First of a trilogy, the other two books in the series are available: Rise of the Evening Star and Grip of the Shadow Plague. The fourth is due in April 2009: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary.

web site for the book:
http://www.fablehaven.com/

the Legend of Bass Reeves by Gary Paulsen

Paulsen, Gary - The Legend of Bass Reeves: being the true and fictional account of the most valiant marshal in the West

I haven't read this one yet either, but I love Gary Paulsen for getting my boys to read. I'm looking forward to this book. Based on a true story, former slave becomes an outstanding lawman.

Gary Paulsen's official website:
http://www.randomhouse.com/features/garypaulsen/

Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Riordan, Rick - Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians #1)

I've read #2 of this series, but this one always seems to be checked out from the public library. I'm on the wait list. Percy is a 13-year-old kid who just happens to be the child of Poseidon. In Sea of Monsters, the tale of Percy & his friends continues with a really clever story that gives ancient mythology a contemporary treatment.

Rick Riordan official web site:
http://www.rickriordan.com/

the Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Selznick, Brian - The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I haven't read this one yet, but looking forward to getting it. Here's the summary from the Albany County Public Library catalog:

Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery

the official web site for the book:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm

Indian Paintbrush Comments

Hi, Janet here....I'm having my children help me figure out how the blog works. So we're fiddling around with how to access and add information. I already know that only team members may add comments. I'm still playing with the "gmail" component. It seems sort of awkward to force people to make a gmail account in order to participate.

Isn't it great that children are helping me figure this out? This is how the learning process should work - life long learning!