1. Maud Hart Lovelace Award 2014-2015 Division I Nominees Sponsored by Minnesota Youth Reading Awards

2. Who is Maud Hart Lovelace? Maud Hart Lovelace was born in 1892 around Mankato, Minnesota. She became a famous children’s author with her Betsy-Tacy series. They are a well-known example of children’s historical fiction. This is why our state chapter book award is named in her honor.

3. Students in grades 3, 4 or 5 who read 3 or more of the 12 nominated titles are eligible to vote for their favorite! How the students get to vote:

4. The 2014-2015 nominees are...

5. Scrub arrives at his grandmother's Washington bed-and-breakfast only to discover she has opened the doors to aliens that arrive through off-Earth portals. He must decide what to do when the local sheriff, already suspicious of Granny, notices some of the kids Scrub is chaperoning at a campout glow in the dark. Aliens on Vacation by Clete Smith

6. Eleven-year-old Verbena Polter gets through a difficult summer of turbulent emotions and the revelation of a disturbing family secret with an odd new friend who believes she is the ghost of a girl who drowned many years before. As Simple As It Seems by Sarah Weeks

7. Twelve-year-old Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt Fitzroy has murder on his hands and trouble on his tail. He believes that Henry, the hippopotamus at the brand- new FunJungle, was the victim. The zoo's top brass claim the hippo went belly up the natural way, but Teddy and his feisty friend Summer McCraken have other ideas. Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

8. While working on a science fair project, a Philadelphia school boy discovers both a secret laboratory in his basement and Benjamin Franklin, who comes to life after receiving a jolt of electricity. Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! by Matthew McElligott

9. Hazel and Jack are best friends until an accident with a magical mirror and a run-in with a villainous queen find Hazel on her own, entering an enchanted wood in the hopes of saving Jack's life. This story is based on the fairy tale, The Ice Queen, the same as the Disney movie Frozen. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu

10. Sixth-grader Rusty, determined to help an injured dog that is chained outdoors in frigid weather, calls animal control then takes matters into his own hands, aided by his best friend and a ghost collie that leads Rusty to an even deeper secret. Ghost Dog Secrets by Peg Kehret

11. When his mother brings home a guinea pig instead of the dog he has always wanted, fifth-grader Rufus is not happy--until the rodent starts acting exactly like a dog. Guinea Dog by Patrick Jennings

12. Jake's grandfather Billy is eighty-eight and sick. When Billy tells Jake he is going to instruct him on how to build a sod house Jake doesn't know if he wants to do it, but it is the one desire of his grandfather's heart. Kindred Souls by Patricia MacLachlan

13. Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building. Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

14. Dubbed a "reluctant reader" by his teacher, twelve-year-old Derek spends summer vacation learning important lessons even though he does not complete his summer reading list. My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian

15. At the start of World War II, Japanese-American third-grader Aki and her family are sent to an internment camp in Poston, Arizona, while Mexican- American third-grader Sylvia's family leases their Orange County, California, farm and begins a fight to stop school segregation. Sylvia & Aki by Winifred Conkling

16. People may drift apart, but love can hold them together. Sometimes we find that love through magic - sometimes that magic is all around us. This is a story about all of these things, but it's also a story about how four dogs and one cat help one boy and his sister save their family. Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan

17. Voting Voting takes place near the end of March. Winner is announced on April 25 th (Maud Hart Lovelace’s Birthday).

18. MMS Maud Hart Competition Participate! Level 1 - Read 3 books, and attend pizza party. Level 2 – Read 4-7 books, attend pizza party and win a small prize. Level 3 – Read 8-11 books, join pizza party, and earn a medium prize. Level 4 – Read all 12 books, join pizza party and win a special grand prize. MMS Contest begins Monday, September 22 nd, 2014 and closes Monday, March 2 nd, 2015.

19. MMS Maud Hart Competition Once you finish a book, you must take the AR test, achieve 80% or better, print the test record sheet, and bring it to the media center where it will be recorded by Mrs. Swan, Mrs. Bloch, or myself. Bookmark available when contest starts. Stay tuned for updates on the special grand prize, and other MHLopportunities during the school year.