0. Maud Hart Lovelace Award
Division I
Nominees
Sponsored by Minnesota Youth Reading Awards

1. Who is Maud Hart Lovelace?
Maud Hart Lovelace was born in 1892 near 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.

2. The nominees are...

3. 8 ClassPets + 1Squirrel ÷1 Dog =Chaos
By Vivian Vande Velde
Illustrated by Steve Bjorkman
While trying to escape from a hungry owl, Twitch, the school yard squirrel, has roused the principal's dog and got chased into the school. Now he's locked in for a dangerous and disastrous night. Can Green Eggs and Hamster, Sweetie the library rat, and the other school pets save Twitch from the crazed dog, Cuddles?

4. Alien in My Pocket: Blast Off!
By Nate Ball
Illustrated by
Macky Pamintuan
A four-inch-tall alien named Amp comes to conquer Earth but winds up crash-landing through Zack McGee’s bedroom window. When Amp’s weapons turn out to be more ticklish than terrifying, Zack realizes that rather than protect the world, it’s up to him to protect the alien in his pocket..

5. By Michele Weber Hurwitz
Calli Be
Gold
The Gold family’s surname sure fits them. The parents demand each of their children bring home the gold! They are a boisterous hyper-talented, over-achieving, and over-scheduled clan who believe that first place is the only place and each and every one of them has to “do something special in order to be somebody!”
Everyone’s” GOLD” except eleven-year-old Calli. Truth is she’s not sure she wants to be “THE BEST.”
But she may have found her niche when her fifth grade class is paired up with a second grade class in a Peer Helper Program. Calli picks the newest kid, Noah, who looks like he could really use a friend. And with what seems to be Asperger’s syndrome, he needs the most help.
But just helping some “slow” kid is not good enough for Calli’s parents. Will Calli stand up for herself, convincing her parents to re-examine their expectations and their over-scheduled lives?
By Michele Weber Hurwitz

6. Double Dog Dare By Lisa Graff What would you do to win a dare war?
Would you lick a lizard?Wear a tutu to school? Dye your hair green?
When Kansas and Francine find themselves in the middle of a dare war to determine who will be the news anchor of the fourth-grade Media Club, they become fierce competitors and quick enemies until they discover that they have something surprising in common.

7. Elvis and the Underdogs
By Jenny Lee
Benji Wendell Barnsworth is a small ten-year-old boy with a big personality. Born premature, Benji is sickly and accident prone and has a tendency to faint—a lot. He’s at the hospital so often, he even has his own punch card. That is, until the day Benji wakes up from a particularly bad spell. Concerned for Benji’s health, the doctor offers him two options: wear the world’s ugliest padded helmet or get a therapy dog.
Benji chooses the dog, of course. But when a massive crate arrives at Benji’s house, out walks a two-hundred-pound Newfoundland. And that isn’t even the strangest thing about the dog. He announces that his name is Parker Elvis Pembroke IV. That’s right, this dog can talk! And boy, is he bossy. Having a bossy dog can come in handy, though. Elvis brings out the dog lover in the most surprising people and shows Benji that making new friends may not be as scary as he once thought.
From a fresh new voice comes the hilarious and poignant story about the importance of finding your own pack.

8. Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
By Chris Grabenstein
Kyle Keeley is not a book-type kid. He’s more the class clown and popular kid, but when the new library opens up, he wants to be the first kid there. One guy donated the whole library! The rich dude is the notoriously creative Luigi Lemoncello, who made his billions by inventing fabulous games. An ardent fan of all types of games, Kyle thinks Luigi is awesome!
This library is filled with all sorts of marvels and, so far, it has all been top secret. For the grand opening, Luigi is hosting an overnight lock-in!
Kyle is one of twelve seventh graders picked for the food and games. But after the night of fun, the heavy doors remain locked! To get out, the children have to divide into teams and figure out the puzzles left for them by Mr. Lemoncello.

9. Fortunately the Milk By Neil Gaiman
A quick trip to the store to buy milk for his kids’ breakfast turns into a ridiculously unbelievable adventure for one intrepid father.
After leaving the store, the father hears a noise that sounds kind of like “t h u m m t h u m m”. He looks up, and what does he see? A huge silver saucer hovering above. Telling himself that this is not something one sees every day, the father then proceeds to be abducted.
By the end of the story, the father has told his kids all about what the aliens wanted, and his many strange adventures.
The kids are leery of this story. How can he prove that it really happened?

10. The Fourth Stall By Chris Rylander
Sixth-grader Mac has a real knack for problem-solving. His pal, Vince, is a financial genius. Together, the two are running their own business out of the boys’ bathroom—the fourth stall from the window. They charge schoolmates for test answers, loans, protection against bullies, and solving personal conflicts.
But then Fred, a third grader, comes to Mac with a story about how he is being threatened by the legendary drop-out and neighborhood crime boss, Staples. What’s worse, it turns out that Staples is expanding his intramural gambling ring into Mac’s territory! 
Check this book out to discover if Mac and Vince can solve their own personal conflict!

11. Perfect Game By Fred Bowen
Isaac is a serious pitcher. He’s got an awesome fastball and a sneaky changeup. He’s determined to pitch a perfect game: no hits, no runs, no walks, and no errors. He gets close a couple of times, but then a batter gets on base and Isaac totally loses his cool on the mound. He gets so mad that his pitches start missing their mark and he can’t get his head back in the game. Then Isaac learns about a Special Olympics Unified Sports team and meets an interesting athlete who shows him a new way to think about being perfect.

12. Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
By Liesl Shurtliff
Rump has never known his full name—his mother died before she could tell him. So all his life he’s been teased and bullied for his half-a-name. But when he finds an old spinning wheel, his luck seems to change. For Rump discovers he can spin straw into gold. Magical gold.
Rump must go on a quest to find his true name, along the way defending himself against pixies, trolls, poison apples, and one beautiful but vile-mannered queen. The odds are against him, but with courage and friendship—and a cheeky sense of humor—Rump just might triumph in the end.

13. By Polly Carlson Voiles
Summer of the
Wolves
By Polly Carlson Voiles
Siblings Nika and Randall have been foster kids in California for a while now when a long-lost uncle, Uncle Ian, comes to claim guardianship. Nika and Randall find themselves moving from sunny California all the way up to cold Minnesota.
Uncle Ian is a wildlife researcher studying wolves.. One day while out with Uncle Ian, the kids come across a cave. Inside is a dead wolf mother, apparently shot, which is illegal. And in the cave with his mother is the wolf’s cub.
Uncle Ian takes the cub and rehabilitates it. Nika is delighted. She and the cub form a bond, and she names him Kahn.
Hoping to give Kahn a bit of freedom, Nika takes him on runs through the woods, an action expressly forbidden by Uncle Ian—and for good reason! The poacher who shot Kahn’s mother is still out there.

14. When Life Gives You O.J. By Erica S. Perl
For years, almost-eleven-year-old Zelly Fried has tried to convince her parents to let her have a dog. After all, practically everyone in Vermont owns a dog, and it sure could go a long way helping Zelly fit in since moving there from Brooklyn.  But when her eccentric grandfather, Ace, hatches a ridiculous plan involving a "practice dog" named O.J., Zelly's not so sure how far she's willing to go to win a dog of her own.  Is Ace’s plan so-crazy-it-just-might-work… or just plain crazy?

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

16. When? Voting will take place near the middle of March.
Winner is announced on April 26th (Maud Hart Lovelace’s Birthday).

17. MMS Maud Hart Competition
Participate!
Level 1 - Read 3 books, and attend a party.
Level 2 – Read 4-7 books, attend party and win a small prize.
Level 3 – Read 8-11 books, join party, and earn a medium prize.
Level 4 – Read all 12 books, join party and win a special grand prize.
MMS Contest begins Tuesday, Nov. 3rd, 2015 and closes Monday, March 14th, weeks of reading!! You need to read 1 book every 2 weeks to complete the collection on time!

18. 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 a.s.a.p. where it will be recorded by Mrs. Swan, Mrs. Bloch, or myself.
Bookmarks available.
Stay tuned for updates on the special grand prize, and other MHLopportunities during the school year.

19. MYRA Olympics Create a team of 4 – must be in the same grade
Amongst you, decide how you will split up reading all 12 books – 3 per person
In March, we will have an Olympic Relay Event
You will compete against your other grade level teams to determine which team wins the Gold Medal for that grade
Special teaming events throughout the year to keep you on track!