2016-2017 Crown Book List

Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad			Author Monica Edinger		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Robert Byrd	Publisher Candlewick	ISBN# 978-0763650384 (PB, HB)	Copyright 2/24/2015	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.30
This story is based on a real person,nine-year-old Magulu, who is captured in Africa and sold into slavery in New England. Her life is followed until she, as an adult, becomes a teacher in her beloved homeland.

Africa is My Home: A Child of the Amistad, by Monica Edinger, ISBN 978-0763650384, RL5.30. This story is based on a real person,nine-year-old Magulu, who is captured in Africa and sold into slavery in New England. Her life is followed until she, as an adult, becomes a teacher in her beloved homeland.

Anna Was Here			Author Jane Kurtz		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher HarperCollins	ISBN# 978-0060564933 (HB)	Copyright 8/27/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.00
Three generations of the Nickel family reunite, when Anna, her mom, dad, and younger sister Isabella, relocate to Oakwood, Kansas.

Anna Was Here, by Jane Kurtz, ISBN 978-0060564933, RL4.00. Three generations of the Nickel family reunite, when Anna, her mom, dad, and younger sister Isabella, relocate to Oakwood, Kansas.

Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton			Author Matt Phelan		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Candlewick	ISBN# 978-0763650797 (HB)	Copyright 7/23/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 2.50
During a typically boring summer in a small town, a vaudeville troupe with various exotic animals, come to stay at a nearby lake. Henry meets Buster Keaton, a real performer a long time ago, and exciting things begin to happen.

Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton, by Matt Phelan, ISBN 978-0763650797, RL2.50. During a typically boring summer in a small town, a vaudeville troupe with various exotic animals, come to stay at a nearby lake. Henry meets Buster Keaton, a real performer a long time ago, and exciting things begin to happen.

The Boy on the Porch			Author Sharon Creech		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher HarperCollins	ISBN# 978-0061892356 (HB)	Copyright 9/3/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.00
A young couple inexplicably finds a boy on their porch. John and Marta know they have been chosen to care for the boy and they try to unravel his history.

The Boy on the Porch, by Sharon Creech, ISBN 978-0061892356, RL4.00. A young couple inexplicably finds a boy on their porch. John and Marta know they have been chosen to care for the boy and they try to unravel his history.

Duke			Author Kirby Larson		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Scholastic	ISBN# 978-0545416375 (HB)	Copyright 9/27/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 3.50
In 1944 Hobie Hanson’s father is flying B-24s in Europe, so Hobie decides to donate his beloved German Shepard to Dogs for Defense in hope it will help end the war sooner.

Duke, by Kirby Larson, ISBN 978-0545416375, RL3.50. In 1944 Hobie Hanson’s father is flying B-24s in Europe, so Hobie decides to donate his beloved German Shepard to Dogs for Defense in hope it will help end the war sooner.

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World			Author Elizabeth Rusch		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Olivia Dominguez	Publisher Candlewick	ISBN# 978-0763658557 (HB)	Copyright 9/8/2015	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.30
Always fascinated by this thing called electricity, he eventually proved that AC, not DC, was the wave of the future. Tesla is that often overlooked genius who left a stunning legacy in his field.

Electrical Wizard: How Nikola Tesla Lit Up the World, by Elizabeth Rusch, ISBN 978-0763658557, RL5.30. Always fascinated by this thing called electricity, he eventually proved that AC, not DC, was the wave of the future. Tesla is that often overlooked genius who left a stunning legacy in his field.

Friends of Liberty			Author Beatrice Gormley		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Eerdmans	ISBN# 978-0802854186 (HB)	Copyright 8/1/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.70
Sally Gifford, a Patriot shoemaker’s daughter, tries to maintain her close relationship with Kitty Lawton, the daughter of a Loyalist as pre-Revolutionary war tensions increase and push them apart.

Friends of Liberty, by Beatrice Gormley, ISBN 978-0802854186, RL5.70. Sally Gifford, a Patriot shoemaker’s daughter, tries to maintain her close relationship with Kitty Lawton, the daughter of a Loyalist as pre-Revolutionary war tensions increase and push them apart.

Half a Chance			Author Cynthia Lord		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Scholastic	ISBN# 978-0545035330 (HB)	Copyright 2/25/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.50
The summer that Lucy’s family moves to a lake house, she spends time taking pictures of her new surroundings. She wants to show her professional photographer dad that she too has the same talent.

Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord, ISBN 978-0545035330, RL4.50. The summer that Lucy’s family moves to a lake house, she spends time taking pictures of her new surroundings. She wants to show her professional photographer dad that she too has the same talent.

A Home for Mr. Emerson			Author Barbara Kerley		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham	Publisher Scholastic	ISBN# 978-0545350884 (HB)	Copyright 2/25/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.00
Ralph Waldo Emerson grew up in the city but always longed for open fields and still country woods. He wondered if he could turn his love of books, ideas, and people into a life built around these things. Then he began to write….

A Home for Mr. Emerson, by Barbara Kerley, ISBN 978-0545350884, RL5.00. Ralph Waldo Emerson grew up in the city but always longed for open fields and still country woods. He wondered if he could turn his love of books, ideas, and people into a life built around these things. Then he began to write….

A Hundred Horses			Author Sarah Lean		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher HarperCollins	ISBN# 978-0062122308 (HB)	Copyright 1/7/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.50
Eleven-year-old Nell must spend her spring break with an aunt and cousins she has never met. While there she learns of a mysterious, wild girl with a strong connection to horses and an uncanny understanding of Nell.

A Hundred Horses, by Sarah Lean, ISBN 978-0062122308, RL4.50. Eleven-year-old Nell must spend her spring break with an aunt and cousins she has never met. While there she learns of a mysterious, wild girl with a strong connection to horses and an uncanny understanding of Nell.

The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky			Author Holly Schindler		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Dial	ISBN# 978-0803737259 (HB)	Copyright 2/6/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.00
Auggie and her grandfather use found objects to transform the appearance of their home and, in the process, change a whole town’s perceptions of beauty and art.

The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky, by Holly Schindler, ISBN 978-0803737259, RL5.00. Auggie and her grandfather use found objects to transform the appearance of their home and, in the process, change a whole town’s perceptions of beauty and art.

Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractels in Nature			Author Sarah C. Campbell		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Richard C. Campbell (photographer)	Publisher Boyds Mills Press	ISBN# 978-1620916278 (HB)	Copyright 4/1/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.20
This captivating photographic collaboration reveals fascinating fractal patterns in nature based on their discovery by scientist Benoit Mandellbrot.

Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractels in Nature, by Sarah C. Campbell, ISBN 978-1620916278, RL5.20. This captivating photographic collaboration reveals fascinating fractal patterns in nature based on their discovery by scientist Benoit Mandellbrot.

The Mystery of Meerkat Hill			Author Alexander McCall Smith		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Random House	ISBN# 978-0345804587 (HB)	Copyright 10/22/2013	Intl. Setting Botswana	Reading Level 4.80
Precious already knows she wants to be a detective and she hones her skills by helping to find a missing cow that belongs to the family of two new students at her school.

The Mystery of Meerkat Hill, by Alexander McCall Smith, ISBN 978-0345804587, RL4.80. Precious already knows she wants to be a detective and she hones her skills by helping to find a missing cow that belongs to the family of two new students at her school.

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein			Author Jennifer Berne		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky	Publisher Chronicle	ISBN# 978-0811872355 (HB)	Copyright 4/23/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.50
This new biography invites the reader to travel along on a journey of curiosity,laughter, and scientific discovery.

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein, by Jennifer Berne , ISBN 978-0811872355, RL4.50. This new biography invites the reader to travel along on a journey of curiosity,laughter, and scientific discovery.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus			Author Jen Bryant		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet	Publisher Eerdman's	ISBN# 978-0802853851 (HB)	Copyright 9/15/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.10
This is the story of Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget’s Thesaurus, which has continually been in print for almost 175 years and is still one of the most widely used reference books.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, by Jen Bryant, ISBN 978-0802853851, RL4.10. This is the story of Peter Mark Roget, creator of Roget’s Thesaurus, which has continually been in print for almost 175 years and is still one of the most widely used reference books.

A Snicker of Magic			Author Natalie Lloyd		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Scholastic	ISBN# 978-0545552738 (HB)	Copyright 4/14/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.70
When Felicity Pickle and her mom stay with her aunt for awhile after being constantly on the move, Felicity begins to get a sense of family. She also learns what a real friend can be when Oliver sticks by her in good times and bad.

A Snicker of Magic, by Natalie Lloyd, ISBN 978-0545552738, RL4.70. When Felicity Pickle and her mom stay with her aunt for awhile after being constantly on the move, Felicity begins to get a sense of family. She also learns what a real friend can be when Oliver sticks by her in good times and bad.

Summer of Courage			Author Karen Pavlicin		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by	Publisher Elva Resa	ISBN# 978-1934617243 (PB)	Copyright 4/14/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.30
While he does not look forward to spending a summer with his grandmother, he learns to accept that faith will help him deal with the changes that life brings starting with his father’s recent death. Originally published in hardback in 2007 as Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest it was also a Children’s Crown Award Nominee.

Summer of Courage, by Karen Pavlicin, ISBN 978-1934617243, RL4.30. While he does not look forward to spending a summer with his grandmother, he learns to accept that faith will help him deal with the changes that life brings starting with his father’s recent death. Originally published in hardback in 2007 as Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest it was also a Children’s Crown Award Nominee.

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library			Author Barb Rosenstock		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by John O'Brien	Publisher Calkins Creek	ISBN# 978-1590789322 (HB)	Copyright 9/13/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.80
From a very young age Thomas loved to read and collect books, hundreds first, then thousands. His various collections led to the creation of the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress

Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library, by Barb Rosenstock, ISBN 978-1590789322, RL4.80. From a very young age Thomas loved to read and collect books, hundreds first, then thousands. His various collections led to the creation of the world’s largest library, the Library of Congress

To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt			Author Doreen Rappaport		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by C.F. Payne	Publisher Disney Hyperion	ISBN# 978-1423124887 (HB)	Copyright 12/17/2013	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.80
Even as a boy Teddy had ambitious dreams to change the world. As a man he had the conviction to see his stupendous imaginings brought to fruition. He also became one of the most beloved American presidents.

To Dare Mighty Things: The Life of Theodore Roosevelt, by Doreen Rappaport , ISBN 978-1423124887, RL4.80. Even as a boy Teddy had ambitious dreams to change the world. As a man he had the conviction to see his stupendous imaginings brought to fruition. He also became one of the most beloved American presidents.

The Year of the Baby			Author Andrea Cheng		2016-2017 Crown
Illustrated by Patrice Barton	Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt	ISBN# 978-0544225251 (HB)	Copyright 4/1/2014	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 3.90
Anna is concerned that her recently adopted baby sister is not thriving, so she and her classmates create a science project that may save the day.

The Year of the Baby, by Andrea Cheng , ISBN 978-0544225251, RL3.90. Anna is concerned that her recently adopted baby sister is not thriving, so she and her classmates create a science project that may save the day.