Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as ‘human computers’ used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. It is the powerful story of four African-American female mathematicians at NASA who helped achieve some of the greatest moments in our space program.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 8.2
Published by HarperCollins
Copyright November 28, 2016
ISBN# 978-0062662385 (HB)
Zoe Reindeer considers herself ‘just Zoe’ never measuring up to her too-perfect older sister or her smarty-pants little brother. Truthfully, though, she’d rather just blend in with the plants at the family business, Doc Reindeer’s Exotic Plant Wonderland. She does have one friend, Q, and he’s the best one ever, but he’s moving away, leaving Zoe to fend for herself, and she doesn’t know what she’ll do without him. That is until a tall astronomer from Madagascar comes to the nursery looking for a Baobab tree. His visit starts a ball rolling that makes Zoe long for real adventures, not just imaginary ones, and shows her that perhaps her first real adventure is finally beginning.
2018-2019 Crown Award
Reading Level: 4.5
Published by Nancy Paulsen Books
Copyright August 15, 2016
ISBN# 978-0399170973 (HB)
When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her parents ‘volunteer’ Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna and that stubborn cow, Zora.
2018-2019 Crown Award
Reading Level: 4.4
Published by HarperCollins
Copyright August 29, 2016
ISBN# 978-0062415240 (HB)
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team is an astonishing underdog sports story and more. It’s an unflinching look at the U.S. government’s violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures. Expertly told by three-time National Book Award finalist Steve Sheinkin, it’s the story of a group of young men who came together at that school, the overwhelming obstacles they faced both on and off the field, and their absolute refusal to accept defeat.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 6.8
Published by Roaring Brook Press
Copyright January 16, 2017
ISBN# 978-1596439542 (HB)
Red is not afraid of the big bad wolf. She’s not afraid of anything . . . except magic. But when Red’s granny falls ill, it seems that only magic can save her, and fearless Red is forced to confront her one weakness.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 4.3
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Copyright April 11, 2016
ISBN# 978-0385755832 (HB)
In the war-ravaged England of 1940, Charlotte Bromley is sure of only one thing: Kitty McLaughlin is her best friend in the whole world. But when Charlotte’s scientist father makes an astonishing discovery that the Germans will covet for themselves, Charlotte is faced with an impossible choice between danger and safety. Should she remain with her friend or journey to another time and place? Her split-second decision has huge consequences, and when she finds herself alone in the world, unsure of Kitty’s fate, she knows that somehow, some way, she must find her way back to her friend. Written in the spirit of classic time-travel tales, this book is an imaginative and heartfelt tribute to the unbreakable ties of friendship.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 5.1
Published by Chronicle Books
Copyright May 4, 2016
ISBN# 978-1452140094 (HB)
Thirteen-year-old American girl Genevieve has spent the summer of 1939 at her grandmother’s farm in Alsace, France. Then she makes an impulsive choice: to stay in France. It proves to be a dangerous decision. World War II erupts. The Nazis conquer Alsace and deport the Jews and others. A frightening German officer commandeers a room in Meme’s farmhouse. And when Gen’s friend Remi commits an act of sabotage, Gen is forced to hide him in the attic right above the Nazi officer’s head. Genevieve’s War is a gripping story that brings the war in occupied France vividly to life. It is a companion work to Lily’s Crossing, a Newbery Honor Book.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 4.0
Published by Holiday House
Copyright March 29, 2017
ISBN# 978-0823438006 (HB)
Twelve-year-old Crow has lived her entire life on a tiny, isolated piece of the starkly beautiful Elizabeth Islands in Massachusetts. Abandoned and set adrift in a small boat when she was just hours old, Crow’s only companions are Osh, the man who rescued and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their fierce and affectionate neighbor across the sandbar. Crow has always been curious about the world around her, but it isn’t until the night a mysterious fire appears across the water that the unspoken question of her own history forms in her heart. Soon, an unstoppable chain of events is triggered, leading Crow down a path of discovery and danger.
2018-2019 Lamplighter Award
Reading Level: 4.8
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers
Copyright May 1, 2017
ISBN# 978-1101994856 (HB)
