Lamplighter Nominated Books

Britfield and the Lost Crown

By C. R. Stewart

He’s spent the majority of his life locked behind the cruel walls of Weatherly Orphanage, but when Tom learns that his parents might actually be alive, he is determined to find them. Together with his best friend Sarah, and armed with only the word “Britfield,” as a clue to Tom’s mysterious past, the two make a daring escape.

Soon, they are on the run from a famous Scotland Yard detective and what appears to be half of the police officers in England! The hunt is on, but will Tom and Sarah be able to evade capture long enough to solve an even bigger conspiracy that could tear our world apart

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.6

Published by Devonfiled Publishing LLC

ISBN# 9781732961210 (HB)

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Fighting for the Forest

By P. O'Connell Pearson

When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in March 1933, the United States was on the brink of economic collapse and environmental disaster. Thirty-four days later, the first of over three million impoverished young men were building parks and reclaiming the nation’s forests and farmlands. The Civilian Conservation Corps—FDR’s favorite program and “miracle of inter-agency cooperation”—resulted in the building and/or improvement of hundreds of state and national parks, the restoration of nearly 120 million acre of land, and the planting of some three billion trees—more than half of all the trees ever planted in the United States.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 7.6

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 9781534429321 (HB)

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Her Own Two Feet

By Meredith Davis and Rebeka Uwitonze

Rebeka Uwitonze was born in Rwanda with curled and twisted feet, which meant she had to crawl or be carried to get around. At nine years old, she gets an offer that could change her life. A doctor in the US might be able to turn her feet. But it means leaving her own family behind and going to America on her own.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Scholatic Focus

ISBN# 9781338356373 (HB)

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Searching for Lottie

By Susan L. Ross

Charlie, a budding violinist, decides to research the life of her great-aunt and namesake for her middle school ancestry project. Everyone in Charlie’s family believes Great-Aunt Charlotte (called Lottie), a violin prodigy, died at the hands of the Nazis, but the more Charlie uncovers about her long-lost relative, the more muddied Great-Aunt Lottie’s story becomes. Could it be that Lottie somehow survived the war by hiding in Hungary? Could she even still be alive today?

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.7

Published by Holiday House

ISBN# 9780823441662 (HB)

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Shine!

By J.J. and Chris Grabenstein

Shine on! might be the catchphrase of twelve-year-old Piper’s hero—astronaut, astronomer, and television host Nellie Dumont Frisse—but Piper knows the truth: some people are born to shine, and she’s just not one of them. That fact has never been clearer than now, since her dad’s new job has landed them both at Chumley Prep, a posh private school where everyone seems to be the best at something and where Piper definitely doesn’t fit in.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.4

Published by Random House

ISBN# 9781524717667 (HB)

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Things Seen From Above

By Shelley Pearsall

April is looking for an escape from the sixth-grade lunch hour, which has become a social-scene nightmare, so she signs up to be a “buddy bench monitor” for the fourth graders’ recess. Joey Byrd is a boy on the fringes, who wanders the playground alone, dragging his foot through the dirt. But over time, April realizes that Joey isn’t just making random circles. When you look at his designs from above, a story emerges… Joey’s “bird’s eye” drawings reveal what he observes and thinks about every day.

Nominated

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.2

Published by Alfred A. Knopf

ISBN# 9781524717391 (HB)

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Words on Fire

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

Danger is never far from Audra’s family farm in Lithuania. She always avoids the occupying Russian Cossack soldiers, who insist that everyone must become Russian—they have banned Lithuanian books, religion, culture, and even the language. But Audra knows her parents are involved in something secret and perilous. In June 1893, when Cossacks arrive abruptly at their door, Audra’s parents insist that she flee, taking with her an important package and instructions for where to deliver it. But escape means abandoning her parents to a terrible fate.

Winner

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 5.6

Published by Scholastic Press

ISBN# 9781338275476 (HB)

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The Turnover

By Mike Lupica

Gramps is Lucas’s hero, which is second only to the fact that he is also Lucas’s basketball coach. Gramps coached the team to victory in the championships last year, and when he decides to come out of retirement to coach another season, Lucas is thrilled. This season will absolutely be the greatest yet. So when his English teacher challenges the class to write a biography of the person they most admire, Lucas can’t think of anyone he’d rather write about. Except…Gramps is being cagey. He avoids every question Lucas asks, and gets angry every time Lucas brings up his past as a hotshot basketball player. Lucas can’t help but wonder—is there something Gramps is trying to hide? And if there is, will Lucas be prepared to face the truth about the man he thought he knew? With basketball championships fast approaching, time is running out for Lucas to decide.

Honor

2021-2022 Lamplighter Award

Reading Level: 4.8

Published by Simon & Schuster

ISBN# 9781534421585 (HB)

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