2022-2023 Lamplighter Book List

From the Desk of Zoe Washington			Author Janae Marks		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Katherine Tegen Books	ISBN# 978-0062875853 (HB)	Copyright 1/14/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.40
Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed. Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington, by Janae Marks, ISBN 978-0062875853, RL4.40. Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime? A crime he says he never committed. Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge. But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance.

Itch			Author Polly Farquhar		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Holiday House	ISBN# 978-0823445523 (HB)	Copyright 2/4/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.10
Isaac’s sixth-grade year gets off to a rough start. For one thing, a tornado tears the roof off the school cafeteria. His mother leaves on a two-month business trip to China. And as always. . . . there’s the itch. Drawing on her own experiences with idiopathic angioedema and food allergies, Polly Farquhar spins a tale of kids trying to balance the desire to be ordinary with the need to be authentic–allergies, itches, confusion and all.

Itch, by Polly Farquhar, ISBN 978-0823445523, RL4.10. Isaac’s sixth-grade year gets off to a rough start. For one thing, a tornado tears the roof off the school cafeteria. His mother leaves on a two-month business trip to China. And as always. . . . there’s the itch. Drawing on her own experiences with idiopathic angioedema and food allergies, Polly Farquhar spins a tale of kids trying to balance the desire to be ordinary with the need to be authentic–allergies, itches, confusion and all.

Linked			Author Gordon Korman		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Scholastic Press	ISBN# 978-1338629118 (HB)	Copyright 7/20/2021	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.30
Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it’s woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face. It seems the crimes of the present may be connected to crimes of the past.…

Linked, by Gordon Korman, ISBN 978-1338629118, RL5.30. Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But it’s woken up very quickly when someone sneaks into school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Nobody can believe it. How could such a symbol of hate end up in the middle of their school? Who would do such a thing? The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students decide to fight back and start a project to bring people together instead of dividing them further. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face. It seems the crimes of the present may be connected to crimes of the past.…

Prairie Lotus			Author Linda Sue Park		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Clarion Books	ISBN# 978-1328781505 (HB)	Copyright 3/3/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.20
Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers.

Prairie Lotus, by Linda Sue Park, ISBN 978-1328781505, RL5.20. Prairie Lotus is a powerful, touching, multilayered book about a girl determined to fit in and realize her dreams: getting an education, becoming a dressmaker in her father’s shop, and making at least one friend. Acclaimed, award-winning author Linda Sue Park has placed a young half-Asian girl, Hanna, in a small town in America’s heartland, in 1880. Hanna’s adjustment to her new surroundings, which primarily means negotiating the townspeople’s almost unanimous prejudice against Asians, is at the heart of the story. Narrated by Hanna, the novel has poignant moments yet sparkles with humor, introducing a captivating heroine whose wry, observant voice will resonate with readers.

Silverbelly			Author S.J. Dahlstrom		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Paul Dry Books	ISBN# 978-1589881433 (PB)	Copyright 1/14/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 0.00
Wilder is back on his grandad’s ranch in West Texas and a run-in with his dangerous neighbor, Saul, spins Wilder’s head like the blizzard that hits the ranch the day before Thanksgiving. Along with his sister, Molly, Wilder must rethink his ideas about what a trophy is, and how he relates to the wild landscape around him.

Silverbelly, by S.J. Dahlstrom, ISBN 978-1589881433, RL0.00. Wilder is back on his grandad’s ranch in West Texas and a run-in with his dangerous neighbor, Saul, spins Wilder’s head like the blizzard that hits the ranch the day before Thanksgiving. Along with his sister, Molly, Wilder must rethink his ideas about what a trophy is, and how he relates to the wild landscape around him.

Wild River			Author Rodman Philbrick		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Scholastic Press	ISBN# 978-1338647273 (HB)	Copyright 3/2/2021	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.20
Daniel Redmayne is fast asleep on the first night of a white water rafting trip, when he’s awoken by screams. The dam has failed. The river is surging, and their camp will be under water in a matter of moments. As the shrieking roar of the river rushes closer, the kids scramble to higher ground. They make it; their counselors do not. Now they’re on their own, with barely any food or supplies, in the middle of the Montana wilderness. Do Daniel and his four classmates have what it takes to stay alive until they can get rescued? Alone in the wild, they forge powerful bonds—but develop dangerous disagreements. If nature doesn’t break them, they might just destroy each other.

Wild River, by Rodman Philbrick, ISBN 978-1338647273, RL4.20. Daniel Redmayne is fast asleep on the first night of a white water rafting trip, when he’s awoken by screams. The dam has failed. The river is surging, and their camp will be under water in a matter of moments. As the shrieking roar of the river rushes closer, the kids scramble to higher ground. They make it; their counselors do not. Now they’re on their own, with barely any food or supplies, in the middle of the Montana wilderness. Do Daniel and his four classmates have what it takes to stay alive until they can get rescued? Alone in the wild, they forge powerful bonds—but develop dangerous disagreements. If nature doesn’t break them, they might just destroy each other.

A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games			Author Lori Alexander		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by Allan Drummond	Publisher Clarion Books	ISBN# 978-1328580795 (HB)	Copyright 4/7/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 6.60
Dedicating his life to helping patients labeled “incurables,” Ludwig Guttmann fought for the rights of paraplegics to live a full life. The young doctor believed—and eventually proved—that physical movement is key to healing, a discovery that led him to create the first Paralympic Games.

A Sporting Chance: How Ludwig Guttmann Created the Paralympic Games, by Lori Alexander, ISBN 978-1328580795, RL6.60. Dedicating his life to helping patients labeled “incurables,” Ludwig Guttmann fought for the rights of paraplegics to live a full life. The young doctor believed—and eventually proved—that physical movement is key to healing, a discovery that led him to create the first Paralympic Games.

The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations			Author Aisholpan Nurgaiv with Liz Welch		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Little, Brown Books for Young Readers	ISBN# 978-0316522618 (HB)	Copyright 5/12/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 5.80
Teenaged eagle hunter Aisholpan Nurgaiv tells the true story of how she became the first girl to compete in—and win—one of Mongolia’s most prestigious competitions. Nurgaiv’s story and fresh, sincere voice are not only inspiring but truly magnificent: with the support of her father, she captured and trained her own golden eagle and won the Ölgii eagle festival. A memoir of survival, empowerment, and the positive impact of one person’s triumph.

The Eagle Huntress: The True Story of the Girl Who Soared Beyond Expectations, by Aisholpan Nurgaiv with Liz Welch, ISBN 978-0316522618, RL5.80. Teenaged eagle hunter Aisholpan Nurgaiv tells the true story of how she became the first girl to compete in—and win—one of Mongolia’s most prestigious competitions. Nurgaiv’s story and fresh, sincere voice are not only inspiring but truly magnificent: with the support of her father, she captured and trained her own golden eagle and won the Ölgii eagle festival. A memoir of survival, empowerment, and the positive impact of one person’s triumph.

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe			Author Tricia Springstubb		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Margaret Ferguson Books	ISBN# 978-0823447572 (HB)	Copyright 6/1/2021	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.80
Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah’s surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter? When Dr. Londonderry’s expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.

The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe, by Tricia Springstubb, ISBN 978-0823447572, RL4.80. Eleven-year-old Loah Londonderry is definitely a homebody. While her mother, a noted ornithologist, works to save the endangered birds of the shrinking Arctic tundra, Loah anxiously counts the days till her return home. But then, to Loah’s surprise and dismay, Dr. Londonderry decides to set off on a perilous solo quest to find the Loah bird, long believed extinct. Does her mother care more deeply about Loah the bird than Loah her daughter? When Dr. Londonderry’s expedition goes terribly wrong, Loah needs to discover for herself whether she has the courage and heart to find help for her mother, lost at the top of the world.

The Queen Bee and Me			Author Gillian McDunn		2022-2023 Lamplighter
Illustrated by	Publisher Bloomsbury Children's Books	ISBN# 978-1681197517 (HB)	Copyright 3/3/2020	Intl. Setting	Reading Level 4.10
Meg has always found comfort in her best friend Beatrix’s shadow. Self-assured Beatrix is the one who makes decisions, and the girls have been a pair since kindergarten. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. A special science elective is Meg’s first step away, but when she’s paired with quirky new girl Hazel, Beatrix steps in to stake her claim on Meg. Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?

The Queen Bee and Me, by Gillian McDunn, ISBN 978-1681197517, RL4.10. Meg has always found comfort in her best friend Beatrix’s shadow. Self-assured Beatrix is the one who makes decisions, and the girls have been a pair since kindergarten. But middle school has brought some changes in Beatrix, especially when Meg tries to step outside her role as sidekick. A special science elective is Meg’s first step away, but when she’s paired with quirky new girl Hazel, Beatrix steps in to stake her claim on Meg. Meg is taken aback at how mean Beatrix can be—and how difficult it is to stand up to her friend. But as Meg gets to know Hazel while working on their backyard beehive project, she starts to wonder: Is being Beatrix’s friend worth turning down the possibility of finding her own voice?