Hoover MS - Media Center - Black Eyed Susan Books

BLACK-EYED SUSAN BOOKS

We are excited to again participate in the BES Award program for 2012-2013! The Black-Eyed Susan Book Award program in Maryland is designed to promote literacy and lifelong reading habits by encouraging students to read quality, contemporary literature. It's easy to do: read at least 3 of the 10 nominated books in a category, and in April you can vote for your favorite book. Hoover students primarily read books in the Grades 6-9 category, but are also eligible to vote for the Grade 4-6 and High School categories. Only students vote; teachers and other adults don't. The votes from Hoover and those of students throughout the state are tabulated to determine Maryland students' favorite book.

Over 130 Hoover students voted in April 2013 and chose A Tale Dark and Grimm (Adam Gidwitz) as their favorite in the Grades 6-9 category, which also won across the state; where over 70,000 students from grades K-12 voted! Winner in the Graders 4-6 category was Wild Wings (G. Lewis), and Divergent (V. Roth) for Grades 9-12. Congratulations to the winners!

Want to join in the fun? Stop by the Media Center to pick up a bookmark or two of this year's nominees and get started reading! Here is the book review form -- three of these must be turned in to be eligible to vote next April.

Visit the MASL site for more information on this terrific program.

2012-2013 Black-Eyed Susan Book Nominees
Grades 6-9

	A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz Fairy tale Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own fairy tale and into eight more Grimm tales. The author often talks directly to the reader, warning of gruesome events to come. Reader, beware!
	Bluefish, by Pat Schmatz Realistic fiction Thirteen-year-old Travis, living in cramped quarters with his alcoholic grandfather, longs for his old life in the country, and struggles in school to hide the fact that he cannot read, but a persistent teacher and a special girl open his eyes to a new world.
	Cold Case, by Julia Platt Leonard Mystery When thirteen-year-old Oz Keillor finds a dead body in his family's Santa Fe, New Mexico, restaurant, he is determined to solve the mystery in which his older brother is implicated, but which also involves their long-dead father, who was accused of being a spy.
	Eight Keys, by Suzanne M. LaFleur Realistic fiction Elise’s parents died when she was young, too young to remember. Starting middle school, Elise and her friend Franklin find high expectations, friends who no longer want to be friends and hurtful bullying. Then, on her 12th birthday, Elise receives the first of eight keys that will unlock eight doors on the second floor of the family barn, left for her by her father. What she learns helps her get to know herself and her family better.
	Hidden, by Helen Frost Free verse When they were eight years old, Darra Monson and Wren Abbott didn’t know each other. When they were eight years old, Darra’s father stole a car with Wren hidden in it. Years later, the two girls meet at a camp and, somehow, have to deal with the anger and fear that each feels towards the other.
	Jefferson's Sons: a Founding Father's Secret Children, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley Historical fiction (1800s) This is the fictional story of America’s third President, Thomas Jefferson, and the children he fathered with his slave Sally Hemmings. Historical fiction, the story is told by three of Jefferson’s slaves.
	No Passengers Beyond this Point, by Gennifer Choldenko Fantasy When the family loses their home, three children fly to Colorado to stay with an uncle until things settle down. When the plane lands, however, the children aren’t in Colorado; in fact, they may not even be in this world. Something weird and terrible is happening; and the kids have only a short time to figure out how to get out of here.
	Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt Historical fiction (1960s), Realistic fiction Set in 1968, this is the story of Doug, an eighth-grader whose life is anything but easy. He has a bad-tempered father, one brother accused of breaking-and-entering and another brother home from the Vietnam War without his legs. But, a good friend, beautiful Audubon bird prints, and the safe harbor of the local library may be all the help Doug needs to get his life together.
	Payback Time, by Carl Deuker Sports mystery When Mitch agrees to become the head sports reporter on his high school newspaper, he begins to focus his attention on Angel, one of the team’s great players who refuses to play great on the field and refuses to tell anyone why or tell anyone anything about his past.
	The Apothecary, by Maile Meloy Fantasy Fourteen-year-old Janie Scott, newly arrived in London from Los Angeles in 1952, becomes friends with a mysterious apothecary and his son, Benjamin Burrows, and is drawn into a dangerous adventure with Benjamin when his father is kidnapped and Russian spies try to steal his book of secrets. They use magic on their journey, like becoming birds to fly away and escape!