Rhode Island Children's Book Award
NOMINEES FOR THE YEAR 2003
Annotated by members of the Book Award Committee

your comments on the nominated books you have read.   Your comments
                will appear on this web site within a few days.
 

Radio Rescue,  by Lynne Barasch.  Grades 3-4

Can a 10-year-old learn Morse code and become an amateur radio operator?  And could those skills be used to save a stranded family?

Student comments
 

Skeleton Man,  by Joseph Bruchac.  Grades 5-6

      When Molly's parents fail to come home one night, she is sent to live with a man who claims to be her uncle, but instead resembles the creepy skeleton man of Indian legend.

Student comments
 

Love That Dog,  by Sharon Creech.  Grades 3-6

      Who said boys don't write poetry?  Jack does in this novel.  Or is it a poem?  Or a journal?  You make the decision!

Student comments
 

Bo & Mzzz Mad,  by Sid Fleischman.  Grades 4-6

        Orphaned Bo heads to his relatives in the Mojave Desert, where he bumps into a family feud, a search for an old gold mine, and a cousin whose name fits her just right.

Student comments
 

Lizards, Frogs, and Polliwogs:  Poems and Paintings, by
                  Douglas Florian.  Grades 3-6

        Wonderful words and colorful pictures make some crazy critters come alive.  These poems pop!  Catch 'em quick!

Student comments
 

Leonardo's Horse,  by Jean Fritz.  Grades 4-6

        In 1482 Leonardo da Vinci began a 24-foot statue of a bronze horse.  Finally, in 1999, the horse was completed.

Student comments
 

The Ghost Sitter,  by Peni Griffin.  Grades 4-6

        Charlotte realizes that her new house is haunted by the ghost of a girl who doesn't even know she's dead.

Student comments
 

Remember the Ladies:  100 Great American Women,  by
           Cheryl Harness.  Grades 3-6

        Discover some of the amazing accomplishments of American women from Virginia Dare (#1) to Ruth Simmons (#100) now President of Brown University.

Student comments
 

Wishes, Kisses, and Pigs,  by Betsy Hearne.  Grades 5-6

        Louise was wishing on a star when she called her brother a pig.  But could that new pig be Willie?

Student comments
 

Rocks in His Head,  by Carol Otis Hurst.  Grades 3-4

        The man in this story loves rocks - everything about them - even though people tease him and say he has "rocks in his head".

Student comments
 

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins,  by Barbara Kerley.
            Grades 4-6

        The true account of the life and work of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who dedicated his life to building the first life-size models of dinosaurs.

Student comments
 

Interrupted Journey:  Saving Endangered Sea Turtles, by
             Kathryn Lasky.  Grades 3-6

     Follow the fascinating journey of sea turtles rescued on a Cape Cod bay and taken to a Turtle Hospital in Florida.

Student comments
 

DeShawn Days,  by Tony Medina.  Grades 3-5

        Share the hopes, fears, and dreams of DeShawn Williams, a 10-year-old boy living in the inner city.

Student comments

The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans,  by Sy Montgomery.
            Grades 5-6

        The people living in this mangrove swamp know their lives are in danger, but is it possible the threatening tigers protect the very habitat which supports them?

Student comments
 

Dear Whiskers, by Ann Whitehead Nagda.  Grades 3-4

        "Why is my school pen pal the only one NOT to write back?"  Jenny finds out why and more when she gets to spend time with "the new kid".

Student comments
 

Yang the Eldest and His Odd Jobs, by Lensey Namioka.  Grades 3-6

        Yingwu, the eldest and most talented musician of the Yang family must find work to pay for a new violin.  Find out about his humorous attempts at making money.

Student comments
 

Walking to the Bus-Rider Blues by Harriette Gillem Robinet.
           Grades 4-6

        In 1956, 12-year-old Alfa is walking. . .EVERYWHERE!  To make matters worse, someone is stealing the rent money.  Can Alfa solve the mystery in time?

Student comments
 

Straw into Gold by Gary Schmidt.  Grades 5-6

        Find out what could have happened if the Queen didn't discover Rumpelstiltskin's name and she lost her son to that loathsome little man who helped her spin straw into gold.

Student comments
 
 

Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles.  Grades 4-6

        Ruby and Miss Eula are quite the pair - saving chickens from a slaughterhouse, painting the house shocking pink and sharing a special bond between a grandmother and her only grandchild.  Will Ruby survive the summer alone when Miss Eula goes to Hawaii after Granddaddy's death?

Student comments
 

Coolies,  by Yin.  Grades 4-6

        A young boy hears about the hardships endured by his ancestors who came to the U.S. to help build the transcontinental railroad.

Student comments

This page was created on March 21, 2002 and updated last on August 23, 2005.
 
 

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