2012 Rebecca Caudill nominees
Masterpiece, by Elise Broach Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as an eleventh birthday gift for James, a human with whom he shares a house. The two new friends work together to help recover a Dürer drawing stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.
Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael Stubborn, self-reliant, eleven-year-old Zoe, recently orphaned, moves to the country to live with her prickly half-uncle, a famous doctor and sculptor, and together they learn about trust and the strength of family.
Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.
The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, by Mick Cochrane Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, but helps in other aspects of her life as well.
Powerless, by Matthew Cody Soon after moving to Noble's Green, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Daniel learns that his new friends have superpowers that they will lose when they turn thirteen, unless he can use his brain power to protect them.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother and studies the natural world with her grandfather, which leads to an important discovery.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish and joins a dragon on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.
The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.
Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place where the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality. Each carries a burden of personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find.
Greetings from Nowhere, by Barbara O’Connor In North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains, a troubled boy and his mother, a happy family seeking adventure, a man and his lonely daughter, and the widow who must sell the run-down motel that has been her home for decades, meet and are transformed by their shared experiences.
Heart of a Shepherd, by Rosanne Parry "Brother" Alderman, nearly twelve, promises to help his grandparents keep the family's Oregon ranch while his brothers are away and his father is deployed to Iraq, but as he comes to accept the inevitability of change, he also sees the man he is meant to be.
Woods Runner, by Gary Paulsen From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? Here’s the recipe: being one of six brothers, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.
Peak, by Roland Smith A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.
All the Broken Pieces, by Ann E. Burg Two years after being airlifted out of Vietnam in 1975, Matt Pin is haunted by the terrible secret he left behind and now, in a loving adoptive home in the United States, a series of profound events forces him to confront his past.
Wild Things, by Clay Carmichael Stubborn, self-reliant, eleven-year-old Zoe, recently orphaned, moves to the country to live with her prickly half-uncle, a famous doctor and sculptor, and together they learn about trust and the strength of family.
Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.
The Girl Who Threw Butterflies, by Mick Cochrane Eighth-grader Molly's ability to throw a knuckleball earns her a spot on the baseball team, which not only helps her feel connected to her recently deceased father, who loved baseball, but helps in other aspects of her life as well.
Powerless, by Matthew Cody Soon after moving to Noble's Green, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Daniel learns that his new friends have superpowers that they will lose when they turn thirteen, unless he can use his brain power to protect them.
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly In central Texas in 1899, eleven-year-old Callie Vee Tate is instructed to be a lady by her mother and studies the natural world with her grandfather, which leads to an important discovery.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, buys a magical goldfish and joins a dragon on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon in hopes of bringing life to Fruitless Mountain and freshness to Jade River.
The Rock and the River, by Kekla Magoon In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.
Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place where the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality. Each carries a burden of personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find.
Greetings from Nowhere, by Barbara O’Connor In North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountains, a troubled boy and his mother, a happy family seeking adventure, a man and his lonely daughter, and the widow who must sell the run-down motel that has been her home for decades, meet and are transformed by their shared experiences.
Heart of a Shepherd, by Rosanne Parry "Brother" Alderman, nearly twelve, promises to help his grandparents keep the family's Oregon ranch while his brothers are away and his father is deployed to Iraq, but as he comes to accept the inevitability of change, he also sees the man he is meant to be.
Woods Runner, by Gary Paulsen From his 1776 Pennsylvania homestead, thirteen-year-old Samuel, a highly-skilled woodsman, sets out toward New York City to rescue his parents from the band of British soldiers and Indians who kidnapped them after slaughtering most of their community. Includes historical notes.
The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, by Rodman Philbrick Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.
The Magic Thief, by Sarah Prineas A young thief is drawn into a life of magic and adventure after picking the pocket of the powerful wizard Nevery Flinglas, who has returned from exile to attempt to reverse the troubling decline of magic in Wellmet City.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka How did Jon Scieszka get so funny? Here’s the recipe: being one of six brothers, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, and jokes told at family dinner.
Peak, by Roland Smith A fourteen-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest.
Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith During World War II, a light-skinned African American girl "passes" for white in order to join the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.