Sequoyah Masterlist

2014 2015

When Lorelei's old school mysteriously burns down, a new one appears practically

overnight: Splendid Academy. Rock-climbing walls on the playground and golden bowls of candy on every desk? Gourmet meals in the

cafeteria, served by waiters? Optional homework and two recess periods a day? It's

every kids's dream.

But Lorelei and her new friend Andrew are pretty sure it's too good to be true. Together

they uncover a sinister mystery, one with their teacher, the beautiful Ms. Morrigan, at the very

center.

Then Andrew disappears. Lorelei has to save him, even if that means facing a past she'd like to forget – and taking on a teacher who's a real

witch. From Goodreads…

Reading Level: 4.0

When twelve-year-old Frankie Joe's mother is sent to jail, he is uprooted from his home in

Texas to live with the father he has never met, his father's wife, and his father's four

"legitimate" sons in Illinois. Frankie Joe is miserable. Trying to adjust to his blended

family proves too much to bear, so Frankie Joe hatches a plot to escape on his bike back home to Texas. For that he needs money, and so Frankie Joe's Freaky Fast Delivery Service is born. His deliveries win new friends, a place in the rural Illinois community, and a sense of

achievement. But his planned escape is destroyed by a heartbreaking betrayal, and

Frankie Joe needs all of his incredible resilience and the loving support of his new

family to survive the devastating loss.--Amazon.com

Reading Level: 3.8

Reading Level: 4.4

Most wars begin with a bang, or a blast, or an enormous KABOOM!

The war in room 43H began with a simple question.

“It’s time to decide who should be the news anchor for the spring semester. Who would like

to do it?”-Excerpt from book

More than anything, Francine Halata wants to be the news anchor of the fourth-grade Media Club.

But when a new kid, Kansas Bloom, the self-proclaimed “King of Dares,” is nominated for the anchor position, the two students begin a

two-week dare war to win the job. The challenges start small (licking a lizard, hanging

upside down on the monkey bars for all of recess), but soon escalates to impressive feats. Francine and Kansas attempt to outsmart each

other every step of the way.--From Publisher’s Weekly

Reading Level: 4.4

The Acerra family had sixteen children, including twelve ball-

playing boys. It was the 1930s, and many families had lots of kids. But

only one had enough to field a baseball team . . . with three on the

bench!

The Acerras were the longest-playing all-brother team in baseball history. They loved the game, but

more important, they cared for and supported each other and stayed

together as a team.

Nothing life threw their waycould stop them.

-From Amazon

Reading Level: 4.1

In 1977, graduate student Irene Pepperberg walked into a pet store and bought a year-old African grey parrot. Because she was

going to study him, she decided to call him Alex--short for Avian Learning EXperiment. At that time, most scientists thought that

the bigger the brain, the smarter the creature; they studied great apes and

dolphins. African greys, with their walnut-sized "birdbrains," were pretty much

ignored--until Alex. 

His intelligence surprised everyone, including Irene. He learned to count, add, and subtract; to recognize shapes, sizes,

and colors; and to speak, and understand, hundreds of words. These were things no

other animal could do. Alex wasn't supposed to have the brainpower to do them, either. But he did them anyway.

--From Goodreads

Reading Level: 3.2

When Daniel's class hatches chicks as a science project, he adopts them. When he finds out that his favorite bird, Peepers, isn't a hen but a rooster, and

therefore illegal to keep in the city of Portland, the Secret Chicken

Society is quickly formed to save Peepers.

-from Amazon

Reading Level: 3.6

Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has

grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He

rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all.

Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly

elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with

color and a well-placed line.

Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the

better.-from Goodreads

Reading Level: 4.4

This is the tale of a boy who needs a dog, and a dog who needs a boy; a match made in

heaven, if only the two can meet. Mark is a boy who needs a dog. But he can't get his

mom on board with his plan. Buddy is a dog who needs a boy. Buddy has an owner

already, but not one who understands the kind of love and care a dog needs. Mr. LaRue is a neighbor who needs a community. He's alone all the time in his huge old house and

everyone needs more than that. Over the course of a summer thunderstorm and one chaotic town council meeting, these three

characters cross paths and come together in a timeless tale ripe with emotions, told in

verse that resolves with love, understanding, and a sense of belonging--plus a place to

play a game of fetch! -from Goodreads

Reading Level: 3.7

Omar wants a snake more than anything, but his mom is unenthusiastic to say the least. However, the family manages to strike a compromise: Omar can get a corn snake; but the pet, which he names Arrow, must

stay inside Omar's room, where his mom will never have to set eyes on it. So when Arrow escapes, Omar has got to keep his family from

discovering the truth!

But with an inquisitive little sister, and parents mindful of odd behavior, Omar is having a time of it. When Arrow makes a surprise appearance, it couldn't be at the

worst moment--yet the incident becomes a catalyst for Omar to gain a new

understanding of his mother and her childhood in war-torn Lebanon.

-from Amazon

Reading Level: 4.5

Anna, José, and Henry have never met, but they have more in common than they realize. Snowed in together at a chaotic Washington,

DC, airport, they encounter a mysterious tattooed man, a flamboyant politician, and a rambunctious poodle named for an ancient

king. Even stranger, news stations everywhere have just announced that the famous flag that inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner" has been stolen! Anna, certain that the culprits must be

snowed in, too, recruits Henry and José to help find the thieves and bring them to justice.

But when accusations start flying, they soon realize there's even more than a national

treasure at stake. -from Amazon

Reading Level: 5.2

In 1963, as Kizzy Ann prepares for her first year at an integrated school, she worries about the color of her skin, the scar running from the corner of her right eye to the tip of her smile, and whether anyone at the white school will

like her. She writes letters to her new teacher in a clear, insistent voice, stating her troubles and asking questions with startling honesty. The new teacher is supportive, but not everyone feels the same, so there is a lot to

write about.

Her brother, James, is having a far less positive school experience than she is, and the annoying

white neighbor boy won’t leave her alone. But Shag, her border collie, is her refuge. Even so, opportunity clashes with obstacle. Kizzy Ann

knows she and Shag could compete well in the dog trials, but will she be able to enter?

-from Amazon

Reading Level: 5.6

When Nick is released from the hospital after suffering from polio, he is sure that his father will never look at him in the same way again. Once the best pitcher in youth league, Nick now walks with a limp and is dependent on a heavy leg brace. He isn’t sure he will ever return to the mound, never mind be

the star he once was.When Nick starts working for Mr. Churchill, the

owner of the semiprofessional team Nick’s dad plays for, he meets Satchel Paige, arguably the best pitcher in the world. Not allowed in the major

leagues because of his skin color, Satchel teaches Nick that some things can be overcome with hard work and dedication, and that just because you’re

down, you are most certainly not out.As Satchel and his unique teammates barnstorm

toward a national baseball tournament, Nick wonders if he can really overcome what seems like

the impossible and pitch again. -from Amazon

Reading Level: 4.9

Guided by a tattered map, accompanied by Thomas the Pig Boy, and inspired by the

storyteller’s blood that thrums through her veins, eleven-year-old Trinket searches for the seven stories she needs to become a

bard like her father, who disappeared years before. She befriends a fortune-

telling gypsy girl; returns a child stolen by the selkies to his true mother; confronts a banshee and receives a message from a

ghost; helps a village girl outwit—and out-dance—the Faerie Queen; travels beyond

the grave to battle a dastardly undead Highwayman; and meets a hound so loyal he fights a wolf to the death to protect the

baby prince left in his charge. All fine material for six tales, but it is the seventh tale, in which Trinket learns her father’s

true fate, that changes her life forever. -from

Goodreads

Reading Level: 4.3

Never underestimate the power of the bean. Tucker MacBean has been drawing comic books almost as long as he’s been

reading them. When his favorite comic has a contest for kids, he hopes he has finally found a way to fix his family—all he has to

do is create the winning superhero sidekick . . . Introducing “Beanboy”—the

first comic book character to truly harness the power of the bean for good. He is

strong, he is relentless, he can double in size overnight (if given enough water). With thoughtful characterizations and copious comic book illustrations, this laughout-loud novel will have readers

rooting for a superhero with true heart. -

from Goodreads

Reading Level: 5.7

When Ray Ingle asks his Uncle Thad if he can go to sea with him, he knows his parents won’t like it. But they’re not

around, and anything is better than staying with mean old Uncle Slye! To Ray’s great

surprise, Uncle Thad agrees to take him on, and soon Ray and his pet capuchin monkey

Allie are helping out in the galley of The Newburyport Beauty.

Ray knows Cook used to be a slave, though now he’s free.  But when Ray discovers what Cook is hiding in the kitchen pantry, he gets more involved with

the question of slavery than he ever could have imagined! -from Goodreads

Bibliography Pictures are from Goodreads.com and

Amazon.com Reading Levels are for Renaissance Summaries are from Goodreads.com and

Amazon.com Bean clipart, Gorilla picture, and the journal/pen

from Yahoo images…