Texas

Bluebonnet

Award

Nominees

2011-2012Compiled by Dixie Allen

Literacy Specialist

Harris Elementary

dallen@aldine.k12.ts.us

Amazing Faces

Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins

An illustrated collection of

sixteen poems based on

the theme of the universal

emotions shared by

people around the world.

Balarama : A Royal Elephant

by Lewin, Ted

World travelers Ted and Betsy Lewin recount how the trained elephants of southern India, in particular the one chosen to be the lead elephant in the Mysore Dasara, are raised, cared for, and prepared for performing in ceremonial processions.

Black Elk's Vision : A Lakota Story

by S.D. Nelson

Recounts how a childhood

vision shaped the life of

Black Elk, a Lakota-Oglala

medicine man who was

involved in the battles of

Little Bighorn and

Wounded Knee.

The Books of Elsewhere: The

Shadows by Jacqueline West

When eleven-year-old Olive

and her distracted parents

move into an old Victorian

mansion, Olive finds herself

ensnared in a dark plan

involving some mysterious

paintings, a trapped and

angry nine-year-old boy,

and three talking cats.

The Case of the Case of Mistaken

Identity by Mac Barnett

Twelve-year-old Steve

Brixton, a fan of Bailey

Brothers detective novels, is

mistaken for a real detective

and must elude librarians,

police, and the mysterious

Mr. E as he seeks a missing

quilt containing coded

information.

The Case of the Lost Boy

by Dori Hillestad Butler

While searching for his

mysteriously lost human

family, Buddy the dog is

adopted by another

family and helps solve the

mystery of their missing

boy.

The Duchess of Whimsy

by Randall de Séve & Peter de Séve

The Duchess of Whimsy

has absolutely no

interest in the Earl of

Norm until he makes a

sandwich that causes

her to look at him in an

entirely different way.

The Extraordinary Mark Twain

(According to Susy) by Barbara Kerley

Thirteen-year-old Susy

Clemens wants the world to

know that her papa, Mark

Twain, is more than just a

humorist and sets out to

write a comprehensive

biography of the American

icon.

Goal!

by Mina Javaherbin

In a dangerous alley in a

township in South Africa,

the strength and unity

which a group of young

friends feel while playing

soccer keep them safe

when a gang of bullies

arrives to cause trouble.

The Hallelujah Flight

by Bildner, Phil

In 1932, James Banning, along with his co-pilot Thomas Allen, make history by becoming the first African Americans to fly across the United States, relying on the generosity of people they meet in the towns along the way who help keep their

"flying jalopy" going.

Happenstance Found

by P. W. Catanese

A boy awakens, blindfolded, with no memory of even his name, but soon meets Lord Umber, an adventurer and inventor, who calls him Happenstance and tells him that he has a very important destiny--and a powerful enemy.

Imogene's Last Stand

by Candace Fleming

Enamored of history,

young Imogene Tripp

tries to save her town's

historical society from

being demolished in

order to build a

shoelace factory.

Louisa : the Life of Louisa May Alcott

by Yona Zeldis McDonough

A biography of

nineteenth-century

American author Louisa

May Alcott for young

readers, discussing her

poor but freethinking

family, her teaching

career, and her lifelong

passion for writing.

Mirror Mirror : A Book of Reversible

Verse by Marilyn Singer

A collection of short

poems which, when

reversed, provide new

perspectives on the

fairy tale characters

they feature.

Out of My Mind

by Sharon M. Draper

Considered by many to be

mentally retarded, a

brilliant, impatient fifth-

grader with cerebral palsy

discovers a technological

device that will allow her

to speak for the first time.

The Storm in the Barn

by Matt Phelan

Eleven-year-old Jack

Clark struggles with

everyday obstacles

while his family and

community contend

with the challenges

brought on by the Dust

Bowl in 1937 Kansas.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

by Tom Angleberger

Sixth-grader Tommy and

his friends describe their

interactions with a paper

finger puppet of Yoda,

worn by their weird

classmate Dwight, as they

try to figure out whether

or not the puppet can

really predict the future.

Turtle in Paradise

by Jennifer L. Holm

In 1935, when her mother

gets a job housekeeping

for a woman who does not

like children, eleven-year-

old Turtle is sent to stay

with relatives she has

never met in far away Key

West, Florida.

Wild Times at the Bed & Biscuit

by Joan Carris

Ernest the mini-pig does

his best to help the other

animals at Grandpa

Bender's boarding house

get along and have fun,

but the arrival of a hyper

Scottish terrier puppy

who wants to be a fox

disrupts life.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking With

Children by Keith McGowan

Eleven-year-old inventor Sol

must recover his self-

confidence if he and his

eight-year-old sister, Connie,

are to escape the clutches of

Hansel and Gretel's witch, to

whom they have been led by

their new stepmother and

the man they believe to be

their father.

Summaries & Cover Art

Follett Titlewave

&

Bound to Stay Bound