TexasBluebonnet

Award

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In this tutorial, you will learn all about the Texas

Bluebonnet Award program and how you can participate.

Follow the green arrows located on the bottom right

corner of the pages to navigate through the

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Click on the words to take you to the information pages.

**Click on the green “next” arrow only after you are finished with this

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Who?

What?

When?

Where?

How?

Who can participate?

• All students in grades 3 through 6 are able to participate in the program.

• Your teacher or your librarian can help you.

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What is theTexas Bluebonnet Award?

• The Texas Bluebonnet Award is a program in which 20 books are nominated each year.

• Students read the books or have the books read to them.

• When it’s time, eligible students get to vote on their favorite book.

• The author of the book with the most votes is presented with the Texas Bluebonnet Award at the Texas Library Association’s annual conference.

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When can I work on this?• Your teacher will let you know when he or she

wants you to work on this during class.• You may come to the library during open hours

as long as you have a pass from your teacher.• You can read books during your free time, any

other time in class or the library (as long as you have permission), or even while you are at home. Maybe your parents want to read some of the books with you. That’s okay, too!

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Where will I be doing this?

• You can read here at school, at home, on the bus, or even at daycare. Be creative, and think of your favorite place to read!

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How do I participate?• You must read or have someone read to you at least 5

books out of the 20 nominees.• Each time you finish reading or hearing a book, find a

time to come to the library to fill out a short review of the book. These review sheets will be kept in a binder here in the library. Just look for your teacher’s name to find your class.

• You may read more than 5 books if you’d like.• Student who read at least 5 books and fill out at least 5

reviews will be invited to vote for their favorite book.

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On the next page (Book List), click on the hyperlinked book

titles to learn more about each book. Click on the green arrow when you are finished

with that page.

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The 2012-2013 Book List• Thunder Birds: Nature’s Flying Predators (Jim Arnosky)• Just Being Audrey (Margaret Cardillo)• The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale (Carmen Agra

Deedy and Randall Wright • Under the Mambo Moon (Julia Durango)• Clever Jack Takes the Cake (Candace Fleming)• Zita the Spacegirl (Ben Hatke)• Hamster Magic (Lynne Jonell)• Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates (Kim Ke

nnedy)• Hero (Mike Lupica)• Benjamin Franklinstein Lives! (Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury)

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Book List Continued• Ruth and the Green Book (Calvin Ramsey)• Wonderstruck (Brian Selznick)• Aliens on Vacation (Clete Barrett Smith)• Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie (Julie Sternberg)• Scarum Fair (Jessica Swaim)• Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dog (Adrienne Sylver)• Postcards from Camp (Simms Taback)• EllRay Jakes is NOT a Chicken (Sally Warner)• Play, Louis, Play: The True Story of a Boy and His Horn (Muriel

Harris Weinstein)• Escape Under the Forever Sky (Eve Yohalem) nex

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Thunder Birds: Nature’s Flying Predatorsby: Jim Arnosky

Why are there no feathers on a vulture’s head? Which bird is the deep-

diving champ? What makes an owl’s wings silent in flight? If you would like

to know the answers to these questions, pick up this breathtaking

nonfiction picture book by Jim Arnosky, acclaimed naturalist and illustrator.

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Just Being Audreyby: Margaret Cardillo

From Roman Holiday to Breakfast at Tiffany's, when Audrey Hepburn

starred in a movie, she lit up the screen. Learn more about Audrey Hepburn as a little girl, an actress,

an icon, an inspiration; this is Audrey just being Audrey.

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The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Taleby: Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright

Skilley, an alley cat with an embarrassing secret, trades in his street-cat life to live at ye olde Cheshire Cheese Inn. There he makes a

deal with Pip, a well-educated mouse, to protect the mice who live at the inn. What

does Skilley get out of the deal? You’ll have to read to find out the answer to this question,

to learn more about the adventures of Skilley and Pip, and to find out who some of the

special guests are at the inn.

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Under the Mambo Moonby: Julia Durango

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Marisol loves helping her father out on Friday nights in his music shop as their neighbors stop by to visit and listen to their favorite dance music from their home countries. Poetry, music, and dance come together to

tell Marisol’s story about growing up in her Latino community.

Clever Jack Takes the Cakeby: Candace Fleming

What would you do if you were invited to the princess’s tenth birthday party

but didn’t have money for a gift? Well, clever Jack decides to bake the princess a cake. Now he just has to get it to the castle in one piece. What could possibly

go wrong? Find out more about this funny new fairy tale!

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Zita the Spacegirlby: Ben Hatke

When a little red button crashes to earth, Zita and her friend Joseph can’t help but push it. Oh no!

Joseph is whisked away through a portal to another place. Find out if Zita’s journey from star to star will end with them both getting back

home safely.

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Hamster Magicby: Lynne Jonell

Celia Willow is tired of being the baby of the family. When Celia’s

pet hamster surprises the Willows with his wish-granting powers, Celia gets more than she asked for. Can her big brothers and sister help her

get back to normal before breakfast?

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Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Piratesby: Kim Kennedy

Misty Gordon is used to weird, but things in her New England town of Ashcrumb are

getting weirder. Misty goes with her father to the estate of a psychic who recently died and discovers a notebook and a pair of eyeglasses

that help her to see ghosts and solve mysteries! Misty encounters ghosts of pirates who are looking for their lost treasure. Who

will find it first, Misty or the pirates?

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Heroby: Mike Lupica

Billy Harriman is fourteen years old and can feel himself changing. His senses are

becoming sharper, his strength is increasing, and he is so fast that he feels as if he can text message himself across miles. He knows that his dad had been a hero before he died, but what he doesn’t know is that his dad was a

superhero who battled the world’s evil. Now it's Billy's turn to continue the fight and

become a hero.

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Benjamin Franklinstein Lives!by:Matthew McElligott and Larry Tuxbury

Victor Godwin has an organized life. That is until he discovers that Benjamin Franklin has been hidden away for more than 200 years in his basement! Victor must help

the newly awakened Ben adjust to the modern world and get past his problem of

turning into a rampaging monster desperately hungry for electricity!

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Ruth and the Green Bookby: Calvin Ramsey

It’s the early 1950s and few African Americans could afford to buy cars. Ruth was looking forward to taking a trip in her family's new car! She quickly found out that black travelers weren't treated very

well and many hotels and gas stations wouldn’t serve black people. When a friendly attendant at a gas station showed Ruth's family The Green Book with a list of all of the places that would welcome black travelers, Ruth and her family could finally

make a safe journey from Chicago to her grandma's house in Alabama.

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Wonderstruckby: Brian Selznick

Ben and Rose secretly wish for different lives. Ben wants the father he has never known.

Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she keeps track of in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room and Rose reads a tempting headline in

the newspaper, both children set out alone on journeys to find what they are missing.

Don’t miss the next book from the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret!

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Aliens on Vacationby: Clete Barrett Smith

Scrub doesn’t want to spend the summer with his hippie grandmother at her Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast. The

decorations are old, and the guests are weird. He finds out that each room in the inn is a portal and his grandma is the gate-

keeper, allowing aliens to vacation on earth. Will Scrub be able to help his grandma by

disguising the tourists as humans?

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Like Pickle Juice on a Cookieby: Julie Sternberg

Eleanor loves her babysitter, Bibi. When Bibi has to move away, Eleanor must get

used to a new babysitter and get ready for a new school year. She learns that she will always have Bibi , no matter how far away

she is from her. This book is written in free-verse style and tells a story about

friendships and growing up.

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Scarum Fairby: Jessica Swaim

Filled with poems that mix common sights and sounds of

a fair, this book includes creepy, ghoulish, and beautiful illustrations and funny rhymes.

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Hot Diggity Dog: The History of the Hot Dogby: Adrienne Sylver

How important are hot dogs to America? We ate them on the way to the moon and served them to the king of England. We even name a Hot Dog Eating Champ! Find out more about the history of the hot dog with this

book and its hilarious illustrations and amazing facts.

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Postcards from Campby: Simms Taback

At first, Michael isn’t crazy about his first ever sleepaway camp. His dad tells him to stick it out. After some time, Michael mentions a friend or two and is finally a happy camper and plans to stay longer next time. Learn about Michael’s camp

experience through the handmade postcards and funny letters between

Michael and his dad.

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Ellray Jakes is NOT a chicken!by: Sally Warner

EllRay Jakes is tired of being bullied by his classmate, Jared Matthews. Ellray tries to defend himself but ends up in trouble himself. His dad offers him a deal he can’t refuse: If he stays out of

trouble for one week, they'll go to Disneyland! EllRay says he can do it, but

saying it and doing it are two very different things.

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Play, Louis, Play: The True Story of a Boy and His Hornby: Muriel Harris Weinstein

Louis Armstrong was a great musician, and his childhood was just as fascinating as the

man himself. Learn more about Louis from his closest

friend, his horn!

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Escape Under the Forever Skyby: Eve Yohalem

Lucy's mother is the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia and keeps Lucy locked up inside the ambassador's residence. All Lucy can do is read about the exotic

and exciting world that lies outside of the compound walls. One day, when Lucy decides she and a friend will sneak off for some fun, Lucy gets kidnapped! With only herself to rely upon, Lucy

must use her knowledge of African animals, inventiveness, will, and courage to escape. Tag along as Lucy goes on an adventure beyond her

wildest imagination.

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Past Winners• 2012: The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom

Angleberger• 2011: The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin ; illustrated

by James Stimson• 2010: Help Me, Mr. Mutt! by Janet Stevens and

Susan Stevens Crummel• 2009: One Potato, Two Potato by Cynthia DeFelice

& Andrea U'Ren (illustrator)• 2008: Down Girl and Sit: On the Road by Lucy Nolan • 2007: Ghost Fever/Mal de Fantasma by Joe Hayes • 2006: Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta by Lisa

Wheeler and Mark Siegel • 2005: Togo by Robert Blake • 2004: Shoeless Joe and Black Betsy by Phil Bildner • 2003: The Golden Mare, the Firebird, and the Magic

Ring by Ruth Sanderson • 2002: Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo • 2001: Cook-A-Doodle-Doo! by Janet Stevens and

Susan Stevens Crummel • 2000: The Ghost of Fossil Glen by Cynthia DeFelice • 1999: Verdi by Janell Cannon• 1998: Tornado by Betsy Byars • 1997: Math Curse by Jon Scieszka nex

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• 1996: Time For Andrew: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn

• 1995: The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka

• 1994: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor • 1993: The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick • 1992: Snot Stew by Bill Wallace • 1991: Aliens for Breakfast by Jonathan Etra &

Stephanie Spinner • 1990: There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom by Louis

Sachar • 1989: Wait 'Til Helen Comes by Mary Downing

Hahn • 1988: Christina's Ghost by Betty Ren Wright • 1987: The Hot and Cold Summer by Johanna

Hurwitz • 1986: The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright • 1985: Skinnybones by Barbara Park • 1984: Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe

DeClements • 1983: A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace • 1982: Superfudge by Judy Blume • 1981: Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

Click on the pictures to learn more about each of the nominees for this year. You can read more about the

book, find out information about the author, and even rate the book. You

can also find the names of other books like the one you clicked on.

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Sources• Information borrowed from the Texas Library Association: http://www.txla.org/TBA

• Information and book cover pictures provided by Mackin Book Talk: http://www.mackinbooktalk.com/chooseBook.aspx?pubId=106

• All other pictures are from Microsoft Office Clipart.

Created by Lori Leal MLS Graduate Student SHSU

March 2012