MCBAG Book Discussion 2008-2009

Welcome To WPL's MCBA Book Blog

2008-06-14T15:20:00.009-04:00

McBaggers:

Statewide winner is announced: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.
2009 MCBA Honor Books are (in random order): Double Identity by Haddix, H.I.V.E (Higher Institute for Villainous Education) by Walden, The Homework Machine by Gutman, and Miracle on 49th Street by Lupica.

Worcester votes are in! The children from Worcester overwhelmingly voted for H.I.V.E. by Mark Walden. It's their favorite book from this year's list. Honorable mention goes to Swordbird by Nancy Fan. Watch this post for statewide results coming soon.

After reading a book from the list below, tell us what you think. Before sending your comments on to us, ask your parent or teacher to preview it. Identify yourself using only initials, town/city, and grade.

Whales on Stilts by M. T. Anderson

2008-06-14T15:15:00.006-04:00

Racing against the clock, shy middle school student Lily and her best friends, Katie and Jasper, must foil the plot of her father's conniving boss to conquer the world using an army of whales.

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The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney

2008-06-14T15:10:00.005-04:00

Eben McAllister searches his small town to see if he can find anything comparable to the real Seven Wonders of the World.

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Shakespeare's Secret by Elise Broach

2008-06-14T15:06:00.002-04:00

Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth grade Hero becomes interested in exploring this unusual connection because of a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school.

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Free Baseball by Sue Corbett

2008-06-14T15:04:00.003-04:00

Angry with his mother for having too little time for him, eleven year old Felix takes advantage of an opportunity to become bat boy for a minor league baseball team, hoping someday to be like his father, a famous Cuban outfielder.

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Chicken Boy by Frances Dowell

2008-06-14T15:00:00.004-04:00

Since the death of his mother, Tobin's family and school life has been in disarray, but after he starts raising chickens with his seventh grade classmate, Henry, everything starts to fall into place.

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The Sacrifice by Kathleen Duble

2008-06-14T14:56:00.005-04:00

Two sisters, aged ten and twelve, are accused of witchcraft in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1692 and await trial in a miserable prison while their mother desperately searches for some way to obtain their freedom.

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Swordbird by Nancy Yi Fan

2008-06-14T14:52:00.003-04:00

Warring fractions of blue jays and cardinals call on Swordbird, the heroic bird of peace, to rescue them from the evil machinations of Turnatt, the tyarant hawk who plans to enslave them.

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Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman

2008-06-14T14:45:00.005-04:00

A biography of the magician, ghost chaser, aviator, and king of escape artists whose amazing feats are remembered long after his death in 1926. Profiling his early years, personal life, and great accomplishments in show business, the story of the famous magician, Harry Houdini, comes to life through a review of his greatest tricks and most amazing feats, complete with index, photos, and author's notes.

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I, Coriander by Sally Gardner

2008-06-14T14:42:00.003-04:00

In 17th century London, Coriander, a girl who has inherited magic from her mother, must find a way to use this magic in order to save both herself and an inhabitant of the fairy world where her mother was born.

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The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

2008-06-14T14:38:00.003-04:00

Four fifth grade students, a geek, a class clown, a teacher's pet, and a slacker - - as well as their teacher and mothers, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete homework assignments.

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Double Identity by Margaret Haddix

2008-06-14T14:32:00.004-04:00

Thirteen year old Bethany's parents have always been overprotective, but when they suddenly drop out of sight with no explanation, leaving her with an aunt she never knew existed, Bethany uncovers shocking secrets that make her question everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

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Martin Bridge: Ready for Take Off! bt Jessica Kerrin

2008-06-14T11:55:00.004-04:00

In three illustrated stories, Martin encounters two bus drivers with very different way of relating, makes a tough decision about a friend's pet and takes on an extremely competitive model rocket project that almost costs him a friendship.

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Regarding the Trees by Kate Klise

2008-06-14T11:49:00.004-04:00

In this story told primarily through letters, Principal Russ wants the middle school trees to be trimmed before his administrative evaluation, but the project is interrupted by a town gender war, dueling chefs, student tree protests, and a surprise wedding.

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The Year of the Dog: a Novel by Grace Lin

2008-06-12T10:39:00.004-04:00

Frustrated at her seeming lack of talent for anything, a young Taiwanese American girl sets out to apply the lessons of the Chinese Year of the Dog, those of making friends and finding oneself, to her own life.

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Drita, My Homegirl by Jenny Lombard

2008-06-12T10:36:00.002-04:00

When ten year old Drita and her family, refugees from Kosovo, move to New York, Drita is teased about not speaking English well, but after a popular student named Maxine is forced to learn about Kosovo as a punishment for teasing Drita, the two girls become friends.

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Gossamer by Lois Lowry

2008-06-10T16:58:00.004-04:00

While learning to bestow dreams, a young dream giver tries to save an eight year old boy from the effects of both his abusive past and the nightmares inflicted on him by the frightening Sinisteeds.

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Punished! by David Lubar

2008-06-07T10:40:00.004-04:00

Logan and his friend Benedict are playing tag in the library. Logan gets caught when he runs into a mysterious man. When Logan doesn't apologize sincerely, the mysterious gentleman punishes him by causing him to speak in puns. Only finding seven examples each of oxymorons, anagrams and palindromes within the time limit will return Logan to normal.

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Miracle on 49th Street by Mike Lupica

2008-06-07T10:38:00.003-04:00

After her mother's death, twelve year old Molly learns that her father is a basketball star for the Boston Celtics.

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All of the Above by Shelley Pearsall

2008-06-06T16:51:00.008-04:00

Five urban middle school students, their teacher, and other community members relate how a school project to build the world's largest tetrahedron affects the lives of everyone involved.

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Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

2008-06-05T15:18:00.004-04:00

While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight year old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building.

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Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins

2008-06-05T15:13:00.004-04:00

In her Bangladesh village, ten year old Naimi excels at painting designs called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would have to be a boy - or disguise herself as one.

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The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

2008-06-05T15:04:00.004-04:00

After passing a series of mind bending test, four children are selected for a secret mission that require them to go undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened, where the only rule is that there are no rules.

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H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden

2008-06-05T14:08:00.004-04:00

Swept away to a hidden academy for training budding evil geniuses, Otto, a brilliant orphan, Wing, a sensitive warrior, Laura, a shy computer specialist, and Shelley, an infamous jewel thief, plot to beat the odds and escape the prison known as H.I.V.E.

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Each Little Bird That Sings by Doborah Wiles

2008-06-05T14:00:00.011-04:00

Comfort Snowberger is well acquainted with death since her family runs the funeral parlor in their small southern town, but even so the ten year old is unprepared for the series of heart wrenching events that begins on the first day of Easter vacation with the sudden death of her beloved uncle Edisto.

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Counting on Grace by Elizabeth Winthrop

2008-06-05T10:23:00.012-04:00

It is 1910 in Pownal, Vermont. At 12, Grace and her best friend Arthur must go to work in the mill, helping their mothers work the looms. Together Grace and Arthur write a secret letter to the Child Labor Board about underage children working in the mill. A few weeks later, Lewis Hine, a famous reformer arrives undercover to gather evidence. Grace meets him and appears in some of his photographs, changing her life forever.

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