2002 – 2003Hoosier Award Nominee Books

By Kirsten Sidebottom

What is the Hoosier Award?

The Hoosier Award Nominees for the 2002-2003 year are:1. The Barn Burner by Patricia Willis2. The Battlefield Ghost by Margery Cuyler3. Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo4. The Boxes by William Sleator5. Captain’s Dog by Roland Smith6. Dear Mrs. Ryan, You’re Ruining My Life by Jennifer B. Jones7. The Ghost of Lizard Light by Elvira Woodruff8. The Kite Fighters by Linda Sue Park9. The Landry News by Andrew Clements10. Missing in the Mountains by T. S. Fields11. Mister and Me by Kimberly Willis Holt12. The Moonlight Man by Betty Ren Wright13. The Riches of Oseola McCarty by Evelyn Coleman14. Ruthie’s Gift by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley15. See the Stars: Your First Guide to the Night Sky by Ken

Croswell16. Suitcase by Mildred Pitts Walter17. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges18. The Wanderer by Sharon Creech19. Winners Take All by Fred Bowen20. The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill

The Barn Burnerby Patricia Willis

Ross's family is very poor and it's during the Depression when no one has any money.  He fights with his parents and his mom tells him to "get out of my sight."  He leaves and ends up sleeping in a barn that starts on fire.  When he wakes up, he sees that there are horses in the barn and quickly lets them go free before leaving.  When he is running away, the owner sees him and accuses Ross of setting the fire. Later that day he meets Mary Warfield and her children who are moving into another house.  Mary's husband has gone away to look for work and she must take care of the family by herself.  After Ross helps her, Mary invites Ross to stay with them.  While searching for the real barn burner Ross finds a job making bricks.  Ross is able to give Mary money to help run her family and to get a safe way home after he finds the barn burner.This was a very good book.  It keeps your interest on every page and I learned something about the Great Depression when there were many poor people.

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The Battlefield Ghostby Margery Cuyler

John and Lisa move into an old house in Princeton, New Jersey, near where the Battle of Princeton during the Revolutionary War took place.  When exploring their house and barn, someone or something keeps pushing them.  They get scared until they realize that it is the ghost of an Hessian soldier who died during the War and that he doesn't want to hurt them.  He has something he wants to tell them.  They hear all about the battle and help the soldier find his horse who was killed in the same battle. I really don't like history or ghost stories, so this wasn't my favorite.  

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Because of Winn-Dixieby Kate DiCamillo

Opal is 10 years old and her parents are divorced.  She moves to Naomi, Florida with her dad and she is very lonely because she has no friends. She finds a stray dog inside of a local grocery store. Winn-Dixie helps Opal make new friends with some of stranger people in town. She becomes friends with Gloria Dump, who everyone in town thinks is a witch, with the rich librarian, Miss Block, and with Otis, who spent time in jail but now owns a pet store.   Winn-Dixie helps Opal meet these new people who help Opal find happiness even though she doesn't know where her mother is.  She learns to be happy where she is with what she has. I really enjoyed this book.  Whenever there is an animal in a story that plays a big part, I like it.  I also liked this story because it shows that you can be happy even if things are going exactly as you would like them to. I love animals, so I really enjoyed this book.

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The Boxesby William Sleator

Annie's parents are dead and she has been living with her Aunt Ruth.  Aunt Ruth's brother, Uncle Marco, also lives there some of the time, but he travels a lot.  Annie works hard for Aunt Ruth who works in a bank.   Uncle Marco is leaving on another trip and wants Annie to watch some boxes for him.  They are very heavy, but he puts one in the basement and the other one in Annie's closet. Uncle Marco swears Annie to secrecy and tells her she is not to open them. Annie is just too curious and opens the box in the basement and finds this ugly looking crab creature.  That night she dreams about the box in her closet and it looks like a clock.  In her dream she learns how to open the metal box.  The next day she opens it and it looks exactly like it did in her dream.  She runs to the basement and finds out that there isn't just one crab creature, but many more.  I don't like science fiction very much, but once you got over the strangeness, it really was a good book.  The plot was much better than the crabby creatures! 

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The Captain’s Dogby Roland Smith

The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is told by Seaman, a Newfoundland dog. President Thomas Jefferson gave the Lewis and Clark tribe a mission. The mission was to find and map the most direct route to the Pacific Ocean. The story tells how captains Lewis and Clark both got the men together, gathered supplies, and completed their mission. They had many adventures during their trip.

I thought the book was very good. My favorite part was when they met Sacagawea. I stayed up late reading because it was such a great book and I didn’t want to put it down!

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Dear Mrs. Ryan,

You’re Ruining My Life

by Roland SmithHarvey Ryan's parents were divorced and he lived with his mother, who was an author.  Mrs. Ryan would come to school and share stories about some of the embarrassing things Harvey would do at home.  Harvey definitely didn't like it, and that's where the title of the book comes from. Harvey and his good friend, Seal, come up with an idea that might get his mom thinking about something else.  Seal is playing in a school concert and both Mrs. Ryan and Harvey go.  Harvey convinces his mother they have to sit in front.  Just as they thought, Mr. Stevens, the school principal, sits down right next to Mrs. Ryan.  Then Mr. Stevens takes Mrs. Ryan to a lecture and they start dating.  Now Mrs. Ryan is too busy to cause a lot of problems for Harvey.This was a good book.  There was something going on all the time, so it is an easy book to finish!  

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The Ghost of Lizard Lightby Elvira Woodruff

Jack Carlton is upset.  His family moved from Iowa and from all his friends, especially Denton, to live in a cottage next to a lighthouse called Lizard Light on the Atlantic Ocean. The only friend Jack has is his lizard, Ned. The first night in his bedroom in the new cottage, Jack is thinking about Denton, his best friend.  Ned becomes very nervous.  Nothing would calm him down.  And then Nathaniel Witherspoon appeared.  Nathaniel  is a ghost, the ghost of Lizard Light.  Nathaniel tells Jack, "You're exactly the boy I need."Nathaniel and Jack become friends and explore the beach and the lighthouse after Jack's parents are asleep.  On a field trip to the Minty Museum, Jack discovers an old rusted knife with a whalebone handle.  This knife turns out to belong to Nathaniel's father, who died at sea over 150 years ago.  This knife opens up a mystery that Jack and Nathaniel work to solve.I don't really like scary books, but Nathaniel is a friendly ghost and it is almost as if he were real.  It was really a good book.

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The Kite Fightersby Linda Sue Park

This book takes place in 1473 in Seoul, Korea.  In the beginning there is a ceremony where Kee-sup becomes a man.  He now wears a special hat and white clothing.  Young-sup is jealous of the privileges Kee-sup has and doesn't like having to give him the respect for an adult.  To Young-sup he is still his brother, friend, and playmate.  Sometimes the brothers don't get along, but their love of kites always brings them together.  Kee-sup is very good at making kites and Young-sup is very good at flying kites.  One day when they are flying the new kite Kee-sup made Young-sup the King, who is just a boy himself, notices the beautiful kite.  He has his servants carry him to meet Kee-sup and Young-sup.  He asks Kee-sup to make him a kite for the New Year's Kite Competition. When the King decides he can't fly the kite in the competition because other people won't want to beat him, he asks Young-sup to fly it for him.  This is a problem for the father, who thinks Kee-sup should be the one to fly the King's kite since he is the oldest son. I had trouble getting into this book, mostly because I had trouble keeping Young-sup and Kee-sup apart.  Finally, I was able to get through the confusing part of the story, and I got to where I thought was interesting.  It ended up being a very good book. 

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The Landry News

by Andrew Clements

Cara Landry is a 5th grader and is angry about her parents' divorce.  She wants to be a journalist when she grows up.  Her teacher, Mr. Larson, has taught for a long time and just assigns the students projects.  He doesn't teach them anything.  He just spends the rest of the class reading newspapers.  Cara doesn't like this because she wants to learn to write better. Cara starts a newspaper called "The Landry News."  She writes an editorial about how he isn't teaching in the class.  When Mr. Larson sees Cara's writing, he doesn't like what she wrote about him, but he sees that her newspaper was very good.  This excites him and he starts teaching journalism in the class.  Cara is the editor, and the class writes stories for the newspaper.The principal read the editorial about Mr. Larson and then a story about divorce in the newspaper.  The principal tries to fire Mr. Larson and the class fights to keep him.This book is easy to read and the story goes fast.  Most students will like it, because it is about teachers and their students.  It also teaches that no matter how bad things get, if you want something bad enough, there is a way to get it.  You just have to keep trying.  Also if you are bored with something, you should try to find something interesting about it.

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Missing in the Mountainsby T.S. Fields

Jarod, who’s 11 years old, and his sister, Jennifer, 8 years old, and their parents go on a ski trip in Colorado resort. Jarod and Jennifer go on a slope when the see a bully from their old school. He follows them and pushes Jennifer down. Jennifer and Jarod are afraid that he might hurt them, so they go on the caution zone thinking they will only stay there until the bully leaves. But they get tired of waiting and try to go down the slope.  Jarod gets buried in an avalanche. Jennifer works hard to find him and pull him out, but when he gets out, it is too dark try to go the rest of the way home.  They build a snow igloo, where they hope to stay warm and safe until morning comes. Will they come out alive? I really liked his book because I like mysterious books. The author made it a great book, when they felt scared it made me feel scared and when they were cold I felt cold too!

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Mister and Me

by Kimberly Willis Holt

Jolene Jasmine Johnson’s father died when she was a baby so her Momma (Ruby) and Grandpa Foster have to take care of her. Then her Momma starts to date Leroy Redfield. He is really loud. Jolene doesn’t want to get to know him so she decides to call him “Mister” instead of Leroy. Leroy gives her candy, but she still doesn't like him. Mister knows that Jolene doesn’t like him, he tries to make her like him. Momma feels hurt because she wants Jolene to like him since she is going to marry Mister. Jolene tries to get Momma’s love back by accepting him into her family. This was a good book. I didn’t like the way Jolene treated Mister, but the author gave it a wonderful ending!

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The Moonlight

Manby Betty Ren Right

When 15-year-old Jenny Joslin and her family move to Crescent Lane, she doesn't think they are the only ones living in the house. Pictures appear and disappear from the wall.  There are loud crying noises coming from neighbor's house.  There seem to be disasters all around her home and they all seem to be connected to the "moonlight man."  Even Jenny and her younger sister have seen "something" wandering in the woods around their street. Jenny decides that she is going to find out exactly what is happening.  She goes to the library to find out about the neighborhood before they moved there.  She talks to neighbors on the street, and starts to think that the "moonlight man" is somehow connected to the Carpeks who have lived in the neighborhood a long time..  They aren't very friendly, so Jenny gets no help from them.  So who exactly is the "Moonlight Man?"I liked this book even though I don't particularly care for ghost stories.   Jenny used the lifeskill of determination to solve the mystery and it was interesting how she learned facts.  I read the book mostly during the day and not before I went to sleep at night.

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The Riches of Oseola

McCartyby Evelyn Coleman

When Oseola McCarty, who was called Ola, was 5, she moved to Hattiesburg , Mississippi with her Grandma and aunt. They worked hard everyday doing chores like such as washing clothes by hand on a washboard, making candles, and ironing for people. They were paid 50 cents for each bundle of clothes. Through the course of her life, Ola learned to save her money. When she was 87, she gave over $150,000 to the University of Mississippi. I liked this book, because I like to learn about things that happened before I was born. It was a good example of what being thrifty can do for you.

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Ruthie’s G iftby Kimberly

Brubaker Bradley

Ruthie is the only girl in a house with seven brothers.  She is the only 3rd grader at her school.  She feels very lonely.  She is a tomboy but wants to become more like a girl.  She sees a doll in the Sears catalog and begins to save money to buy.  She thinks if she gets a doll that it will make her more like a girl. When twins named Hallie and Mallie move in next door to Ruthie, they become friends, but before long Ruthie’s tomboy habits scare them and they start to avoid her. I liked this story a lot.  It is about fitting in and being like other kids.  It is something all kids go through.  In the end Ruthie learns a valuable lesson which makes the book even better!

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See the Stars:

You’re First Guide to the Night Skyby Ken Croswell

This book is all about the stars and the different forms they make in the sky.  The different forms are called constellations.  Each season the sky changes and different stars are more easily seen. This is a guide to the night sky.  Each month a different constellation is studied.  January is Orion the Hunter; February is the Big Dipper and the North Star.The book was pretty easy for me to understand, but only because my brother has a web page about the Winter Constellations and last year my Girl Scout troop went to the Merrillville Planetarium to see the sky at different times of the year.

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Suitcaseby Mildred Pitts

Walter

Alexander, who is called Xander by his family and friends, is really tall and he has big feet.  People make fun of him and call him Suitcase sometimes.  Xander is a very good at drawing, but his father wants him to play sports and not waste his time with drawing. To make his father happy, he spends time at a sports center, where he meets a coach who becomes his friend.  Xander is challenged to do his best at basketball.  In the end, both his father and Xander are happy. I don't know anything about basketball, so this book didn't really interest me.  It did show that sometimes your parents want you to try something you don't think you're good at and when you do, you could be surprised!

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Through My Eyes

by Ruby Bridges

This is a true story written by Ruby Bridges about her experiences when she was 6 years old in 1960 in New Orleans, Louisiana.   When Ruby was 6 years old, African Americans could not go to "white" schools.  She had to go to schools especially for African Americans.  A new law was made that school integration had to start in September 1960.  Integration is when they don't separate people into different schools because of what color your skin is.  The book was very sad, but it explained a part of history I never knew about.  My parents had to explain a lot to me, because I didn't understand some of the words and what some events were all about. This book would be good for everyone to read, since it explains how it feels to be judged by something you can't change.

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The Wanderer

by Sharon Creech

Thirteen-year-old Sophie loves the sea, and she longs to see Bompie, her grandfather who lives in England. So when her three uncles and two cousins decide to sail from their home in the U.S., across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland, and then to England, to visit Bompie, she begs to go along. She'd be the only girl aboard, though, and Uncle Mo and Uncle Stew don't want to take her. Uncle Dock and her father know how important it is to her and she is able to go along. Sophie doesn't totally understand why making this trip is important to her. She thinks the sea is calling her to be away, but she also feels something is pulling her back. She only knows that sailing to Ireland in Uncle Dock's 45-foot sailboat, The Wanderer, to visit Bompie, is something she has to do.  Her uncles and cousins make fun of her, but she proves herself to them during the trip. I liked this book very much. Sometimes I feel confused like Sophie about something I decide to do.  This book was a page turner, you couldn’t stop reading.

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Winners Take All

by Fred BowenMainMenu

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Kyle Holt is 12 years old and loves baseball.  He plays outfielder on the Reds team. The winner of the game between the Reds and the Cubs will be in first place and headed for the championship. The score is 3-3 when Kyle sees the ball about to go over the fence.  He jumps over the fence with the ball in his glove, but the ball falls onto the ground.  Kyle wants to win so much that  he quickly places the ball back into his glove and pretends that he caught it. The Reds won 4-3 and Kyle is the hero.It felt good to be the hero and to get all the attention.  A story about his great catch is even in the newspapers.  Everything feels right, but ....I wasn't sure I was going to like this book, but the plot was really good.  It sends a strong message about cheating and lying.  Boy or girl, this is a good book. 

The Year of Miss Agnes

by Hill Kirkpatrick

Frederika goes to an one-room schoolhouse in the Alaskan frontier. Teachers come, but never stay long. Then Miss Agnes Sutterfield comes to her town and everything changes.  They never had a teacher like her before. Miss Agnes warms the schoolhouse before students arrive in the morning and doesn't seem to b bothered by their habits.  She puts away the old school books and teaches them about their history.  At night she teaches the children and their parents. Because my dad used to live in Alaska, I liked this book, because it gave me an idea of how his life was then.  Miss Agnes shows that anyone can be part of a community if you have an open mind to different ways of doing things.

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