Mark Twain Award Nominees 2013-2014

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer It's midnight and Foster McFee and her mother are being chased out of Memphis by an Elvis impersonator.Where are they heading? Somewhere.Foster was hoping for a location you can find on a map.She has a lot of hopes, this girl.And one of them is to make the world a better place, one cupcake at a time...

Missing on Superstition Mountatin by Elise Broach

It’s summer and the three Barker brothers—Simon, Henry, and Jack—just moved from Illinois to Arizona. Their parents have warned them repeatedly not to explore Superstition Mountain, which is near their home. But when their cat Josie goes missing, they see no other choice. There’s something unusually creepy about the mountain and after the boys find three human skulls, they grow determined to uncover the mystery. Have people really gone missing over the years, and could there be someone or some thing lurking in the woods? Together with their new neighbor Delilah, the Barker boys are dead-set on cracking the case even if it means putting themselves in harm’s way.

Will at the Battle of Gettysburg by Laurie Calkhoven Twelve-year-old Will has been dreaming of becoming a drummer in the Union army, but the fighting hasn't even come close to his hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania...until now. When the Union and Confederate armies meet up at Gettysburg, suddenly Will and his family are caught up in the battle. Now Will is doing whatever he can to help — from delivering important messages to nursing the wounded soldiers!

Barn Boot Blues by Catherine Friend

When Taylor’s parents drag her onto a farm, she tries to adapt to life with sheep and goats and chickens. But when the farm’s daily surprises repeatedly embarrass her at school, Taylor wants out. With the help of a new friend, Taylor embarks on a plan to convince her parents to move them back to the city. Just as she succeeds, she discovers---late one night alone in the barn---that a farm has one surprising advantage over city life.

Hidden by Helen Frost

When Wren Abbott and Darra Monson are eight years old, Darra's father steals a minivan. He doesn't know that Wren is hiding in the back. The hours and days that follow change the lives of both girls. Darra is left with a question that only Wren can answer. Wren has questions, too. Years later, in a chance encounter at camp, the girls face each other for the first time. They can finally learn the truth—that is, if they’re willing to reveal to each other the stories that they’ve hidden for so long. Told from alternating viewpoints, this novel-in-poems reveals the complexities of memory and the strength of a friendship that can overcome pain.

The Underdogs by Mike Lupica Will Tyler may not be the biggest running back around, but no one can touch him when it comes to hitting the hole and finding the end zone. And no one can match his love of the game. When Will has a football in his hand, life can't touch him--his dad isn't so defeated, his town isn't so poor, and everyone has something to cheer for. All of which does him no good if the football season is canceled. With no funding for things like uniforms and a well-maintained playing field, with every other family moving to find jobs, there just isn't enough money or players for a season. It's up to Will to rally the town and give everyone a reason to believe . . .

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

After a failed attempt at stealing a goat from her principal’s office, Tara’s punishment to spend her summer with relatives in the small town of Willow Falls. As she soon discovers, its inhabitants are anything but ordinary. Tara’s younger cousin, Emily, stays up late to solve math theorems; David, who lives across the street, sings and chants in a hole in the backyard in preparation for his bar mitzvah; and best friends Amanda and Leo wear chalkboards to communicate with one another. These quirky kids and others help Tara as she seeks to collect 13 curious objects required by a mysterious woman in exchange for something essential not only to her, but also to the town. In her quest, she and her new friends dress up in Sunshine Kid uniforms, sneak into the historical society, and meet a celebrity heartthrob. Finally, on her 13th birthday, Tara comes to the realization that life is better spent in the game than on the sidelines. By fusing middle-school drama with just a sprinkle of magic and mystery, Mass provides an optimistic and genuine addition to the coming-of-age genre. Many readers will relate to Tara, a seventh-grade wallflower who gains self-confidence, friendship, and a true place in Willow Falls. Her narration has an authentic voice, allowing readers to experience her thoughts, motives, and feelings.

In Front of God and Everybody by K.D. McCrite

If God wanted April Grace to be kind to her neighbors, He should have made them nicer!Growing up in the country is never easy, but it sure is funny—especially if you happen to have a sister obsessed with being glamorous, a grandma just discovering make-up, hippie friends who never shower, and brand new neighbors from the city who test everyone’s patience. From disastrous dye jobs to forced apologies and elderly date tagalongs, you’ll laugh ‘til you cry as you read the Confessions of April Grace!

Here are just a couple of April's thoughts: On her sister, Myra Sue: "How anyone can be that dumb and still be able to eat with a fork is beyond me." On senior citizen lovebirds: "What if they started smooching right at the table in front of God and everybody?"In spite of all the loony characters in her life, April Grace is able to learn from her parents as they share the love of God—to even the craziest of characters!

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

When Alex finds out he is Unwanted, he expects to die. That is the way of the people of Quill. Each year, all the thirteen-year-olds are labeled as Wanted, Necessary, or Unwanted. Wanteds get more schooling and train to join the Quillitary. Necessaries keep the farms running. Unwanteds are set for elimination. It’s hard for Alex to leave behind his twin, Aaron, a Wanted, but he makes peace with his fate—until he discovers that instead of a “death farm,” what awaits him is a magical place called Artimé. There, Alex and his fellow Unwanteds are encouraged to cultivate their creative abilities and use them magically. Everything Alex has ever known changes before his eyes, and it’s a wondrous transformation. But it’s a rare, unique occurrence for twins to be divided between Wanted and Unwanted, and as Alex and Aaron’s bond stretches across their separation, a threat arises for the survival of Artimé that will pit brother against brother in an ultimate magical battle.

Sparrow Road by Sheila O’Connor “No music. No TV. No computer. No telephone. And everyday, silence until supper.” Those are the rules of Sparrow Road, an eerie artist mansion in the country, where Raine O’Rourke is forced to spend her summer. And worse, she can’t figure out why her mother agreed to work there as a cook. “Not everything’s a mystery,” her mother warns, when Raine pesters her with questions, but Sparrow Road is full of secrets Raine intends to solve. Why did her mother take this sudden job out in the country? What’s the truth behind the silent, brooding owner, Viktor? The aging poet, Lillian? What happened to the missing orphans that lived once in the attic? Cheered on by a cast of quirky artists that live there at the mansion, Raine sets out in search of clues. It's a summer full of mysteries and strange adventures, but it’s an unexpected secret from Raine’s own life that changes her forever.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick A boy named Ben longs for the father he has never known. A girl named Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his mother's room, and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out alone on desperate quests to find what they are missing. Ben's story, set in 1977, is told entirely with words, while Rose's story, set fifty years earlier, is told entirely with pictures. The two stories weave back and forth before ultimately coming together. Rich, complex, affecting, and beautiful–with over 460 pages of original artwork–Wonderstruck is a stunning achievement from a uniquely gifted artist and visionary.

Pie by Sarah Weeks When Alice's Aunt Polly, the Pie Queen of Ipswitch, passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily fat, remarkably disagreeable cat, Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice.

Suddenly, the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat. Everyone wants to be the next big pie-contest winner, and it's making them pie-crazy. It's up to Alice and her friend Charlie to put the pieces together and discover the not-so-secret recipe for happiness: Friendship. Family. And the pleasure of donig something for the right reason.

With Pie, acclaimed author Sarah Weeks has baked up a sweet and satisfying delight, as inviting as warm pie on a cold day. You'll enjoy every last bite.