2011-2012 Georgia Children's Book Awards Final List

These books are the 2011-2012 Georgia Book Award winners (to be officially announced at the Children's Literature Conference March 4 in Athens, Georgia. BTW, Mary Downing Hahn will be there!
Books For Grades 4-8:
Connor, L. (2008). Waiting for normal. New York, NY: Katherine Tegen Books
Draper, S. (2010). Out of my mind. New York, NY: Atheneum
Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. New York, NY: Amistad
Sonnenblick, J. (2010). After ever after. New York, NY: Scholastic
Erskine, C. (2010). Mockingbird. New York, NY: Philomel
Lin, G. (2009). Where the mountain meets the moon. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company
Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to sender. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf
Haissen, C. (2009). Scat. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf
Philbrick, R. (2009). The mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg. New York, NY: Blue Sky Press
Baskin, N.R. (2009). Anything but typical. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Wiles, D. (2010). Countdown. New York, NY: Scholastic Press
Pearsall, S. (2008). All shook up. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf
Korman, G. (2008). Swindle. New York, NY: Scholastic Press
Books for Younger Audiences (Grades 4-6)
Angleberger, T. (2010. Strange case of Origami Yoda. New York, NY: Amulet Books
Klise, K. (2009). 43 Old Cemetery Road: Dying to meet you. Orlando, FL: Harcourt
Clements, A. (2009). Extra credit. New York, NY: Atheneum
O'Conner, B. (2010). The fantastic secret of Owen Jester. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Books for Older Audiences (Grades 6-8)
Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press
Berg, A. (2009). All the broken pieces. New York, NY: Scholastic Press
Anderson, L.H. (2008). Chains. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books
Alternates
Buckley, M. (2009). N.E.R.D.S.:National espionage, rescue, and defense society. New York, NY: AMulet Books (Books for Younger Audiences Grades 4-6)
Maas, W. (2009). 11 birthdays. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. (Books for Younger Audiences (Grades 4-6)

The Georgia Children's Book Award was established in 1968 by Sheldon Root, Professor of the Department of Language Education in the College of Education at the University of Georgia. The purpose of the award is to foster a love of reading in the children of Georgia, and to introduce them to books of literary excellence. The award is given in two categories – picture books and middle grade novels. Books are nominated for the awards by teachers and media specialists from the state of Georgia. The final lists of 20 nominees are selected by a committee of teachers and media specialists (chaired by a member of the faculty from the Department of Language and Literacy Education).

My most recent book is The Bully, The Bullied, and the Bystander by Barbara Coloroso. It gives examples of how to help students deal with bullies or bullying. We really want our school to become a Bully-Free Zone. Students should report Bullying right away so we can help!

Awesome Reads!

The two best book series I have read are Hunger Games and Maximum Ride. I have read all three books in the Hunger Games series, they are awesome. The newest Maximum Ride book, Angel, became available just yesterday. I am currently reading it. I will let you know how it goes.
My favorite young adult book is The Outsiders. I read it the first time in the seventh grade. I think that I have read it atleast ten or eleven times. To Kill a Mockingbird and Johnny Tremain are historical fiction novels that are also really good.
Happy Reading.

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman

After having my attention caught at the book fair earlier this year by Patrick Carman's Skeleton Creek series, I devoured the 3 books published so far and then began sharing them with my classes. My students have also loved reading Ryan's journal and viewing Sarah's videos. What an awesome series! On a personal note, I have been reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. It provides lots to think about and is definitely for those readers that like to put deep thought into their reading.

Watchers, The lost symbol, Harry Potter books

My favorite books : Harry Potter-all

                                         Wicked by Gregory Maguire,

                                        The Lost symbol by Dan Brown

My all-time favorite book in the whole world is WATCHERS by Dean Koontz
-Jaime Barnard/HCMS Music Teacher

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Redeeming Love, Hunger Games

Outside of the Bible, my favorite book of all time is Redeeming love by Francine Rivers. I just finished reading it—again—for the fourth time.  If you haven’t read it yet, you should!!! Also, worthy of note in my opinion are the Hunger Game books by Suzanne Collins.

--Joyce Arp/HCMS LA Teacher (6th Grade)

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Gone

“The best book I’ve read this year is: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter. But I’ve got lots of other ‘favorites’ too, like: the Gone series (Gone, Hunger, Lies, Plague…), The historian, Poppy, Weasel, Where the lilies bloom, The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane, We can’t all be rattlesnakes…. – I’ll be adding more!

--Glovis South, HCMS Media Specialist

If you want to walk on water you've got to get out of the boat

“My favorite book this month is: If you want to walk on water you’ve got to get out of the boat.  My all-time favorite book is the Bible and secular literature – Gone with the wind

 --June Barber, HCMS Counselor