Mrs. Craig's favorite missions web sites for 4th grade.
Parental assistance is strongly suggested.
Mrs. Craig's favorite castle web sites for 5th grade.
Reading Recommendations 2009/2010
www.childrenscrownaward.org
Triple Crown Awards
2009-2010
Grades 1-3 CROWN GALLERY NOMINEES
1. Edward’s Eyes, by Patricia MacLachlan, RL 3. When a talented young boy dies
suddenly, his loving family donates his organs, and his brother learns to see him in the
life of an unexpected recipient.
2. First Snow in the Woods, by Carl R. Sams and Jean Stoick, RL 2. A fawn wonders if he
is ready for the coming winter as he watches other forest creatures making their autumnal
preparations for the change of seasons.
3. Humphrey’s First Christmas, by Carol Heyer, RL 1. A selfish camel learns that he is not
as important as he thought when he is forced to carry a heavy load to a baby in a manger.
4. My Father’s House, by Kathi Appelt, RL 1. A poet thanks the creator-father for the
beauty of the natural world and promises to remember it was created to be his home.
5. Rabbit’s Gift, by George Shannon, RL 2. Rabbit sets an example of thinking of others
instead of hoarding for oneself by giving an extra turnip to a friend.
6. A Second is a Hiccup, by Hazel Hutchins, RL 2. This lyric provides creative explanations
of common measurements of time in descriptive terms all children can understand.
7. A Seed is Sleepy, by Dianna Hutts Aston, RL 3. Inventive personification and descriptive
illustrations lead readers through the amazing, scientific transformations of seeds to
flowering plants.
8. Summerhouse Time, by Eileen Spinelli, RL 3. Sophie’s annual trip with her extended
family to the beach is filled with fun traditions and exciting new experiences.
9. Swift, by Robert J. Blake, RL 3. A young boy must rely on his dog and his training
to save himself and his father after an attack by a bear during a hunting trip.
10. Where I Live, by Eileen Spinelli, RL 2. A group of poems reveals the perceptions of a
young girl as she and her family must move a great distance to live with her grandfather.
Triple Crown Awards
2009-2010
Grades 4-5 CHILDREN’S CROWN AWARD
1. Annie’s War, by Jacqueline Levering Sullivan, RL 4. After World War II ends, ten-year-
old Annie is hospitalized with appendicitis and has imaginary conversations with
President Truman which help her cope with the post-war stresses that fill Annie’s life at
her grandmother’s house.
2. The Aurora County All-Stars, by Deborah Wiles, RL 4. Recently recovered All-Star
pitcher House Jackson is desperate to play ball again, but he may have to reveal a secret
about himself to restore harmony, and baseball, to Aurora County, Mississippi.
3. Ben and the Sudden Too-Big Family, by Colby Rodowsky, RL 5. Ten-year-old Ben
thinks he and his father make a “cool” family, but Ben has to rethink what is “all right”
and “not all right” when his father remarries and adopts a baby from China.
4. The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians, by Carla Morris, RL 4. Melvin visits the public
library every day in his quest for information and discovers kindred, guiding spirits in the
form of three librarians who help nurture his thirst for knowledge right up to adulthood.
5. The Dog Who Thought He Was Santa, by Bill Wallace, RL 4. Don and his bloodhound,
Frank, take turns telling the story of how Frank tried to save Christmas for Don and his
sister in 1957 when coal mine problems threatened to ruin everything.
6. Ice Cream Town, by Rona Arato, RL 4. In 1920, the only things that keep Sammy out of
trouble on New York’s tough streets are his quick wit and amazing singing voice.
7. Jack Plank Tells Tales, by Natalie Babbitt, RL 5. An out-of-work pirate, Jack Plank,
comes ashore to look for a different line of work, but every night he explains how each
non-sailing career he has investigated just won’t work for him.
8. Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World, by Juliana, Isabella, and Craig
Hatkoff. RL 5. Thomas Doflein and Zoo Berlin dedicate a year to successfully raising a
polar bear in captivity and in so doing, gain the attention of the world for maintaining
natural habitats.
9. Library Mouse, by Daniel Kirk, RL 4. When Sam, a mouse who lives in a library begins
shelving with the other books the stories he has been writing and illustrating himself,
everyone wants to meet the author of these intriguing little books.
10. Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog, by Becky Hall, RL 4.
Morris Frank and a German shepherd named Buddy develop a relationship that leads to the
establishment of programs for training seeing eye dogs and laws supporting their use in
public places in America.
11. Nim’s Island, by Wendy Orr, RL 5. Nim loves her island and her animals, but when her
father does not return as expected from his scientific experiments, Nim’s only source of
help may the new friend she’s made via email.
12. No Talking, by Andrew Clements, RL 5. When, the loud and disorderly 5th grade boys
challenge the girls in their class to a “no talking” duel, the result has lasting effects on
everyone, including the teachers and principal.
13. Paint the Wind, by Pam Munoz Ryan, RL 5. When her grandmother dies, Maya, a
sheltered orphan from California, is forced move to a family ranch in Wyoming, where
she discovers a connection with her mother through a love of horses.
14. Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest, by Karen Pavlicin, RL 4. Andy finds that
spending a summer doing chores for his grandmother and connecting with his mother’s
childhood friend in West Carthage, New York, helps him accept that faith will help him
begin to heal after his father’s recent death.
15. Rickshaw Girl, by Mitali Perkins, RL 4. In her village in Bangladesh, Naimi is very
talented at painting, but she would have to be a boy, or at least seem to be a boy, to help
her poverty-stricken family make money.
16. The Snow Goose, by Paul Gallico, RL 5. A young girl and a crippled, isolated artist
become friends during World War II, when they work together to nurse a wounded bird
to health.
17. Sweet Land of Liberty, by Deborah Hopkinson, RL 5. Oscar Chapman takes a stand as a
young boy against prejudice which leads to his participation, as an adult, in arranging
the first major gathering at the Lincoln Monument, Marian Anderson’s singing of
“America.”
18. The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story, by Jeanette Winter, RL 4. Pale Male, a Red-tailed
hawk, and his mate build their nest at the top of an apartment building on Fifth Avenue
instead of in New York’s Central Park.
19. Tales of Famous Americans, by Connie and Peter Roop, RL 5. These tales each start with
a description of the famous person as a child and then use interesting art, pictures, and
numerous facts to inspire readers to find similar greatness in themselves.
20. Trouble According to Humphrey, by Betty G. Birney, RL 4. Humphrey, the classroom
hamster, relates the adventures and misadventures of the students in school room 26
when they begin an assignment to build a model town.
Triple Crown Awards
2009-2010
Grades 6-8 LAMPLIGHTER AWARD
1. Fire From the Rock, by Sharon M. Draper, RL 5. A young girl must decide whether or
not to be part of the social change in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, by being one of the
first students to integrate into Central High and face the prejudice, or stay where she is
with her friends.
2. Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies & Little Misses of Color, by Elizabeth
Alexander and Marilyn Nelson, RL 5. This collection of poetry tells the story of
Prudence Crandall and her students in the days before prejudice and persecution closed
her 19th century school for African American girls in Canterbury, Connecticut.
3. Iron Thunder, by AVI, RL 4. To earn a living after his father died fighting for the Union,
thirteen year-old Tom takes an ironworking job building a Union ship, but Confederates
see young Tom’s job as an opportunity to spy out the vessel.
4. Isle of Swords, by Wayne Thomas Batson, RL 4. A young, seriously injured amnesiac
regains consciousness on an island and finds that discovering his identity involves
notorious pirates warring over legendary treasure.
5. The Klipfish Code, by Mary Casanova, RL 5. Twelve-year-old Marit who was sent away
to supposed safety and who longs to join her parents in the Norwegian Resistance, takes
great risks for the cause of freedom as her resentment grows toward the Nazi’s presence
and her grandfather’s refusal to oppose them.
6. Night of the Howling Dogs, by Graham Salisbury, RL 3. An enormous earthquake and
tsunami strike Halape, Hawaii in 1975, and test the survival skills of a Boy Scout troop
and others who are camping on the beach at the time of the anomalies.
7. On the Wings of Heroes, by Richard Peck, RL 4. A boy experiences World War II on the
Illinois homefront, through his brother in the Air Force and his father, who was injured in
the preceding war.
8. Rio Grande Stories, by Carolyn Meyer, RL 6. To help raise money at their new school, a
group of seventh graders decide to write and sell a book which is a tribute to the diverse
heritages and traditions within their school community and the city of Alburquerque.
9. Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion, by Loree Griffin
Burns, RL 8. Dr. Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in oceans in the name of gaining scientific
data on ocean motion, but in the process learns a great deal about our relationship to the
world ocean and how to better protect it and the marine habitats within it.
10. Way Down Deep, by Ruth White, RL 4. Once a foundling in the town of Way Down
Deep, Ruby Jane lives contentedly in the local boarding house until a family moves to
town with information unlocking Ruby’s unknown past.
Hey Teens!