I am not just going to recommend a book today. I am going to recommend an author – Wendy Mass. With a 2012 Rebecca Caudill Nomination, that make THREE in a ROW!
The book that first caught my attention – A Mango-Shaped Space – "Afraid that she is crazy, thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing relationships, and the loss of something important to her." Loved it! For girls, 5th through 8th grade. Especially girls with cats or learning disabilities.
Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2010 – Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life – "Just before his thirteenth birthday, Jeremy Fink receives a keyless locked box – set aside by his father before his death five years earlier – that purportedly contains the meaning of life." A great coming of age book for girls and boys, 5th through 8th. This was one of those surprise books that I only read because it was on "the list."
Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2011 – 11 Birthdays – "After celebrating their first nine same-day birthdays together, Amanda and Leo having fallen out on their tenth and not speaking to each other for the last year, prepare to celebrate their eleventh birthday separately but peculiar things begin to happen as the day of their birthday begins to repeat itself over and over again." Love, love, loved it! Primarily for girls. I call it the Hatfields and McCoys meet Groundhog Day! And I reviewed it last year …
Rebecca Caudill Nominee 2012 – Every Soul a Star – "Ally, Bree, and Jack meet at the one place the Great Eclipse can be seen in totality, each carrying the burden of different personal problems, which become dim when compared to the task they embark upon and the friendship they find." I will recommend this book to astronomy/science-minded kids. Lots of astronomical information here. Very similar to partner-nominee Greetings from Nowhere.
For a short period of my life, sophomore through senior of high school, my plan was to be an astronomer. And then I was informed that astronomy was a hobby and you really needed to have a more substantial career like aerospace engineering. Where do they get these counselors?
I recognized a lot of myself in these three main characters. Ally is the geek who loves everything nature, cares very little for her appearance, and wants to discover and name a comet, or at least an asteroid. Bree is the beauty queen who loves fashion and music, cares most about her popularity status and aspires to be a supermodel. Jack is the pudgey invisible boy, who loves to draw, plans to stay invisible and can fly.
Ally's family has owned the Moon Shadow Campground for much of her life, but after the long awaited Total Eclipse, they are ready to move back to civilization. Well, at least her parents are. Bree's family, all scientifically-minded save her, have purchased the Moon Shadow Campground and plan to move in after the Eclipse. Bree is devastated. Jack gets the opportunity to camp at Moon Shadow for 2 weeks. He doesn't understand exactly why he was chosen, BUT it is much, much, much, better than summer school.
Each character adds their own point of view in their own chapters. And I still don't know who I liked the most. There are more, equally-fascinating people within the covers!
And I was led to these statistics. We now have 500 Caudill Nominees total, written by 297 different authors.
34 authors have 3 nominations
5 authors have 4
2 authors have 5
4 authors have 6
2 authors have 7
and 1 author, Will Hobbs, has NINE nominations.
Among these authors, 7, including Wendy Mass, have received 3 nominations in consecutive years. One author, Sharon Creech, was nominated FOUR years in a row. These regularly-recognized, Caudill Nominee authors have accounted for 6 Caudill Awards total of the 24 given. Two of these authors, Lowis Lowry and Mary Downing Hahn have won twice! I know, I know. Useless trivia that I have thrust upon you all!
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