Here are a few of the following quotes I received from teachers regarding their favorite South Carolina Junior Book Award nominees they read this year:

Ms. Haney:

There were several I liked, but reading The City of Ember caused me to read the sequel, and the “prequel.” The book went along well with many sci-fi movies showing the world in a destruction aftermath. I liked the difference of this series having children being the main characters and the story written through their eyes.

Mrs. Edwards:

Double Dutch was an incredible book. It told the gut-wrenching truth of teenagers struggling to survive and overcome life’s trials. It was a great reminder of what some kids face on a daily basis, and how they still manage to overcome.

Mr. Woodall's Review:

Book Reviews 2006-2007

 

North, by Donna Jo Napoli

This is a story that highlights a boy as he tries to discover what it is to be a man. Alvin’s mother will not let him prove that he has guts. Alvin sets out to in the footsteps of his hero Matthew Henson to prove her wrong. This is a great book for any young man exploring his own journey to manhood.

 

The Young Man and the Sea, by Rodman Philbrick

This story is about how Skiff fights to reclaim his father’s fishing boat. At the same time he is fighting to reclaim his father as well. This is great book about family struggles in time of strife.

 

Chasing Vermeer, by Blue Balliett

A classic mystery. Two young sleuths search for the answers found in 3 mysterious letters, none of which were addressed to the two. Petra and Calder ponder the paintings of this 17th century Dutch painter. Along the way they learn about themselves and their friendship. And by the way, can you find all the frogs?

 

Close to Shore: the Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916, by Michael Capuzzo

Capuzzo takes an interesting look into a series of shark attacks that plagued summer resorts along the Eastern Seaboard during the summer of 1916. Capuzzo takes the actual events and tries to speculate what the individuals, as well as the shark, might have thought and experienced. These attacks were the basis for the novel and blockbuster movie JAWS.

 

Race for the Sky: the Kitty Hawk Diaries of Johnny Moore, by Dan Gutman

Gutman takes an unusual twist in this book of historical fiction. Gutman creates a fictional journal of Johnny Moore, a resident of Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, who actually witnessed this first historic flight. While the entries are not true the events described in them follows the real trials and struggle that Orville and Wilbur Wright experienced as they made history.