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AVI
Man From the Sky (age 10+)
by Avi
friendship ... enterprise ... adventure
Everyone knows that Jamie is a dreamer. When he looks up at the sky, instead of clouds he sees knights and dragons from centuries past and fabulous creatures from far-off lands. But one day he looks up and sees something even more incredible: a man in a business suit parachuting from a plane.
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MIL
Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller (age 10+)
by Sarah Elizabeth Miller
enterprise ... historical
Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she'd taken on a seemingly impossible job: teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire. For Annie, reaching Helen's mind meant losing teeth as raging fists flew. It meant standing up when everyone else had given up. It meant shedding tears at the frustrations and at the triumphs. By telling this inspiring story from Annie Sullivan's point of view, Sarah Miller's debut novel brings an amazing figure to sharp new life. Annie's past, her brazen determination, and her connection to the girl who would call her Teacher have never been clearer.
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YEP
Dragonwings (age 10+)
by Laurence Yep
historical ... family ... enterprise
In the early twentieth century a young Chinese boy joins his father in San Francisco and helps him realize his dream of making a flying machine.
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PIE
Protector of the Small Series (age 10+)
by Tamora Pierce
enterprise ... fantasy ... knights/castles/dragons
In the first book, First Test, Ten-year-old Keladry of Mindalen, daughter of nobles, serves as a page but must prove herself to the males around her if she is ever to fulfill her dream of becoming a knight.
title: First Test
title: Page
title: Squire
title: Lady Knight
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PAR
Project Mulberry (age 10+)
by Linda Sue Park
identity ... enterprise ... bigotry ... authorship
Julia Song and her friend Patrick would love to win a blue ribbon, maybe even two, at the state fair. Can they come up with the right plan? Can they see it through? What surprising truths will they discover along the way? We might think we know, but then we wouldn't ask the right questions.
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PAR
A Single Shard (age 10+)
by Linda Sue Park
the arts ... voyages/journeys ... historical ... enterprise
Tree-ear is an orphan boy in a 12th-century Korean potters' village. For a long time he is content living with Crane-man under a bridge barely surviving on scraps of food. All that changes when he sees master potter Min making his beautiful pottery. Tree-ear sneaks back to Min's workplace and dreams of creating his own pots someday. When he accidentally breaks a pot, he must work for the master to pay for the damage. Though the work is long and hard, Tree-ear is eager to learn. Then he is sent to the King's Court to show the master's pottery. Little does Tree-ear know that this difficult and dangerous journey will change his life forever.
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MER
The Pushcart War (age 10+)
by Jean Merrill
war ... humor ... enterprise
A satire on modern city life depicting an outbreak of war between truck drivers and pushcart peddlers.

Walter Hays Elementary School, Sat Aug 25 11:55:30 2012
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